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plumpaperbacks's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked the idea of this book, but overall found it rather boring and a bit repetitive. Violet kept repeating the same few things over and over, and I really don’t understand why she was so attached to the house. She talked to it like one would talk to a child, and loved it more than her found family, and for what? There’s sentimentality, and then there’s whatever this was.
The concept of sentient houses and mortar magic could’ve been cool, but I think Weymouth spent too much time focusing on the wrong parts of the story. I never got attached to Violet; I think Wyn or Esperanza would’ve been better protagonists. And speaking of Wyn, that romance really felt like it came out of left field. I couldn’t make myself care about that, or the house. I did like Esperanza though, and Frey. MVPs.
I considered DNFing, but pushed through because a small part of me was curious to see how things would play out. The takeaways here, I think, are that Weymouth’s writing isn’t my cup of tea, and if my instincts are telling me to put a book down, I need to listen. Not that this book is bad; I just didn’t connect with it.
Representation
The concept of sentient houses and mortar magic could’ve been cool, but I think Weymouth spent too much time focusing on the wrong parts of the story. I never got attached to Violet; I think Wyn or Esperanza would’ve been better protagonists. And speaking of Wyn, that romance really felt like it came out of left field. I couldn’t make myself care about that, or the house. I did like Esperanza though, and Frey. MVPs.
I considered DNFing, but pushed through because a small part of me was curious to see how things would play out. The takeaways here, I think, are that Weymouth’s writing isn’t my cup of tea, and if my instincts are telling me to put a book down, I need to listen. Not that this book is bad; I just didn’t connect with it.
Representation
- Jewish side characters
- Black side character
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Body horror and Blood
Mental illness is tagged because the protagonist has anxiety. Parent death is off-page but frequently mentioned.
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