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vikcs's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
I absolutely love J.J. McAvoy’s books and usually I’m pretty up to date with her release dates so I was quite surprised when I came across this book on NetGalley because it was the first time I’m heard about it. Anyway I automatically requested it and not just because I know that the author has an astonishing writing style but because the synopsis intrigued me quite a bit, not to mention the stunning cover.
I was happy when I got approved and I started the book immediately and finished it in one day. This story is a really beautiful mystical romance with a hint of supernatural in it. I enjoyed the story quite a bit but it wasn’t my favorite. The writing style is brilliant and smooth, easy to read and follow and it has quite a few little clever and hidden messages and clues (like the name of the publishing house Penohxi, which is the anagram for Phoenix or the apple motives) in it that gives the whole thing a different almost witty atmosphere. I really liked this.
What I liked even more is the small flashes from the reincarnating couple other lives; it was really interesting I just wish we saw more of them other than their deaths.
The story is told from dual point of views. One is Esthers the young, sometimes even immature, klutzy, introverted but happy and open woman, who is the granddaughter of the owner of the publishing house. She is a really funny character and I liked her. She has a really traumatic event happen to her in her childhood but she didn’t let this to drag her down, she is incredible forgiving and stubborn. She is an eternal dreamer and optimist. But she also changes a lot during the story; she became a bit more serious but still had the spark in her.
The other point of view is Malachi’s, who is one part of the reincarnating duo. He is more gruff, blunt and insensitive towards other people. He acts like a jackass but he has his reasons, since he remembers all of his life and relives them daily. So he does everything in his power to avoid meeting his other half and to spare her the unending death circle. He loves her but he is also tired of living in fear of the inevitable.
The relationship between the two starts out on a rocky path, it’s almost reaches into the hostile territory but with time Esther stubbornness breaks down Malachi walls. Slowly they build a friendship which gradually becomes something more, but their story is nowhere near easy, it’s really complicating. How could something be easy when the shadow of fate is looming over them?
I could separate the book into two parts. The first one is the funnier one, full of easy banter between the characters but its also the part which filled me with frustration because its seemed like the story is not going in the direction I wanted it too. However the second parts has a heavier atmosphere and while it has a lot of surprising twist in it and even happy ending. I liked this one less because it not only was quite predictable but I also think it was missing the usual spark I find in the author books.
I enjoyed the story but it’s not my favorite for some reason I expected something a bit more emotional with the premise of the book, or maybe the emotions just didn’t came through for me. Still it’s a great read
I was happy when I got approved and I started the book immediately and finished it in one day. This story is a really beautiful mystical romance with a hint of supernatural in it. I enjoyed the story quite a bit but it wasn’t my favorite. The writing style is brilliant and smooth, easy to read and follow and it has quite a few little clever and hidden messages and clues (like the name of the publishing house Penohxi, which is the anagram for Phoenix or the apple motives) in it that gives the whole thing a different almost witty atmosphere. I really liked this.
What I liked even more is the small flashes from the reincarnating couple other lives; it was really interesting I just wish we saw more of them other than their deaths.
The story is told from dual point of views. One is Esthers the young, sometimes even immature, klutzy, introverted but happy and open woman, who is the granddaughter of the owner of the publishing house. She is a really funny character and I liked her. She has a really traumatic event happen to her in her childhood but she didn’t let this to drag her down, she is incredible forgiving and stubborn. She is an eternal dreamer and optimist. But she also changes a lot during the story; she became a bit more serious but still had the spark in her.
The other point of view is Malachi’s, who is one part of the reincarnating duo. He is more gruff, blunt and insensitive towards other people. He acts like a jackass but he has his reasons, since he remembers all of his life and relives them daily. So he does everything in his power to avoid meeting his other half and to spare her the unending death circle. He loves her but he is also tired of living in fear of the inevitable.
The relationship between the two starts out on a rocky path, it’s almost reaches into the hostile territory but with time Esther stubbornness breaks down Malachi walls. Slowly they build a friendship which gradually becomes something more, but their story is nowhere near easy, it’s really complicating. How could something be easy when the shadow of fate is looming over them?
I could separate the book into two parts. The first one is the funnier one, full of easy banter between the characters but its also the part which filled me with frustration because its seemed like the story is not going in the direction I wanted it too. However the second parts has a heavier atmosphere and while it has a lot of surprising twist in it and even happy ending. I liked this one less because it not only was quite predictable but I also think it was missing the usual spark I find in the author books.
I enjoyed the story but it’s not my favorite for some reason I expected something a bit more emotional with the premise of the book, or maybe the emotions just didn’t came through for me. Still it’s a great read
seffra's review
3.0
3 Stars
First off, thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an ARC for this book!
Well, this book had such a rocky start. I couldn't find any way to connect to the characters. Esther was a girl who seemed so flaky and plain boring and indecisive, just your regular young adult. Not at all impressive nor could I relate to her despite being the same age.
Malachi, well at least your name was cool? He was such a blank page and that's so ironic since he had 999 lives to pull from. He got better as time progressed and I seriously felt bad for his soul.
The story, once it kicked off, was awesome! I loved their interactions in the first half because they were just so funny! The juxtaposition of their relationship was great. Her craziness complimented his sombre and serious tone and it was just what I needed.
The flashbacks were the shiners! I loved learning about their past lives and UGH, my heart broke.
The writing was rocky at times and I know some errors were due to the fact that this is an early copy to this book but they caused enough of a hiccup to hinder my reading experience since I didn't know what she was trying to say. The message got lost in the wrong words. The pacing was great though, I loved their progression of their love story and the second half was a lot more seamless than the first half.
Will I read more from this author? I dunno, I might. I hope her published books are more better with errors and more relatable characters.
First off, thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an ARC for this book!
Well, this book had such a rocky start. I couldn't find any way to connect to the characters. Esther was a girl who seemed so flaky and plain boring and indecisive, just your regular young adult. Not at all impressive nor could I relate to her despite being the same age.
Malachi, well at least your name was cool? He was such a blank page and that's so ironic since he had 999 lives to pull from. He got better as time progressed and I seriously felt bad for his soul.
The story, once it kicked off, was awesome! I loved their interactions in the first half because they were just so funny! The juxtaposition of their relationship was great. Her craziness complimented his sombre and serious tone and it was just what I needed.
The flashbacks were the shiners! I loved learning about their past lives and UGH, my heart broke.
The writing was rocky at times and I know some errors were due to the fact that this is an early copy to this book but they caused enough of a hiccup to hinder my reading experience since I didn't know what she was trying to say. The message got lost in the wrong words. The pacing was great though, I loved their progression of their love story and the second half was a lot more seamless than the first half.
Will I read more from this author? I dunno, I might. I hope her published books are more better with errors and more relatable characters.
mrsherrera's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Grief and Death
Minor: Rape
arkwen452's review
3.0
I finally got to this book and while I thought it was relatively solid read, I did find that it was not my favorite from this author. I first discovered J.J. when I read That thing between Elit & Gwen which I loved. With this particular story, I was waiting for the chemistry to click a little better than it seemed to and for things to just be more intense and thrilling. I liked seeing some of their past lives and the main characters butt heads in the beginning, but I did grow bored with the past lives recaps that continued to happen till the end. I don’t frequently read a lot of romance so it might just be me but things got really dramatic towards the end (lol) and I couldn’t help but laugh at certain parts. So if you like books with even more drama than the intended premise, you’ll like this book.
fictioncourt's review
3.0
3 stars!
From the blurb you can tell this is a story about the same people being reincarnated and I was so excited for that, I haven’t read that many reincarnation stories and I wanted to read something different from the author.
The story starts in modern times, one of our main characters is Malachi and he is going through his 99th life, he’s obviously been through so many thing in life, we visit a lot of popular love stories and he offers a bit of inside info which I found utterly cute, like a little time traveling movie commentary. Our other character is supposed to be a mystery, from the title but Malachi and us know who she is. She doesn’t though. The story goes like this, each lifetime, they meet and fall in love but die shortly after, so now Malachi is doing the opposite, staying away and have no contact whatsoever.
That obviously doesn’t happen here.
Up until a certain moment of the book, Malachi and I was a solid 4 star, but after that happened, I had to go back to 3. Have you ever predicted an utterly cliché twist, or revelation and thought to yourself, nah that’s too easy, that would never happen and then BAM it happens? Yeah…
I don’t want to spoil it because it’s a big reveal and you see it coming from a mile away but I was still hoping it wouldn’t because it was too easy and even the book itself was kind of pointing out that this wasn’t happening. And when it did, I was like, really book? Really?
This was unlike anything McAvoy has done before, the flashback scenes of other love stories were done to perfection, I wish they were longer because I loved being in different times and different places with all these people, I just loved it. The story itself had a unique twist and a few intense moments that made me tear up to be honest. I wish it had gone down a bit different and not go from zero romance to 100 in just a few pages but overall it was decent.
From the blurb you can tell this is a story about the same people being reincarnated and I was so excited for that, I haven’t read that many reincarnation stories and I wanted to read something different from the author.
The story starts in modern times, one of our main characters is Malachi and he is going through his 99th life, he’s obviously been through so many thing in life, we visit a lot of popular love stories and he offers a bit of inside info which I found utterly cute, like a little time traveling movie commentary. Our other character is supposed to be a mystery, from the title but Malachi and us know who she is. She doesn’t though. The story goes like this, each lifetime, they meet and fall in love but die shortly after, so now Malachi is doing the opposite, staying away and have no contact whatsoever.
That obviously doesn’t happen here.
Up until a certain moment of the book, Malachi and I was a solid 4 star, but after that happened, I had to go back to 3. Have you ever predicted an utterly cliché twist, or revelation and thought to yourself, nah that’s too easy, that would never happen and then BAM it happens? Yeah…
I don’t want to spoil it because it’s a big reveal and you see it coming from a mile away but I was still hoping it wouldn’t because it was too easy and even the book itself was kind of pointing out that this wasn’t happening. And when it did, I was like, really book? Really?
This was unlike anything McAvoy has done before, the flashback scenes of other love stories were done to perfection, I wish they were longer because I loved being in different times and different places with all these people, I just loved it. The story itself had a unique twist and a few intense moments that made me tear up to be honest. I wish it had gone down a bit different and not go from zero romance to 100 in just a few pages but overall it was decent.
vikit's review
4.0
3.5
I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
I absolutely love J.J. McAvoy’s books and usually I’m pretty up to date with her release dates so I was quite surprised when I came across this book on NetGalley because it was the first time I’m heard about it. Anyway I automatically requested it and not just because I know that the author has an astonishing writing style but because the synopsis intrigued me quite a bit, not to mention the stunning cover.
I was happy when I got approved and I started the book immediately and finished it in one day. This story is a really beautiful mystical romance with a hint of supernatural in it. I enjoyed the story quite a bit but it wasn’t my favorite. The writing style is brilliant and smooth, easy to read and follow and it has quite a few little clever and hidden messages and clues (like the name of the publishing house Penohxi, which is the anagram for Phoenix or the apple motives) in it that gives the whole thing a different almost witty atmosphere. I really liked this.
What I liked even more is the small flashes from the reincarnating couple other lives; it was really interesting I just wish we saw more of them other than their deaths.
The story is told from dual point of views. One is Esthers the young, sometimes even immature, klutzy, introverted but happy and open woman, who is the granddaughter of the owner of the publishing house. She is a really funny character and I liked her. She has a really traumatic event happen to her in her childhood but she didn’t let this to drag her down, she is incredible forgiving and stubborn. She is an eternal dreamer and optimist. But she also changes a lot during the story; she became a bit more serious but still had the spark in her.
The other point of view is Malachi’s, who is one part of the reincarnating duo. He is more gruff, blunt and insensitive towards other people. He acts like a jackass but he has his reasons, since he remembers all of his life and relives them daily. So he does everything in his power to avoid meeting his other half and to spare her the unending death circle. He loves her but he is also tired of living in fear of the inevitable.
The relationship between the two starts out on a rocky path, it’s almost reaches into the hostile territory but with time Esther stubbornness breaks down Malachi walls. Slowly they build a friendship which gradually becomes something more, but their story is nowhere near easy, it’s really complicating. How could something be easy when the shadow of fate is looming over them?
I could separate the book into two parts. The first one is the funnier one, full of easy banter between the characters but its also the part which filled me with frustration because its seemed like the story is not going in the direction I wanted it too. However the second parts has a heavier atmosphere and while it has a lot of surprising twist in it and even happy ending. I liked this one less because it not only was quite predictable but I also think it was missing the usual spark I find in the author books.
I enjoyed the story but it’s not my favorite for some reason I expected something a bit more emotional with the premise of the book, or maybe the emotions just didn’t came through for me. Still it’s a great read
I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
I absolutely love J.J. McAvoy’s books and usually I’m pretty up to date with her release dates so I was quite surprised when I came across this book on NetGalley because it was the first time I’m heard about it. Anyway I automatically requested it and not just because I know that the author has an astonishing writing style but because the synopsis intrigued me quite a bit, not to mention the stunning cover.
I was happy when I got approved and I started the book immediately and finished it in one day. This story is a really beautiful mystical romance with a hint of supernatural in it. I enjoyed the story quite a bit but it wasn’t my favorite. The writing style is brilliant and smooth, easy to read and follow and it has quite a few little clever and hidden messages and clues (like the name of the publishing house Penohxi, which is the anagram for Phoenix or the apple motives) in it that gives the whole thing a different almost witty atmosphere. I really liked this.
What I liked even more is the small flashes from the reincarnating couple other lives; it was really interesting I just wish we saw more of them other than their deaths.
The story is told from dual point of views. One is Esthers the young, sometimes even immature, klutzy, introverted but happy and open woman, who is the granddaughter of the owner of the publishing house. She is a really funny character and I liked her. She has a really traumatic event happen to her in her childhood but she didn’t let this to drag her down, she is incredible forgiving and stubborn. She is an eternal dreamer and optimist. But she also changes a lot during the story; she became a bit more serious but still had the spark in her.
The other point of view is Malachi’s, who is one part of the reincarnating duo. He is more gruff, blunt and insensitive towards other people. He acts like a jackass but he has his reasons, since he remembers all of his life and relives them daily. So he does everything in his power to avoid meeting his other half and to spare her the unending death circle. He loves her but he is also tired of living in fear of the inevitable.
The relationship between the two starts out on a rocky path, it’s almost reaches into the hostile territory but with time Esther stubbornness breaks down Malachi walls. Slowly they build a friendship which gradually becomes something more, but their story is nowhere near easy, it’s really complicating. How could something be easy when the shadow of fate is looming over them?
I could separate the book into two parts. The first one is the funnier one, full of easy banter between the characters but its also the part which filled me with frustration because its seemed like the story is not going in the direction I wanted it too. However the second parts has a heavier atmosphere and while it has a lot of surprising twist in it and even happy ending. I liked this one less because it not only was quite predictable but I also think it was missing the usual spark I find in the author books.
I enjoyed the story but it’s not my favorite for some reason I expected something a bit more emotional with the premise of the book, or maybe the emotions just didn’t came through for me. Still it’s a great read
adominiquereads's review
5.0
J.J. McAvoy never disappoints <3 I always loved reincarnation romance books, and this one is one of the best I've read!
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