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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not what I thought it was going to be, but very good. It’s not really fantasy, it’s more unexplained, but strange things unlikely to happen in the world as we know it do happen, and it’s my shelf so I’m calling it fantasy! I did find it hard to keep track of which person with a plant name I was reading about right now, but that’s my fault not the author’s—I’m just bad at remembering names of fictional people. If you’d like to read a good and well-written book about some Irish teens getting into weird stuff, this is the book for you! And thank God for the romance between two girls which just is, rather than being a thing.
I received a copy from Penguin's First to Read Program. I honestly don't know how I feel about this book, other than maybe it was too long. I thought all the characters would be overwhelming, but it quickly became easier to keep track of everyone (though I still don't feel like everyone was necessary). I don't know. I guess in the end I don't feel like anything really happened. There wasn't much character development (no, "falling in love" is not character development) and the major thing that DID happen in the book was skirted around--in some ways, I thought it was handled well but overall it was disappointing.
And then everything that did or did not happen was wrapped up in a tidy little bow at the end which was underwhelming. I'm glad the end was happy, but it was far too neat, even for YA.
And then everything that did or did not happen was wrapped up in a tidy little bow at the end which was underwhelming. I'm glad the end was happy, but it was far too neat, even for YA.
3.5*
Listened to the audiobook on audible. Started out a strong story but then got confusing with all the characters coming together. I think this book would have creeped me out a lot more if I read it to myself. I don't know how to put into words what I didn't like. I found most of the characters very relatable but the Insta love was the biggest turn-off, everyone was just falling in love. Everyone had to be with or like someone else. It was important for all the characters to come together but they all didn't have to fall in love on sight. I think this is a great book to read around Halloween if you want something creepy or eerie but not horrifying.
Listened to the audiobook on audible. Started out a strong story but then got confusing with all the characters coming together. I think this book would have creeped me out a lot more if I read it to myself. I don't know how to put into words what I didn't like. I found most of the characters very relatable but the Insta love was the biggest turn-off, everyone was just falling in love. Everyone had to be with or like someone else. It was important for all the characters to come together but they all didn't have to fall in love on sight. I think this is a great book to read around Halloween if you want something creepy or eerie but not horrifying.
It’s been a while since I read a book at the exact time I needed it. Not only did this book have all my favorite things—magic, strong female friendship, bi girls, dark atmosphere, Ireland, uncertainty—but it also delved into loving yourself and how that can tie into loving others including friends, family, and romantic partners.
I found myself identifying so strongly with Hazel in a lot of ways, from her guilt and shame to her tendency to both fall in love easily and question her own feelings’ validity. This is a book about complicated, magical girls (and boy) and how they not only grow to find themselves and one another, but the magic in every day life. That sounds cheesy and dumb, but don’t worry, there is also plenty of blood and murder and intrigue.
Also, trigger warnings for sexual assault and abusive familial behavior in this book.
I found myself identifying so strongly with Hazel in a lot of ways, from her guilt and shame to her tendency to both fall in love easily and question her own feelings’ validity. This is a book about complicated, magical girls (and boy) and how they not only grow to find themselves and one another, but the magic in every day life. That sounds cheesy and dumb, but don’t worry, there is also plenty of blood and murder and intrigue.
Also, trigger warnings for sexual assault and abusive familial behavior in this book.
the first half of this was definitely slow, but once it picked up I didn't want to put it down.
OKAY, GORGEOUS BOOK!!! Was happily surprised at the audio book for this and would totally recommend it if you want a good audio book. Great for fans light mystery/suspense and magical realism. Wow. Also the audio book was narrated by a few Irish voice actors and was mesmerizing. Plus, lgbt :)
I know people love this book but I was so BORED. I’ll probably check out more by this author because I don’t think it was particularly BAD, it just definitely wasn’t for me and would’ve been a DNF if I wasn’t reading it for Book Battle.
I listened to this book on Audiobook and it was good. Why did I give it 3 stars though?
1. It switches POVs a lot and it’s all in first person so at times if you’re not completely paying attention you won’t know who the chapter is about
2. For being a YA book it’s kind of sexually explicit. I don’t mind a little love in a book but I was not comfortable about listening to teenagers under 18 having sex in detail
1. It switches POVs a lot and it’s all in first person so at times if you’re not completely paying attention you won’t know who the chapter is about
2. For being a YA book it’s kind of sexually explicit. I don’t mind a little love in a book but I was not comfortable about listening to teenagers under 18 having sex in detail
genre : YA magical realismMaybe audiobook wasn’t the best format? The narrators were excellent, yet I kept forgetting whose chapter we’re in, and by the time I finished the book, I still couldn’t tell who’s whom by voice...
MCs : deaf bi white girl + white girl + sapphic white girl
POV : triple 1st-person
location: Ireland
indie? : no
Also, there are about eight main characters:
– POV1 Olive (17, bisexual, deaf), narrated by Elizabeth Sastre
– Olive’s best friend Rose (bisexual, half-Indian)
– POV2 Hazel (sapphic), narrated by Marisa Calin
– Hazel’s twin brother Rowan
– Hazel & Rowan’s friend Ivy (17)
– POV3 Laurel, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld
– Laurel’s best friend 1 Holly
– Laurel’s best friend 2 Ash
(Yes, they all have plant names.) And we have a bunch of important side characters: Olive’s 13yo sister Emily, Emily’s best friend Chloe’s brother Cathal, witchy old lady Mags, mysterious boy Jude, etc.
The premise of the story is that the townspeople lost a lot of things after the bonfire party. We know that Laurel, Holly, and Ash tried to cast a spell to find their stolen diaries before the party. At first, all three POVs are unrelated, until Olive meets Hazel and her runaway gang (Rowan and Ivy). We learn that something bad had happened to Hazel’s parents and that the twins were in town with Ivy because of that. The main characters started finding random items and then other random items went missing.
All in all it’s a messy town and teenagers and I think the concept of the story is amazing. There were a lot of quotes from different literary works in the past (like “One Art” by Elizabeth Bishop) that added to the mysteriousness of the magic in this book. Maybe it’s because of the POV confusion or that I felt like it should have ended a bit earlier than it did, that in the end, I didn’t particularly enjoy the story. Despite Olive arguing that virginity is a hetero-patriarchal construct, one of the characters apparently lost her virginity on the bonfire night, and does that mean she is saying that virginity is a thing? I don’t know; it just felt a bit odd to me.
Anyway, it’s still a pretty nice story and I appreciate the author’s creation of it and narrators’ performances. Just a tad bit disappointed.
content warnings: incest, hp reference, racism, self-harm for magical purposes (slicing palm), smoking (underage), alcohol (underage), masturbation, bullying, mentions of death of dogs, drug, sexual harassment, non-graphic sex, rehab, arson
more information on the author’s website here