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crackedspines_'s review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Rep: pansexual main character, lesbian* Chinese love interest, sapphic side character, genderfluid side character
OVERALL: There’s Magic Between Us was a sweet, enjoyable read centered on magic, self discovery, and queer joy. I had some issues but overall I loved it and highly recommend it.
PLOT: The pacing worked really nicely for this story, and the plot twists! Every one surprised me even more than the last, but there was enough buildup to each one that they felt realistic for the story + characters.
SETTING AND WORLD-BUILDING: There are two main settings, Fairbrooke/the forest and Fierborne , and they’re both so captivating. The settings and magic system are very well-developed. The magical elements are strongly present, but not so much that it’s overwhelming. I’d still categorize this as magical realism. I wish I could spend more time in the forest!
WRITING: Overall, the writing was nice. I don’t have any strong feelings about it. But there were parts that were repetitive, where I wish the author had come up with a different detail to focus on or way to describe the situation. There was also one line that felt somewhat trans exclusionary. When Lydia and Eden meet, Lydia thinks “I do sort of want to find out if she’s into girls, though. It’s always good to know if your friends are some flavor of queer or not.” It’s not blatantly transphobic or anything, but it does imply that by finding out if Eden likes girls she will inherently know if Eden is queer or not.
CHARACTERS: Lydia, the main character, is headstrong and fierce, and she made for a fascinating POV character. I loved her at the beginning of the book, but also loved seeing her development. I also loved Eden’s character; her backstory was very well-developed! But I had some issues with the Asian rep there. Eden is Chinese and is described several times as having “golden skin,” but she’s depicted as very pale on the cover. If she has gold skin, the cover should reflect that, and it’s not realistic for her to blush, which she did once towards the end of the book. If she’s pale-skinned, gold is not an appropriate descriptor.
*the word “lesbian” is never specifically used, but when the love interest is asked about what she looks for in a potential partner, she only mentions girls.
OVERALL: There’s Magic Between Us was a sweet, enjoyable read centered on magic, self discovery, and queer joy. I had some issues but overall I loved it and highly recommend it.
PLOT: The pacing worked really nicely for this story, and the plot twists! Every one surprised me even more than the last, but there was enough buildup to each one that they felt realistic for the story + characters.
SETTING AND WORLD-BUILDING: There are two main settings, Fairbrooke/the forest and
WRITING: Overall, the writing was nice. I don’t have any strong feelings about it. But there were parts that were repetitive, where I wish the author had come up with a different detail to focus on or way to describe the situation. There was also one line that felt somewhat trans exclusionary. When Lydia and Eden meet, Lydia thinks “I do sort of want to find out if she’s into girls, though. It’s always good to know if your friends are some flavor of queer or not.” It’s not blatantly transphobic or anything, but it does imply that by finding out if Eden likes girls she will inherently know if Eden is queer or not.
CHARACTERS: Lydia, the main character, is headstrong and fierce, and she made for a fascinating POV character. I loved her at the beginning of the book, but also loved seeing her development. I also loved Eden’s character; her backstory was very well-developed! But I had some issues with the Asian rep there. Eden is Chinese and is described several times as having “golden skin,” but she’s depicted as very pale on the cover. If she has gold skin, the cover should reflect that, and it’s not realistic for her to blush, which she did once towards the end of the book. If she’s pale-skinned, gold is not an appropriate descriptor.
*the word “lesbian” is never specifically used, but when the love interest is asked about what she looks for in a potential partner, she only mentions girls.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent
caseythereader's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.5
- This is going to be less of a review of THERE'S MAGIC BETWEEN US and more of a QUEER SCREAMING post - I loved this book so much! Faeries! Quests! Pansexuality! Gender fluidity!
- Lydia is gloriously sarcastic and impulsive and a bit of a disaster and I loved that she never let anyone get away with being rude to her.
- The magic in this book is revealed so wonderfully, starting off shiny and sunlit and turning dark and urgent. The small town it's set in is also feels quite real for how short the book is.
- I loved that Lydia and Eden weren't always a perfect, meant to be match: they have misunderstandings and arguments, and they have to learn to work together.
- It's just so cute, I don't know what else to say, haha. Perfect for if you're looking for a book to devour in a weekend, or have a young person in your life who could use a queernorm fantasy to dive into.
- Lydia is gloriously sarcastic and impulsive and a bit of a disaster and I loved that she never let anyone get away with being rude to her.
- The magic in this book is revealed so wonderfully, starting off shiny and sunlit and turning dark and urgent. The small town it's set in is also feels quite real for how short the book is.
- I loved that Lydia and Eden weren't always a perfect, meant to be match: they have misunderstandings and arguments, and they have to learn to work together.
- It's just so cute, I don't know what else to say, haha. Perfect for if you're looking for a book to devour in a weekend, or have a young person in your life who could use a queernorm fantasy to dive into.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Grief, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, and Violence
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