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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
magicaltats's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't like this one as much as the first. It was fun seeing the characters again, but the plot was full of hardships. Still, it was a good story woven together.
brittsallbooked's review against another edition
4.0
This series will go right up to the top of my favorites list. I adored them and devoured them. Be prepared to get these if you ever do a book swap with me because they were that good!
WEST continues shortly after EAST ends and it takes off rather quickly.
"It was perhaps the hardest test I had ever faced, balancing my wild, northern nature with that love."
Charles has said to have died in a bad shipwreck as he was traveling back to Rose's family gathering. Only, Rose doesn't feel that he has died and can't believe what she hears. She gives her son to her brother to look after until she returns from her adventure to find the truth about Charles.
Upon her adventures she runs into some crazy people who are actually not people at all, but Trolls who work for the Queen who has supposedly died. Clearly she lived to torment Rose for another book and another adventure.
She gets clues as to where to find Charles, and when she does, he is not as he should be. His whole memory of Rose and their life together is gone. So she plays along through her own heartbreak in hopes that Charles's memory will return soon.
Only then do they get news of terrible diseases sweeping the lands and that their own son and daughter had disappeared without a trace. Only who would have that kind of power is an ill stated nation?
"My white bear was gone, but not gone. In some ways it was worse than if he were dead, Here but not here."
What a crazy ride this was...! Loved every moment, for the most part.
Please be aware that this next paragraph will CONTAIN A SPOILER so skip it if you don't want to be spoiled.
LAST WARNING :)
Okay, so here is the main reason why I only gave it 4 stars instead of 5. Why did Charles still not remember his wife or life even after he was turned back into a bear? Even after he was back to being a man after being a bear....
Why didn't Rose just tell him the truth from the beginning..? Given her wild nature, you'd think she would just tell him the truth when the time was right. It's her life as much as it is his. It's her son who was taken as much as it was his. I personally just didn't care for that aspect of the book. I didn't like how Rose went ahead with a "second" wedding with Charles instead of just trying to continue what they had. It just feels like she started over with him, even though their life was already pretty good.
Overall, I loved this book just as much as I loved the first one. Just if you read my spoiler, you would know why I rated it at 4. Which it wasn't even that big of a deal, just my personal opinion on the storyline.
WEST was addictive, adventurous, enchanting, and is a book generations to come will enjoy!
"Where there was life, there was also hope."
Until next time,
DauntlessReading
WEST continues shortly after EAST ends and it takes off rather quickly.
"It was perhaps the hardest test I had ever faced, balancing my wild, northern nature with that love."
Charles has said to have died in a bad shipwreck as he was traveling back to Rose's family gathering. Only, Rose doesn't feel that he has died and can't believe what she hears. She gives her son to her brother to look after until she returns from her adventure to find the truth about Charles.
Upon her adventures she runs into some crazy people who are actually not people at all, but Trolls who work for the Queen who has supposedly died. Clearly she lived to torment Rose for another book and another adventure.
She gets clues as to where to find Charles, and when she does, he is not as he should be. His whole memory of Rose and their life together is gone. So she plays along through her own heartbreak in hopes that Charles's memory will return soon.
Only then do they get news of terrible diseases sweeping the lands and that their own son and daughter had disappeared without a trace. Only who would have that kind of power is an ill stated nation?
"My white bear was gone, but not gone. In some ways it was worse than if he were dead, Here but not here."
What a crazy ride this was...! Loved every moment, for the most part.
Please be aware that this next paragraph will CONTAIN A SPOILER so skip it if you don't want to be spoiled.
LAST WARNING :)
Okay, so here is the main reason why I only gave it 4 stars instead of 5. Why did Charles still not remember his wife or life even after he was turned back into a bear? Even after he was back to being a man after being a bear....
Why didn't Rose just tell him the truth from the beginning..? Given her wild nature, you'd think she would just tell him the truth when the time was right. It's her life as much as it is his. It's her son who was taken as much as it was his. I personally just didn't care for that aspect of the book. I didn't like how Rose went ahead with a "second" wedding with Charles instead of just trying to continue what they had. It just feels like she started over with him, even though their life was already pretty good.
Overall, I loved this book just as much as I loved the first one. Just if you read my spoiler, you would know why I rated it at 4. Which it wasn't even that big of a deal, just my personal opinion on the storyline.
WEST was addictive, adventurous, enchanting, and is a book generations to come will enjoy!
"Where there was life, there was also hope."
Until next time,
DauntlessReading
starrynews's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed East, but I didn't end the book thinking it demanded a sequel, so I was curious to see where West would take us. This was an intriguing story that not only plunges Rose back into the world of the trolls, but also incorporated additional pieces of mythology and lore into the story. This is a high stakes story with some fast-paced sections, balanced with some romance and family relationships. A good read.
vickeyfoggin's review against another edition
4.0
East was a dreamy and magical retelling of a Norwegian fairy tale and West expands that story. Rose and Charles are in their happily ever after when their family is torn apart, and we follow along as they journey through lands of magic and lore to make things right. Exciting and magical things occur, but the story is told in a slow meandering anecdote style with many shifts in perspective. It’s a young adult book but I think people on the younger end of that range would find it a bit slow, so I’d recommend it for older teens and adults only. If you’re patient enough to work your way through, it is a sweet story with charming romance and magic.
Thanks to HMH Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the advance copy I received to review.
Thanks to HMH Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the advance copy I received to review.
kairosdreaming's review against another edition
2.0
I really enjoyed the first book in this series (East). This one though, while it was well written, I just didn't really see the point of it honestly. Yes, it continued the story of our protagonists, but it also just seemed unnecessary in a way.
West takes place a bit in the future after East, when Rose has settled down into life with her husband and child. Unfortunately, this peace is not to last though. Someone doesn't want to see Rose or her husband happy and will pull out all steps to destroy that happiness.
There's nothing wrong with the characters, although I feel like Bear is still not really fleshed out very much. And there's a bunch of characters to keep track in this one, with their own side stories, and it gets hopelessly mired in some of these without being built out enough to be engaging. For instance, Sib could be her own book, but instead, hints of her life are in this book without it actually ever being explored deeply.
This one doesn't follow a traditional fairy tale like in the first one either, which isn't a problem, but people who are reading based on the first book for that reason may find it surprising. It's its own story, which while it has elements, is not a retelling. Overall, I just felt underwhelmed with this one. It certainly won't turn me off of Pattou's writing, but maybe additional ones in the series if there are more to come.
Review by M. Reynard 2023
Merged review:
I really enjoyed the first book in this series (East). This one though, while it was well written, I just didn't really see the point of it honestly. Yes, it continued the story of our protagonists, but it also just seemed unnecessary in a way.
West takes place a bit in the future after East, when Rose has settled down into life with her husband and child. Unfortunately, this peace is not to last though. Someone doesn't want to see Rose or her husband happy and will pull out all steps to destroy that happiness.
There's nothing wrong with the characters, although I feel like Bear is still not really fleshed out very much. And there's a bunch of characters to keep track in this one, with their own side stories, and it gets hopelessly mired in some of these without being built out enough to be engaging. For instance, Sib could be her own book, but instead, hints of her life are in this book without it actually ever being explored deeply.
This one doesn't follow a traditional fairy tale like in the first one either, which isn't a problem, but people who are reading based on the first book for that reason may find it surprising. It's its own story, which while it has elements, is not a retelling. Overall, I just felt underwhelmed with this one. It certainly won't turn me off of Pattou's writing, but maybe additional ones in the series if there are more to come.
Review by M. Reynard 2023
West takes place a bit in the future after East, when Rose has settled down into life with her husband and child. Unfortunately, this peace is not to last though. Someone doesn't want to see Rose or her husband happy and will pull out all steps to destroy that happiness.
There's nothing wrong with the characters, although I feel like Bear is still not really fleshed out very much. And there's a bunch of characters to keep track in this one, with their own side stories, and it gets hopelessly mired in some of these without being built out enough to be engaging. For instance, Sib could be her own book, but instead, hints of her life are in this book without it actually ever being explored deeply.
This one doesn't follow a traditional fairy tale like in the first one either, which isn't a problem, but people who are reading based on the first book for that reason may find it surprising. It's its own story, which while it has elements, is not a retelling. Overall, I just felt underwhelmed with this one. It certainly won't turn me off of Pattou's writing, but maybe additional ones in the series if there are more to come.
Review by M. Reynard 2023
Merged review:
I really enjoyed the first book in this series (East). This one though, while it was well written, I just didn't really see the point of it honestly. Yes, it continued the story of our protagonists, but it also just seemed unnecessary in a way.
West takes place a bit in the future after East, when Rose has settled down into life with her husband and child. Unfortunately, this peace is not to last though. Someone doesn't want to see Rose or her husband happy and will pull out all steps to destroy that happiness.
There's nothing wrong with the characters, although I feel like Bear is still not really fleshed out very much. And there's a bunch of characters to keep track in this one, with their own side stories, and it gets hopelessly mired in some of these without being built out enough to be engaging. For instance, Sib could be her own book, but instead, hints of her life are in this book without it actually ever being explored deeply.
This one doesn't follow a traditional fairy tale like in the first one either, which isn't a problem, but people who are reading based on the first book for that reason may find it surprising. It's its own story, which while it has elements, is not a retelling. Overall, I just felt underwhelmed with this one. It certainly won't turn me off of Pattou's writing, but maybe additional ones in the series if there are more to come.
Review by M. Reynard 2023
calhale1989's review against another edition
5.0
East, book one in this duology, is one of my favorite books of all time. So it shouldn't surprise me that this book had me ugly crying with happiness at parts.
Edith Pattou seems to have swept up all the pieces of the original tale of East of the Sun and West of the Moon that she didn't use in East and wove them beautifully into the sequel. I love this world that she has created and the people in it. I love that they grow across both books and seeing how Rose changes from her youth as a North-born wild child to a strong and loving mother, was so impactful to me.
I will never not tell someone to read this series.
Please note: This book deals with a small epidemic and the aftermath of illness in a way that could be a trigger for some after the most recent pandemic. Please be advised.
This book felt super timely for me to be reading now.
Edith Pattou seems to have swept up all the pieces of the original tale of East of the Sun and West of the Moon that she didn't use in East and wove them beautifully into the sequel. I love this world that she has created and the people in it. I love that they grow across both books and seeing how Rose changes from her youth as a North-born wild child to a strong and loving mother, was so impactful to me.
I will never not tell someone to read this series.
Please note: This book deals with a small epidemic and the aftermath of illness in a way that could be a trigger for some after the most recent pandemic. Please be advised.
This book felt super timely for me to be reading now.
reikista's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
katrina_emerald's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
thedragonwolf's review against another edition
3.0
Was this book necessary? No. Was it cute? I guess. In terms of writing I had the same problems as the first one: a lot of summary, a lot of passive language, I was told a lot of things that I wish I would've seen play out instead. This style of writing is fine on a fairytale or something more akin to a short story or a novella, but 500 pages of it? Sometimes I felt like I was reading the Wikipedia summary instead of the book itself. In terms of the story itself, it felt like more or less the same thing as the first book. I didn't really find much development of the characters beyond the people they already were at the end of book one. And truth be told, I felt like the writing style prevented me from actually connecting with the characters.
maddiebills's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5