You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
2.5 stars but only because the magic was interesting. About halfway through I realized this had to be written for a YA audience because ... Well, I don't write reviews with spoilers but trust me. I found little motivations for why anything happened in this book and felt like I was being told a story rather than experiencing it through the character. I'm not a fan of the YA genre so to be fair others may love this book. I need more meat and layers to keep me interested. I would recommend it to my 13yo daughter.
I'm the wrong demographic for this book. My tween would likely love it. Short and sweet and not my cup of tea. It doesn't surprise me that Disney bought the rights. Skip this one unless you are a fan of fluffy middle grade trying to appeal to a YA audience (unless that describes your taste and who would probably love it. )
This book was super intriguing for me immediately. I mean the description it just sounded awesome. I was left having enjoyed it, but not loving it overall. I think that Holmberg did an amazing job crafting the start of a world that I want to live in! Well okay besides the victorian stuff, but seriously the magic system is awesome.
I was left a bit put off by how quickly she fell in love with Emery, BUT I think it's important to remember that the book is rather short (under 300 pages). So there isn't a lot of room for that to develop.
I'm pretty excited to read book 2, but this for me gets a middling review of 3. A lot was missing, but I actually appreciated how quick it was to read.
I was left a bit put off by how quickly she fell in love with Emery, BUT I think it's important to remember that the book is rather short (under 300 pages). So there isn't a lot of room for that to develop.
I'm pretty excited to read book 2, but this for me gets a middling review of 3. A lot was missing, but I actually appreciated how quick it was to read.
I throughly enjoyed this! I will admit it was a little simple but it was also whimsical and charming with a little horror thrown in the mix too! I recommend it to anyone who loves fanciful magic and eccentric characters
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed this book. The writing style was very pretty. I felt like I was reading a book made out of words written in flowing calligraphy was lots of extra swirls and curly-cues.
The story was extremely imaginative and loved the idea of specific kinds of magic and that they are "man-made."
Ceony is strong-willed, witty and has a "perfect memory" making her the best kind of YA heroine.
There were a few times where the words and phrases got a bit repetitive, especially when she was travelling through Emery's heart. If the reader is paying attention, they know that she is travelling through the heart chambers, you don't need to say it quite so many times.
The author took the figurative and turned it into the literal in this story and overall, I greatly enjoyed it. I am excited to see where she goes with the plot (what happened to Lira?), and how she develops these main characters and their "forbidden love."
The story was extremely imaginative and loved the idea of specific kinds of magic and that they are "man-made."
Ceony is strong-willed, witty and has a "perfect memory" making her the best kind of YA heroine.
There were a few times where the words and phrases got a bit repetitive, especially when she was travelling through Emery's heart. If the reader is paying attention, they know that she is travelling through the heart chambers, you don't need to say it quite so many times.
The author took the figurative and turned it into the literal in this story and overall, I greatly enjoyed it. I am excited to see where she goes with the plot (what happened to Lira?), and how she develops these main characters and their "forbidden love."
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I love the concept: magicians choose a medium as a conduit for magic, things like rubber or glass, man-made materials. Ceony ends up with paper, apprenticing under Emery Thane. What I didn’t like was the lack of action in the plot... probably a third of the book is memories... nice for character development and background information exposition, but very little actual action by the main character. The age difference kind of bothers me too, but not terribly.
Loved this!! Wish it had been longer with more detail, but a great read.