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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
So many good parts, didn't always quite come together, but I can see the author becoming really good with some more practice
Loved reading this book, loved this world and the premse, and the story was so good, I had such a great time reading it!
2025 reads: 69/300
2025 tbr: 28/111
i received a digital review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
content warnings: death of parent, body horror, emotional abuse
in the living, breathing city of vaiwyn, mina acts as a keeper to take care of the bells and prevent them from ringing, lest they awaken an evil force. one day, though, her bell rings thirteen times, and no one knows what kind of danger this will entail. the soul of a power-hungry saint has been let loose and hides behind the face of a citizen. mina works to find and destroy the saint’s host to save her city.
i’ve been so excited to read this book since hearing about it! i enjoy reading books inspired by central and eastern european cultures, and this book was based on a legend from prague. i really liked how the setting played into this story!
i loved the main character, mina. she had to step into this position a bit abruptly after losing her father, who had the job before her. the relationship between mina and her boyfriend, max, was explored so well. oftentimes, when the mc starts the book in a relationship, their partner sucks and they eventually break up. however, i really liked max and how their relationship grew throughout the book.
i’d recommend this to anyone looking for a YA fantasy with a unique setting. i can’t wait for whatever’s next from elle tesch!
Giving Huntch Back of Notre Dame, this book has an interesting storyline but got muddied up by too many other side stories. Lovers to Enemies would have been good if the story could have just been more focused.
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I felt like some of the prose was misplaced? Max was the best character but he was two dimensional and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why he liked Mina 😂
Unique premise, predictable story, but nice to read a stand alone!
Unique premise, predictable story, but nice to read a stand alone!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A city made of sentient stone powered by a spurned god and clocks infused with god magic to keep said god down. The protagonists, a young woman from a legendary family, runs the clock tower her late father oversaw. She has a (honestly, not so secret boyfriend) and a pain in her chest
Long story short: the evil god gets lose, she gets possessed by one of the gods (the “lost” one), and her BF gets possessed by the evil one. Battles, challenges, family issues (fights and make ups with mom; good siblings), library research, stone creatures attacking people. She ends up embodying a god herself, pushing the city into a new era
There are some queer side characters (including aro), plus MC is seemingly a sexual
Only 4 stars because it kind of dragged on and while interesting I found the complexity to fall flat
I recommend Time Keeper by Tara Sim and Foundryside series by Robert Jackson Bennett
Long story short: the evil god gets lose, she gets possessed by one of the gods (the “lost” one), and her BF gets possessed by the evil one. Battles, challenges, family issues (fights and make ups with mom; good siblings), library research, stone creatures attacking people. She ends up embodying a god herself, pushing the city into a new era
There are some queer side characters (including aro), plus MC is seemingly a sexual
Only 4 stars because it kind of dragged on and while interesting I found the complexity to fall flat
I recommend Time Keeper by Tara Sim and Foundryside series by Robert Jackson Bennett
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced