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laurenleigh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I’ll start with my negatives so I can end on a positive note lol. I really didn’t care for this writing style. There were so many incomplete sentences. All the time. Constantly. Like they’d never stop. 😅 I totally get that we don’t think in complete sentences all the time, but would it kill you to use a conjunction? It just took me out of the story and felt half-baked. Despite that, I did like the overall plot. I kind of saw the twist coming, but that doesn’t bother me so much. The vibes were immaculate, helping bring me back into the plot when the writing bugged me. Pro tip: when it’s 115 degrees out, read a book set in the dead of winter! I could really feel the chilly, witchy, forest energy throughout the text.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Child death, Violence, Misogyny, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Confinement
aqulia's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
This book is just like an old, spooky fairytale. I liked how the characters reacted to each other. Oliver and Nora's romance was pretty cute. The way the Ernshaw handled the wicker woods was amazing, especially in the latter half. I also loved the pages on the different people in the Walker family. Unlike a lot of other people, the twist did surprise me. However, this book could get a bit repetitive a points, with all of the Oliver mysteriously leaving, then Nora trying to find him that happened in the middle. The ending also felt like a cop-out. Other than that, this was a great book.
Who do I recommend this to? People who like dark fairytales, not knowing who to trust, and interesting MCs
Who should skip this one? People who are easily bored, especially by repetition, people who dislike not knowing whether a character is good or evil, and people who hate disconnected endings/endings that undo previous events.
Will I read more by Shea Ernshaw? Yes. I liked this book quite a bit, and I've heard lots of good things about her other book The Wicked Deep.
Who do I recommend this to? People who like dark fairytales, not knowing who to trust, and interesting MCs
Who should skip this one? People who are easily bored, especially by repetition, people who dislike not knowing whether a character is good or evil, and people who hate disconnected endings/endings that undo previous events.
Will I read more by Shea Ernshaw? Yes. I liked this book quite a bit, and I've heard lots of good things about her other book The Wicked Deep.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Murder, and Sexism
Minor: Blood and Grief
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