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terranstorm's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
A real fairytale, in the traditional sense almost. Enchantments, transformations, loss and longing? And the sisters, oh my heart. I love the way Amal El-Mohtar wields her words.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Murder
Drowningsystemof5's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Stalking
dejahentendu's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
4.5
What happens when you need to choose between love and duty? in a world where grammar is magic, maybe the answer lies in riddles. This gorgeous, lyric fairy-tale gives us the answer in song. The audiobook is just under 3 hours long and so worth listening to.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
dokushoka's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Stalking, and Murder
grace_b_3's review against another edition
reflective
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
1.5
Writing style wasn’t for me. You might enjoy this if you like more lyrical prose.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
colormemadeline's review against another edition
mysterious
relaxing
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? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
bebidocrimes's review
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Breathtaking. The magic system is enchanting, the setting is delightful, and it truly read as a fairy tale.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror, Death, Murder, and Abandonment
bookishsleepyhead's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Murder
phoenixs's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.0
This is such a perfect springtime fantasy. It's El-Mohtar's love letter to fantasies like Lud-in-the-Mist, about how the most magical things are often the most mundane ones; such as music, language, and kinship (both familial or otherwise). It's also subtly intertwined a subplot about home and how one the worst things a state or person could do is seek to violently colonize it. El-Mohtar's acknowledgements should be read at least once, as she expresses her grief for how settler-colonialism continues to plague her family's home country of Lebanon and is ravaging countless more families histories and homes in Gaza and many more nations globally. Some of this novel is autobiographical, she admits.
I was happy to find that there's an excerpt included of an upcoming short story collection from El-Mohtar! While I won't be reading it (I'd rather wait for the full work) it's good to know she has more lovely prose on the way.
ALSO, gorgeous illustrations by Kathleen Neely throughout, which make the book feel that much more of a timeless tale.
I was happy to find that there's an excerpt included of an upcoming short story collection from El-Mohtar! While I won't be reading it (I'd rather wait for the full work) it's good to know she has more lovely prose on the way.
ALSO, gorgeous illustrations by Kathleen Neely throughout, which make the book feel that much more of a timeless tale.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Murder, Abandonment, and Colonisation
creolelitbelle's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
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? Complicated
2.0
Beautiful, lyrical writing - 5 stars. The music accompanying the narration of the audiobook - 5 stars. The story itself just did not work for me. I like the fairy tale vibes and the bonds of some characters, but somehow I got the sense that the entire thing might have worked better as a short story than even a novella. One co-authored novella and one solo novella, and I'm not impressed. This author is not for me. Metaphors and grammar talk throughout are insightful, though.
Thank you to libro.fm for an ALC of the book. It was a joy to listen to for the narrator's voice and music alone.
Thank you to libro.fm for an ALC of the book. It was a joy to listen to for the narrator's voice and music alone.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death