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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
kvree801's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Bullying
t_higgsreviews's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
5 Stars
CAWPILE = 9.21
CAWPILE = 9.21
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Bullying, and Ableism
Moderate: Death
Minor: Vomit
kirstym25's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Ableism, and Bullying
Moderate: Gaslighting
elleschapter's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Grief
creativeworld's review
adventurous
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Ableism, and Death
builtoutofbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Death
emily_mh's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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? No
4.25
The best BEST part of this book for me was the disability rep. I felt SO SEEN. I don't have dyspraxia like Ramya does, but I could relate to SO MANY things Ramya described going through. My favourite quote was:
"I became a measuring stick for people's characters. For their patience, their compassion, their empathy. You get tired of it after a while."
I also liked the simple sentence "I am resilience." Because we are resilience itself, not just acting with resilience. McNicoll absolutely nailed this rep at every turn. I also thought it was fantastic that dyspraxia was represented in an MC, as I have never seen this done before and it is so important to get that rep out there.
Speaking of MCs, Ramya is a great one! She's a fierce advocate for herself, because no-one else in her life is. Her moral compass is so strong. She gives so much love, even though she thinks she doesn't, even though she doesn't get a lot of it in return. I loved learning about the magical underworld of Edinburgh alongside her; all the magical creatures, what they looked like, and where they lived and worked.
I also loved how this story showed the power of community, how it can both prevent disaster and also guide you through one. I'm really looking forward to seeing where this theme goes in the sequel. Another great theme was about choice. The book really drove home personal accountability; that you choose what to do with the power given to you, you choose what to do in response to how you are treated, you choose the role you are going to play. There is no shifting the blame.
The only things I struggled with were that the side characters could feel a little one-dimensional, and the plot was a little wandering at times. Aside from that, this was a fantastic, enjoyable read!
"I became a measuring stick for people's characters. For their patience, their compassion, their empathy. You get tired of it after a while."
I also liked the simple sentence "I am resilience." Because we are resilience itself, not just acting with resilience. McNicoll absolutely nailed this rep at every turn. I also thought it was fantastic that dyspraxia was represented in an MC, as I have never seen this done before and it is so important to get that rep out there.
Speaking of MCs, Ramya is a great one! She's a fierce advocate for herself, because no-one else in her life is. Her moral compass is so strong. She gives so much love, even though she thinks she doesn't, even though she doesn't get a lot of it in return. I loved learning about the magical underworld of Edinburgh alongside her; all the magical creatures, what they looked like, and where they lived and worked.
I also loved how this story showed the power of community, how it can both prevent disaster and also guide you through one. I'm really looking forward to seeing where this theme goes in the sequel. Another great theme was about choice. The book really drove home personal accountability; that you choose what to do with the power given to you, you choose what to do in response to how you are treated, you choose the role you are going to play. There is no shifting the blame.
The only things I struggled with were that the side characters could feel a little one-dimensional, and the plot was a little wandering at times. Aside from that, this was a fantastic, enjoyable read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Vomit, Murder, Physical abuse, Cursing, Blood, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Confinement, Bullying, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: loss of a loved one, mind control Minor: drowning, sick loved onestarshine1's review
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
readingelli's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It is truly amazing to see a neurodivergent character as an MC in a children’s book. I saw myself in Ramya, and I saw people I know.
I laughed so hard I cried at some points, and others I was welling up. Her grief- over her family, the difficult relationships, how she’s treated- is so well portrayed. I’m excited for the next book!
I laughed so hard I cried at some points, and others I was welling up. Her grief- over her family, the difficult relationships, how she’s treated- is so well portrayed. I’m excited for the next book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Death, and Gaslighting