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sinaprst's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
this book was not at all what i expected
really, really loved the beginning and still very much liked the middle, but unfortunately the ending fell flat for me
the vibes however were imaculate, as was the writing and i loved Elisabeth and Nathaniel and their relationship, though Silas might be my favorite character all over
all in all, i wish i could give this more stars and throughout i seriously believed that this could be a 5 star read, but due to my dislike for the ending i can only give it 3.5/5, i'm so sorry
recommended reading ambience: https://youtu.be/PgUbNrgUwP0?si=USD7pkIunvo-8LRw
really, really loved the beginning and still very much liked the middle, but unfortunately the ending fell flat for me
the vibes however were imaculate, as was the writing and i loved Elisabeth and Nathaniel and their relationship, though Silas might be my favorite character all over
all in all, i wish i could give this more stars and throughout i seriously believed that this could be a 5 star read, but due to my dislike for the ending i can only give it 3.5/5, i'm so sorry
recommended reading ambience: https://youtu.be/PgUbNrgUwP0?si=USD7pkIunvo-8LRw
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Death, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Death of parent
Minor: Child death
glass_carousel's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Sexism
Moderate: Vomit and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Forced institutionalization
hannasreads's review
adventurous
dark
funny
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Forced institutionalization, and Grief
lowpollie's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Child death, and Death of parent
sarahsbooklife's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a book that I've wanted to read for ages, especially after loving Margaret Rogerson's first book so much, but I've been putting it off because I feared I wouldn't like it as much as her debut novel or that it wouldn't live up the hype surrounding it. But I am glad that I did read because I loved it.
It's such a good book.
It has magical books, sorcery, demons and a girl that wields a sword. For me that's a perfect mix of things I love to see in a story. Oh, and with a sprinkling of romance on top.
Great book. Highly recommend.
It's such a good book.
It has magical books, sorcery, demons and a girl that wields a sword. For me that's a perfect mix of things I love to see in a story. Oh, and with a sprinkling of romance on top.
Great book. Highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
caelinsullivan's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Forced institutionalization
onthesamepage's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I've been on the fence about trying this author for a very long time. The covers for her books always catch my eye because I adore the artwork, but then every time I'd consider picking them up, I'd see mixed reviews and hesitate. I don't always have the best track record with YA fantasy, and I've become more careful about which books I try from that specific category. What really pushed me over the edge and made me pick up the book are the following:
1) Alienor mentioned that she really enjoyed it. This is important because we have similar taste in a lot of books.
2) A Clockwork Reader compared it to Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle. I'm a simple person, you comp something to a Ghibli movie I love, I will be immediately convinced I need it in my life.
The comparison to Howl's Moving Castle isn't super accurate, but I understand where it comes from. The dynamic between the main trio in the book is reminiscent of the way Sophie, Howl, and Calcifer interact. The strength of this story is definitely in the characters and the relationships. The romance between Elisabeth and Nathanial is really sweet, but the found family aspect is even stronger.
For Nathanial and Silas specifically, I think Black Butler is a good comparison, so if you enjoyed that, you might also have a good time with this book.
I was invested and engrossed in the story, but I did find it relatively easy to guess who the villain was. However, that didn't detract from my enjoyment, because I had no idea what their overall plan was and how everything would pan out. Plus the setting really appealed to me—magical libraries and books that can turn into monsters, what's not to love?
If I had written this review shortly after finishing the book, I'd probably be able to go into more details, but alas, the past me decided this would be a problem for future me, and this is all I'm currently capable of. Maybe I'll add to this on reread, because I do think this is one I'll pick up again eventually.
1) Alienor mentioned that she really enjoyed it. This is important because we have similar taste in a lot of books.
2) A Clockwork Reader compared it to Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle. I'm a simple person, you comp something to a Ghibli movie I love, I will be immediately convinced I need it in my life.
The comparison to Howl's Moving Castle isn't super accurate, but I understand where it comes from. The dynamic between the main trio in the book is reminiscent of the way Sophie, Howl, and Calcifer interact. The strength of this story is definitely in the characters and the relationships. The romance between Elisabeth and Nathanial is really sweet, but the found family aspect is even stronger.
For Nathanial and Silas specifically, I think Black Butler is a good comparison, so if you enjoyed that, you might also have a good time with this book.
I was invested and engrossed in the story, but I did find it relatively easy to guess who the villain was. However, that didn't detract from my enjoyment, because I had no idea what their overall plan was and how everything would pan out. Plus the setting really appealed to me—magical libraries and books that can turn into monsters, what's not to love?
If I had written this review shortly after finishing the book, I'd probably be able to go into more details, but alas, the past me decided this would be a problem for future me, and this is all I'm currently capable of. Maybe I'll add to this on reread, because I do think this is one I'll pick up again eventually.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
mayas's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I really loved/enjoyed this book, especially the majority of it. It was really fun and exciting and tense. I really couldn’t put this down and it surprised me that I read almost all of it in 5 days, which is a lot for me for a book this size.
And the characters were really cool and I enjoyed there interactions, personalities, and banter. I would have loved to explore more about Katrien and even Silas.
I found the ending a little confusing. I didn’t really understand what specifically Silas did/how he did it. And there were some things I questioned regarding the last act and stuff. I also took a little longer getting through the last 10-20% but I don’t think that really was the book - maybe just personal circumstances.
And because of this little loss in momentum, I struggle to rate this book. But it’s more than 5 stars. But less than 4.5. When I was reading it (in the momentum bit), I remember thinking it was 4.3. So i suppose 4.25 will be fine :)
And the characters were really cool and I enjoyed there interactions, personalities, and banter. I would have loved to explore more about Katrien and even Silas.
I found the ending a little confusing. I didn’t really understand what specifically Silas did/how he did it. And there were some things I questioned regarding the last act and stuff. I also took a little longer getting through the last 10-20% but I don’t think that really was the book - maybe just personal circumstances.
And because of this little loss in momentum, I struggle to rate this book. But it’s more than 5 stars. But less than 4.5. When I was reading it (in the momentum bit), I remember thinking it was 4.3. So i suppose 4.25 will be fine :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
Minor: War
erebus53's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This is a book that kept coming up in my recommendations. I recently saw it on the shelf at my local library and vowed to track down the audiobook. It is a nerdy fantasy aimed at teen readers, about a girl who is an orphan raised in a magical library filled with sentient grimoires.
The first part of the story, that introduces us to the idea of dangerous books locked up to keep people safe felt reminiscent of Terry Pratchett's libraries in the Discworld. I had a laugh-out-loud moment when the novice is quizzed by the Director as to the first magical safety precaution one would use when handling a dangerous book and I said out loud "salt!", and the novice exclaims "salt". The way the magic works in this world is not precisely derivative, but enough like other fantasy novels (and Pagan texts) that it seems familiar to the point where at least one of the big reveals is a little predictable. I don't hate it though.
The particular bestiary of this world includes Maleficts which are malevolent monsters that are released when a book is unbound, Book-lice which are oversized arthropods that thrive in magical libraries, altered by the omnipresence of magical energies which make them resistant to magical spells, and Demons which Sorcerers contract with for use of magical powers. I really did hope it would go into the idea of indentured servitude, and power dynamics of demon slaves.. there was a whiff of the idea, but maybe it was too big for a book like this?
I think there is some criticism of this book for being "token LGBT" as one of the main characters is bisexual (and one is asexual now I think of it), but this is only mentioned in passing, and the primary relationships in the book are M/F. Personally I feel like it's respectfully done and I like that I'm feeling represented.. but it has no real queer narrative. I do think it's more important to the plot than some readers perceive. Similar things could be said for the depiction of ethnic diversity. Some characters are brown, but there is no narrative of identity, minority, or oppression, and Class is only vaguely mentioned.
As someone who is not a fan of "battles" I think the tension is held well and the boss fights (always more palatable than army engagements) are tense and exciting. Our main character is a girl who is big and strong and wields a sword.. or a crowbar if that's all she can get.
The story is really more character driven than anything, and it's got some nuance so I'll let it slide on some of the simplicity of plot. Lots of ideas to play with, and I expect it is the sort of world that fan-fiction would spring from.
The first part of the story, that introduces us to the idea of dangerous books locked up to keep people safe felt reminiscent of Terry Pratchett's libraries in the Discworld. I had a laugh-out-loud moment when the novice is quizzed by the Director as to the first magical safety precaution one would use when handling a dangerous book and I said out loud "salt!", and the novice exclaims "salt". The way the magic works in this world is not precisely derivative, but enough like other fantasy novels (and Pagan texts) that it seems familiar to the point where at least one of the big reveals is a little predictable. I don't hate it though.
The particular bestiary of this world includes Maleficts which are malevolent monsters that are released when a book is unbound, Book-lice which are oversized arthropods that thrive in magical libraries, altered by the omnipresence of magical energies which make them resistant to magical spells, and Demons which Sorcerers contract with for use of magical powers. I really did hope it would go into the idea of indentured servitude, and power dynamics of demon slaves.. there was a whiff of the idea, but maybe it was too big for a book like this?
I think there is some criticism of this book for being "token LGBT" as one of the main characters is bisexual (and one is asexual now I think of it), but this is only mentioned in passing, and the primary relationships in the book are M/F. Personally I feel like it's respectfully done and I like that I'm feeling represented.. but it has no real queer narrative. I do think it's more important to the plot than some readers perceive. Similar things could be said for the depiction of ethnic diversity. Some characters are brown, but there is no narrative of identity, minority, or oppression, and Class is only vaguely mentioned.
As someone who is not a fan of "battles" I think the tension is held well and the boss fights (always more palatable than army engagements) are tense and exciting. Our main character is a girl who is big and strong and wields a sword.. or a crowbar if that's all she can get.
The story is really more character driven than anything, and it's got some nuance so I'll let it slide on some of the simplicity of plot. Lots of ideas to play with, and I expect it is the sort of world that fan-fiction would spring from.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Blood, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, and Toxic friendship
kayceeisbookish's review
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail