Reviews

Night Ivy by E.D.E. Bell

re_do_876's review against another edition

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I think complicated fantasy is simply not the vibe for me

little_rainbow's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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greeniezona's review

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mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

I wouldn't exactly? call this cozy? But it is cozy-adjacent. There is a central quest, but there is time spent shopping for niblings and relaxing in taverns and making friends with dragons. All the best cozy stories are queer, and this story has Neo-pronouns and a complex gender system that it never makes a big point to try to explain — just trusts you to accept that you know as much as you need to know.

I would also not exactly say cozy as we spend our time in the head of Xelle, and I don't know if in fiction I've ever spent as much time in such a highly anxious, deeply introverted over-thinker. And WOW, did I identify with her a majority of the time.

There are hidden depths in this novel. Descriptions and place names that seem simplistic at first slowly turn out to have a complex system underneath them. A political system that seems simple and stable at first, that is revealed to have hidden cracks.

Mostly this book is very soft. Xelle knows and uses magic, yes, but mostly her superpowers are responsibility and her sense of justice.

This is the first book in what will be a series, so not every thread is neatly tied off at the end of this volume, but a mystery is solved, our Xelle has grown, and there was enough resolution to feel satisfying as a stand-alone.

yubsie's review

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3.5

 This was a nice, small scale story largely dealing with academia being LIke That. The occasional moments when it tried to broaden the scope were probably the weakest.

The protagonist and all her particular challenges was very vivid, even if her challenges hurt to read sometimes.

The author does some really interesting things with making sure gender is never assumed to default to this world in a secondary world fantasy. Taking it as a given that pronouns are part of introductions, looking at how gender is even conceptualized. I enjoyed Xelle's moment of "We have a hundred genders and I still can't find one that fits!"

I did find the ratio of invented words to real words skewed a little too heavily toward the invented. The worldbuilding is vivid enough that I wasn't going to forget that we were in a secondary world even if they said "person" and "human" instead of "per" and "hu". 

beth823's review

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.25

Waiting to update

tranquiltides's review

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5.0

I was lucky enough to have this book given to me in the form of an eARC to read.
Reading eBooks is hard for me, my head hurts when I do it too long, and looking at my phone in the car makes me car sick,
But I literally had SO MUCH trouble putting this book down.
Descriptive prose made it so easy to picture every location, every feeling, every person that Xelle interacted with.
And, speaking of Xelle, it is not very often you read a protagonist with anxiety, and how refreshing (can I say that?) it is to relate to a narrator and protagonist so deeply as I did to Zelle.
Even more still! The books is Set in a world where gender identities are varied and respected, but not in a way that feels hand fisted, and the protagonist is bi in a subtle way, that feels natural and genuine. Zelle’s romantic interests are not her singular personality trait, but something that just… is.
And again, I say, how refreshing!

If you’re looking for a lovely tale, told with a bardic kind of vibe, with vibrant storytelling and world building, look no further than Night Ivy!
I cannot wait to have myself a hard copy of this book, and would love to see special editions of it come to my favorite subscription boxes.
I look forward to the story’a continuation!

unfocusedcuriosity's review

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adventurous inspiring mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I received this story as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have to start by congratulating the author on fantastic world-building. The writing was very descriptive without feeling convoluted. It was easy to get lost in the world following Xelle's adventures. One of my favourite parts of this world was diversity. I liked that there were various gender identities represented. I love when authors remove the very real and current types of bigotry (real-world racism, homophobia, etc.) from their fantasy world sometimes!

Xelle was a unique main character. She came across as very relatable and easy to get attached to. Her characterization felt very refreshing! As someone who struggles with my own anxiety, seeing myself represented in a story made me feel seen and validated in a weird way. I also adored the way Xelle's sexuality was addressed. It felt grounded in the reality of how attraction works for many people on an individual level. There were moments I felt a little confused at the beginning of the story but it was very easy to get sucked in the story. I cannot wait to read more from E. D. E. Bell

hannahmarierobbins's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful relaxing sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This is a warm and enjoyable book about our main character Xelle who goes on a (sort of) quest. I saw that E.D.E Bell described Night Ivy as not quite having a plot and I think that’s a really good way to characterise the book and test if it is for you or not. When I describe it to my friends, I liken it to a mixture of Dark Crystal and episodes of a wholesome children’s tv show that operates episodically. The anxiety and neurodivergent representation is really good and I absolutely loved the style of the first half. As the book focused a little more on the mystery, I found it less engaging. That said, I would recommended Night Ivy for lots of people.. It is ideal for readers who enjoy magic, fantasy, and going on gentle adventures with libraries and hostels and new people in each chapter. Also, dragons!

tanouska's review against another edition

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5.0

Love the worldbuilding. The main character's anxiety is written so well and realistic, I think it will be nice for people with anxiety to see a version of their experience on the page, and that people without anxiety will get a good peek at what can go on under the hood of an anxious person!

minervacerridwen's review

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adventurous mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

This is the perfect book for everyone who enjoys exploring the worldbuilding in a videogame at least as much as fulfilling the quests. Through the eyes of the main character, Xelle, the reader gets to discover a rich universe, starting out small in a Tower full of Mages and Studies, but soon departing on a journey and discovering many interesting new places and characters. It was remarkable how relatable Xelle was to me. We don’t often get neurodiverse main characters in fantasy, but with Xelle it really felt like I could be the hero of a fantasy story myself, even if my mind, too, can spiral into worrying at inconvenient moments. There were also some interesting trope subversions: apparently, when you put together a character, world, and situation least suitable for espionage, you can create a brilliant mystery. 
I’ll definitely look forward to the next part of the series. The book was well rounded, but leaves just enough open questions to leave you longing for more. 
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