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ramblingravioli's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism
talesuponmyshelf_'s review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars. It was an okay read but I wished it went deeper with some of the plots to make them more believable: the fact that she is over 300 years old, the mystery, and the romance. I felt no connection. The gargoyle was funny at times. I felt like the whole story was pushing vegan food on me. It needed to focus more on the mystery.
jenbsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this a lot. Someone had mentioned it was included in Audible Plus so I checked it out. I wish the sequels were included as well, alas, they are not. I would really like to continue on ... but I'm super cheap (especially when I have so many books already).
Although our Alchemist (main character) is 100s of years old (having discovered the elixir of life) this is a very modern book, taking place in the present day. I'm listing this on my "paranormal" shelf, with the whole alchemy, automaton, homunculus, living gargoyle, but it's a bit more of a murder mystery at heart. With a big focus on food ... Zoe is vegan (finding out she's going to live 100s of years she wants to feel healthy) so there is so much talk about fruits/vegetables and vegan meals. So much so that some of it got to be a bit too much (knowing exactly what she put in her smoothie each morning). Dorian (the french gargoyle come to life) is a gourmet chef, so lots of food talk featuring his cooking as well. I loved Dorian ;) The audiobook with the very french accent was fun.
Despite all the paranormal points, it was still a little far-fetched (I tend to be more forgiving toward the weird and focus on the more unrealistic "real" items), but it was a good listen and I was glad for the recommendation.
Although our Alchemist (main character) is 100s of years old (having discovered the elixir of life) this is a very modern book, taking place in the present day. I'm listing this on my "paranormal" shelf, with the whole alchemy, automaton, homunculus, living gargoyle, but it's a bit more of a murder mystery at heart. With a big focus on food ... Zoe is vegan (finding out she's going to live 100s of years she wants to feel healthy) so there is so much talk about fruits/vegetables and vegan meals. So much so that some of it got to be a bit too much (knowing exactly what she put in her smoothie each morning). Dorian (the french gargoyle come to life) is a gourmet chef, so lots of food talk featuring his cooking as well. I loved Dorian ;) The audiobook with the very french accent was fun.
Despite all the paranormal points, it was still a little far-fetched (I tend to be more forgiving toward the weird and focus on the more unrealistic "real" items), but it was a good listen and I was glad for the recommendation.
constantin's review against another edition
3.0
Good book for a light read during breaks, great ideas for vegan food, but I was not overly impressed. Although it is well written it did not manage to capture me and make me want to read more.
So, not sure if I am going to read the second book of the series any time soon now. Curious to see where the story will go though.
Yeah, very mixed feelings about it!
P.s. I loved the character of Dorian.
So, not sure if I am going to read the second book of the series any time soon now. Curious to see where the story will go though.
Yeah, very mixed feelings about it!
P.s. I loved the character of Dorian.
bookworm1909's review against another edition
5.0
Mystery was a little easy to figure out, but likable characters. Have the 2nd and 3rd books sitting on my end table to read next.
barker563's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. The premise was unique and the characters were dynamic, there was only one thing in the book that I struggled with. The character development felt strained to force romance into the story line. If your book doesn't need romance then don't put it in there. Don't wedge it in.
baleypetersen's review against another edition
2.0
A vegan manifesto disguised as a story. It's like those blogs where you have to read through an entire family history to get to the recipe, except backwards. You have to read past the smoothie recipes and vegan food descriptions to get to the story. Which is, at best, a bit of fantasy fluff. I will say the author obviously loves my city because she describes Portland like a true native. The French gargoyle is the only character I liked at all.
lisrt's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0