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thenonmouse's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Gun violence, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Stalking, Sexism, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Religious bigotry, Police brutality, and Vomit
dragonwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“Revelle” by Lyssa Mia Smith is a Moulin Rouge-esque book who’s theme song is “Surface Pressure” from Encanto.
Charmant is an island of magic during the prohibition, the magic families split between day life and nightlife. The Chronoses are time travelers, politicians who rule the day, while the Revelles are charmers who woo the night, but each type of magic has its price. For however far a Chronos travels back in time, they agree 100x that, and they’re not able to travel forward. A Revelle needs to be given a jewel to be able to charm their customer, and the jewel crumbles under the use of their magic. The star of the Revelle show is Luxe, a charmer who can sidestep the usual cost of her magic and can charm anyone with the price of a migraine instead. Because of this ability, her family relies on her to keep their business afloat, a trick increasingly more difficult with the prohibition. Luxe has to charm a bootlegger, a Chronos, to provide the liquor her family desperately needs, but when she mistakenly charms a visiting mainlander instead, a star crossed love is born, leaving Luxe to choose between her family’s safety and her own life.
This book was a bit slow to catch my interest, but when it did, it had me by the throat! Revelle was one of those books where I switched between the audio and the physical, because the audio was too slow and I NEEDED TO KNOW. I easily spent half the book stressed, remembering 2/3 through that this was essentially a Moulin Rouge retelling. I was so worried! And I felt so hard for Luxe and what she was going through. The resolution was brilliant, and it made me very happy. This is a book I would reread to catch the easter eggs scattered through the story; I think it would double my enjoyment.
Charmant is an island of magic during the prohibition, the magic families split between day life and nightlife. The Chronoses are time travelers, politicians who rule the day, while the Revelles are charmers who woo the night, but each type of magic has its price. For however far a Chronos travels back in time, they agree 100x that, and they’re not able to travel forward. A Revelle needs to be given a jewel to be able to charm their customer, and the jewel crumbles under the use of their magic. The star of the Revelle show is Luxe, a charmer who can sidestep the usual cost of her magic and can charm anyone with the price of a migraine instead. Because of this ability, her family relies on her to keep their business afloat, a trick increasingly more difficult with the prohibition. Luxe has to charm a bootlegger, a Chronos, to provide the liquor her family desperately needs, but when she mistakenly charms a visiting mainlander instead, a star crossed love is born, leaving Luxe to choose between her family’s safety and her own life.
This book was a bit slow to catch my interest, but when it did, it had me by the throat! Revelle was one of those books where I switched between the audio and the physical, because the audio was too slow and I NEEDED TO KNOW. I easily spent half the book stressed, remembering 2/3 through that this was essentially a Moulin Rouge retelling. I was so worried! And I felt so hard for Luxe and what she was going through. The resolution was brilliant, and it made me very happy. This is a book I would reread to catch the easter eggs scattered through the story; I think it would double my enjoyment.
Content Warnings
Minor: Gun violence, Child death, Stalking, and Emotional abuse
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