Reviews tagging 'Dysphoria'

The Gifts That Bind Us by Caroline O'Donoghue

2 reviews

veggiestrawenjoyer13's review

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adventurous emotional 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? It's complicated

3.75

Personally, I liked this book more than the first one. All the new plot points tied in really well and didn’t feel randomly added in, they felt planned. The modern media references continued to throw me off, but there were less so it was easier to read. I really enjoyed the conflicts and personal struggles each character went through. They felt realistic and relatable. The plot twists towards the end of the book had my jaw dropped and I didn’t know who to trust. I would say the only thing that I disliked was (minor spoiler about a new character’s background) 
Manon’s source of power. Gods were never mentioned before this, so it felt very random. It seemed like a way to give the group a super powerful ally (because they desperately needed one.)
Otherwise, I think the plot moved at a good pace and I enjoyed all the characters. It’s not a literary masterpiece, but it’s still a really good sequel and a nice casual read.
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spacecadelliot's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

The Gifts That Bind Us by Caroline O’Donoghue is an epic continuation of All Our Hidden Gifts. In this instalment we’re following Maeve and her friends as they try to accept what just went down and they’re new powers, whilst tackling the expectations of their after school plans. It’s a lot for a group of young witches to take on.

This sequel explored so many different topics that surface for young teens - it’s incredibly relatable. New relationships, tumultuous friendships, fluctuating identity, having to save the world….. The way Caroline writes makes for such a fun, fast read and allows for so many important conversations on gender, sexuality, race, consent and so much more. I can’t even begin to explain how gracefully she melds all of these tough topics together with this ever evolving plot line. There were a couple of conversations between Maeve and Rue that had me stopping and needing a breath because I couldn’t believe we were having such a normal yet raw conversation about exploring your queer identity, pronouns and acceptance. And I haven’t even begun talking about the amount of real world magic! It’s so lovely to see such a genuine representation of witchcraft, divination and spell work - thank you Caroline.

I would like to let you know that if you’re thinking of picking up this sequel, please be aware that it contains scenes discussing self-harm, sexual assault, transphobia, manipulation and more potentially difficult topics that I’m definitely forgetting.

The Gifts That Bind Us is published February 3rd! Please don’t miss out on this drama filled, magical series! I can’t believe I have to wait a whole year for book 3 because that ending revelation has me wanting more!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for offering me an e-arc in return for a truthful review
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