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pegasusgm's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
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
skylarkblue1's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
4.75
Representations: https://trello.com/c/IxAZRQHp/103-like-a-charm-1-like-a-charm-by-elle-mcnicoll
I am slightly conflicted on this one. While yes, I absolutely love Ellies work and the representation in this was so incredibly authentic and lovely to read - really need a lot more diverse neurodiversity representations <3 - but it does have the one trope I absolutely hate. The "disability is a superpower" trope. However it does still keep true to the thought of "I am still disabled, I do need to work harder than others still" because that trope goes the other way far too often. Most of the time magic with that kind of trope just "cures" a disability, or makes it so that disability is kinda just nulled out by said magic and it's just sad to see because in reality, we don't have magic to just "remove" those disabilities. Seeing that trope become so common - and pushed by so many shitty "advocates" and "charities" that refuse to use the word disability - just makes it feel like we're lesser for not having magic, we're just broken with no hope except for a fantasy.
So yeah, good ending, just gave me anxiety while reading lmaoo
I loved the characters, funnily enough I loved how dysfunctional the family is. It's strangely nice (for me) to read about a family who aren't perfect, who fall out, who even go no-contact. I loved the 2 kids, though I feel like Marley was pretty underused. I wonder if in the sequel more characters get introduced - already feels like a pretty stuffed cast with a lot of underused characters - or if the existing ones will get fleshed out a lot more.
I would love to learn more about the side characters, the world building was really cool. This was quite similar to the Gargoyles book I read recently, but also incredibly different. The use of glamour to be a (pretty explicitly spelt out) metaphor for ND masking was pretty neat, and I honestly really can't wait to see how the magic system and everything gets expanded on in the next one!
I am slightly conflicted on this one. While yes, I absolutely love Ellies work and the representation in this was so incredibly authentic and lovely to read - really need a lot more diverse neurodiversity representations <3 - but it does have the one trope I absolutely hate. The "disability is a superpower" trope. However it does still keep true to the thought of "I am still disabled, I do need to work harder than others still" because that trope goes the other way far too often. Most of the time magic with that kind of trope just "cures" a disability, or makes it so that disability is kinda just nulled out by said magic and it's just sad to see because in reality, we don't have magic to just "remove" those disabilities. Seeing that trope become so common - and pushed by so many shitty "advocates" and "charities" that refuse to use the word disability - just makes it feel like we're lesser for not having magic, we're just broken with no hope except for a fantasy.
So yeah, good ending, just gave me anxiety while reading lmaoo
I loved the characters, funnily enough I loved how dysfunctional the family is. It's strangely nice (for me) to read about a family who aren't perfect, who fall out, who even go no-contact. I loved the 2 kids, though I feel like Marley was pretty underused. I wonder if in the sequel more characters get introduced - already feels like a pretty stuffed cast with a lot of underused characters - or if the existing ones will get fleshed out a lot more.
I would love to learn more about the side characters, the world building was really cool. This was quite similar to the Gargoyles book I read recently, but also incredibly different. The use of glamour to be a (pretty explicitly spelt out) metaphor for ND masking was pretty neat, and I honestly really can't wait to see how the magic system and everything gets expanded on in the next one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, and Grief
Moderate: Death and Violence
19becky97's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.5
fantasycat's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Grief
nottooscarythanks's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
missjeann's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.25
evamadera1's review
4.5
I loved this book! As soon as I saw the tagline on the cover, I knew I would like the story; I'm so happy that the narrative lived up to my expectations. McNicoll does not shy away from difficult realities in this narrative, combining the magical with the real in a way that affirms Ramya without trying to "solve" her dyspraxia. I also really enjoyed the way McNicoll incorporated magic as well as her choice of Edinburgh as the setting.
mekeisha's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- 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