You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
pandemonicbaby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Cursing, and Alcohol
theintrovertsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Body horror, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, and Murder
teaspoonaddict's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Gore and Violence
cadence_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
eni_se's review against another edition
3.0
TW: finger mutilation
Wtf, Fawcett, this was supposed to be a feel-good, whimsical book with low stakes! And the finger being violently and unexpectedly cut off was really not even necessary for the plot! It happened for the stupidest reason. Literally not much would have changed.
This leads me to another issue I had with this book: the protagonist is very mousy and bland. While I love an academic or scientist protagonist, Emily Wilde was honestly as bland as UK food. Fitting, as she is British. The love interest Bamleby was much more engaging. It doesn't help that we get the story from her journal entries, and she writes as blandly as you would expect for someone with the personality of a filing cabinet the size of a mouse. It's not like she's cute in her reactions, or even relatable or understandable; she's not weird enough, or autistic enough, or anything that justifies her as the protagonist. She shines the best when she's interacting with faeries, as it's her area of expertise, or well... until she also makes amateur decisions that put the entire village at risk.
Speaking of, she wins over the people pretty quickly from one chapter to the next for someone who managed to antagonize the entire village in the first hours after arriving to the island where she's set to do some research.
While I thoroughly enjoyed this book (up until that traumatic amputation happened out of nowhere), I was also left warning much more from the romance. I was expecting either a little spice in the veins of [b:The Cruel Prince|26032825|The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)|Holly Black|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1574535986l/26032825._SY75_.jpg|45959123] - Folk of the Air trilogy, or more swoony, sweet romantic moments. And I got neither. While the banter between the main character and the love interest is really good, they didn't connect deeply enough for me. hey rarely talked about deeper topics, about themselves outside of what we already knew from the get-go; they rarely touched softly, or had heated interactions charged with sexual tension. Nothing.
Honestly, Bambleby was a much more engaging character. I wish we'd gotten the book from his perspective. I love his attitude, friendliness and that he's an excellent tailor. I was half expecting the love interest to be a local from the island, but the sorry we got for him was good as well. Though I can't help feeling like the setting for this story was very interchangeable, there was nothing about the setting being a cold Nordic island that truly affected me much. It could have been set in a tropical town too and it would have been pretty much the same story. So the setting wasn't that well integrated into the story.
The writing is pretty good, some of the scenes had really cool imagery (the frozen lake market, the old white cursed tree) but I wish it was far more atmospheric. It would have helped a lot to elevate this story. The story overall is engaging, fast-paced, but sprinkled with a lot of awkwardness.
I do love me a black shadow puppy. He was the best of the story. And the little forest ice faerie who loves a good fashionable cape is also precious.
I am half tempted to read the second book because of Bambleby, but I'm also thinking I would rather read something else.
Graphic: Gore, Self harm, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood
The main character self-amputates a finger with an axe.bellebeaumont95's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Gore, and Vomit
gladiolus17's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
I loved loved loved Emily and Wendell’s dynamic. I loved how Emily was immune to his charm but slowly descended into liking him, and I loved the bickering between them. Their romance was so believable and developed in surprising ways. I also liked that there was always a sense of danger between them, as Wendell was a fairy, but then Emily grew to trust him.
The descriptions of the icy landscape of the setting were beautiful. I also loved the mysterious descriptions of the fairies.
I also liked the short sections of Wendell’s writing. They made me laugh how his character shined through!
This book was so heartwarming, and i am so excited for the next installment! I really have to love a book to read the next in the series, so this is high praise coming from me!
Moderate: Gore and Toxic relationship
aysha_blake's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Vomit
xapoptosisx's review
- 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
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Vomit, Suicide attempt, and War
prettynerdy3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Self harm, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts