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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
Complicated
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
another really adorable addition to the spellshop!!
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
From what I've seen, this book means a lot to some people. I can see the appeal in some ways, so I don't want to spend time listing every single problem I have with this book. There are some things I appreciated, such as the themes. Love that involves controlling others isn't real love. People deserve the chance to bloom away from the expectations placed on them. I agree with both messages and think they are handled well. That and some cute moments are what made it possible to get through this.
I still want to touch on some of the things I didn't enjoy. First, the characters. Terlu is a fine character, though her character arc is on repeat for most of the story and it's odd that she has the least personal investment of the 2 (3?) main characters. I feel sympathy for Yarrow but I don't like him. He's rude and all of his mean behavior is given a pass by the narrative. He doesn't apologize to Terlu until the last few pages, way too late in my opinion. I get his distance with his family, but his sister never did anything to him and he's an ass to her. Again, I get it, but his trauma isn't an excuse for this. As for every side character, they are all one-note and annoying. I know I just got on Yarrrow for being an ass, but his family is worse for the most part.
As for the plot, most of it is okay but a few parts really don't work. Most notably, it is so upsetting that the biggest tension of the book, the laws against sorcery, mean nothing to the reader. All Terlu can think about is these laws when we know the empire has fallen and the laws are gone. It feels so contrived. There were so many things that could have been done with a character like Terlu and instead we just redid the same tension from the last book. But worse. Like, this person was frozen in time for years. Besides the trauma of her being a statue, nothing is done with that concept.
I still want to touch on some of the things I didn't enjoy. First, the characters. Terlu is a fine character, though her character arc is on repeat for most of the story and it's odd that she has the least personal investment of the 2 (3?) main characters. I feel sympathy for Yarrow but I don't like him. He's rude and all of his mean behavior is given a pass by the narrative. He doesn't apologize to Terlu until the last few pages, way too late in my opinion. I get his distance with his family, but his sister never did anything to him and he's an ass to her. Again, I get it, but his trauma isn't an excuse for this. As for every side character, they are all one-note and annoying. I know I just got on Yarrrow for being an ass, but his family is worse for the most part.
As for the plot, most of it is okay but a few parts really don't work. Most notably, it is so upsetting that the biggest tension of the book, the laws against sorcery, mean nothing to the reader. All Terlu can think about is these laws when we know the empire has fallen and the laws are gone. It feels so contrived. There were so many things that could have been done with a character like Terlu and instead we just redid the same tension from the last book. But worse. Like, this person was frozen in time for years. Besides the trauma of her being a statue, nothing is done with that concept.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-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
This book was like a big warm hug. I loved that this felt cozy while having a problem they had to solve with urgency at the same time. I also absolutely LOVED terlu and yarrow
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Yes