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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
i loved this. i loved how bennie’s feelings for motheater are described… so real. loved the anti corporation aspect, loved the mystery, loved the appalachian folklore aspect. wowwowowwow
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ thank you netgalley and kensington publishing for this arc!
i want to start with the positives, this book has a really compelling plot with environmentalist themes and queer representation. unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. the writing style wasn’t very immersive and the magical elements didn’t feel very well constructed. i can definitely see other people loving this book, it just wasn’t to my taste!
i want to start with the positives, this book has a really compelling plot with environmentalist themes and queer representation. unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. the writing style wasn’t very immersive and the magical elements didn’t feel very well constructed. i can definitely see other people loving this book, it just wasn’t to my taste!
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
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:
Yes
Did not finish at 63 pages.
This book just isn’t for me, I don’t like modern settings for fantasy. My fault for not reading the description before buying.
This book just isn’t for me, I don’t like modern settings for fantasy. My fault for not reading the description before buying.
There was a lot to like about this one. Overall, I think I’d put it on the 3.5ish range, but I’m rounding up instead of down because I loved the characters and THAT COVER.
I do think, that the only knock on this book is that it maybe was a little wordy and a little repetitive at times. It’s a debut, and while on the one hand, I actually really loved the writing and the language, I do think at times it repeated itself a bit too much, and could have been tightened up just a little.
I, like Bennie, fell hard for Motheater/Ester, and, like Motheater, also really loved Bennie as a protagonist as well. I love a hedge witch type fantasy and this hit a lot of buttons for me. There were a couple of things I wanted that didn’t happen, but overall, this was a really fun debut and I’m very glad I read it. I’ll def check out what else the author does in the future.
I do think, that the only knock on this book is that it maybe was a little wordy and a little repetitive at times. It’s a debut, and while on the one hand, I actually really loved the writing and the language, I do think at times it repeated itself a bit too much, and could have been tightened up just a little.
I, like Bennie, fell hard for Motheater/Ester, and, like Motheater, also really loved Bennie as a protagonist as well. I love a hedge witch type fantasy and this hit a lot of buttons for me. There were a couple of things I wanted that didn’t happen, but overall, this was a really fun debut and I’m very glad I read it. I’ll def check out what else the author does in the future.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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
dark
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I enjoyed this! The prose is atmospheric in an incisive, direct sort of way. It hit the right notes of eerie-weirdness, grounded character close-ups, and a compelling (if largely predictable) horror-mystery. Sapphic, too, which I enjoyed—a minor element woven throughout the central plot and character arcs, a good balance imo. The pacing is a little slow but in a way I feel fits the story best! It needed room to breathe. Well worth a read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Blood
Moderate: Racism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Classism