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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a beautifully written story of strength, love and hope. It covers some very heavy topics (physical and emotional abuse mostly with some references to alcoholism, wartime psychosis and the propensity of women being wrongly sent to asylums), and I definitely had to take a break from it when it got to be too hard, but ultimately the characters and story pulled me back in. The audio narration was okay, not my favorite, but didn’t detract from the story.
If you enjoy historical stories about strong, independent, courageous women, with a dash of magic, you’ll enjoy this book.
If you enjoy historical stories about strong, independent, courageous women, with a dash of magic, you’ll enjoy this book.
Such a strange story line. Some parts were good reads, then others felt bland and I was skipping through it.
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
I’m being generous with 3 stars because I loved the idea of it and it started out so good but the ending was not it. It fell so short of the potential it had. Numerous broken plots, emotionally immature characters, underdeveloped character building, forced romance that was painful to read, and difficult topics that just didn’t exactly flow or felt relevant to anything.
The characters had no depth to them. Opaline was the only character with even an inch of depth. Henry and Martha came across as immature sixteen year olds. They also at times felt like they were older - there was no clarity in their age.
So much was left unexplained - some noteworthy parts:
*******SPOILERS********
What/who was Madame Bowden? What was the point of her?
Why is the bookshop hidden? How is it hidden? Who hid it? When was it hidden because it wasn’t always hidden?
Why does she have EJBs manuscript on her back? Like what was the reason for that? How did it randomly complete itself without her actually finishing it?
Why was Henry able to enter the bookshop once momentarily? And also Madame Bowdens friend? Who may or may not have existed?
The last little bit about ‘oh it’s in the Irish vault BS’ felt like an after thought. A forgotten plot that the author attempted to tie up.
Martha’s mother randomly telling her about her great grandmother felt weird too. It was not relevant to the moment.
Too much was left unexplained that left me very frustrated because this book had so much potential and I really thought it would all tie in nicely at the end. It was a fail. I don’t think I’d recommend this book to anyone.
The characters had no depth to them. Opaline was the only character with even an inch of depth. Henry and Martha came across as immature sixteen year olds. They also at times felt like they were older - there was no clarity in their age.
So much was left unexplained - some noteworthy parts:
*******SPOILERS********
What/who was Madame Bowden? What was the point of her?
Why is the bookshop hidden? How is it hidden? Who hid it? When was it hidden because it wasn’t always hidden?
Why does she have EJBs manuscript on her back? Like what was the reason for that? How did it randomly complete itself without her actually finishing it?
Why was Henry able to enter the bookshop once momentarily? And also Madame Bowdens friend? Who may or may not have existed?
The last little bit about ‘oh it’s in the Irish vault BS’ felt like an after thought. A forgotten plot that the author attempted to tie up.
Martha’s mother randomly telling her about her great grandmother felt weird too. It was not relevant to the moment.
Too much was left unexplained that left me very frustrated because this book had so much potential and I really thought it would all tie in nicely at the end. It was a fail. I don’t think I’d recommend this book to anyone.
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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 was a fascinating tale of magical realism told through a parallel universe. It combined themes of past and present day, with hope for a better future. It was written excellently and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, War
Minor: Suicide
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes