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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
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:
Yes
This was okay! The writing is really beautiful, but I had a very hard time connecting to the characters, and listening to this probably didn't help with that.
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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
I definitely didn't line this I've as much as All the Bad Apples and really struggled to stay interested throughout really. Thank goodness for the narrators' voices, that's what kept me in it I think lol.
It took way too long for the present group to cast the spell, and way too much time in the beginning of everyone just talking about all the stuff that was lost. The two different groups in two different times was interesting, but my god it took me a long time to realize that's what was happening. It didn't help that EVERYONE had plant/tree names. I weirdly think my favorite part are the two budding relationships? The scenes of them getting together were pretty spicy for a YA book ngl.
It took way too long for the present group to cast the spell, and way too much time in the beginning of everyone just talking about all the stuff that was lost. The two different groups in two different times was interesting, but my god it took me a long time to realize that's what was happening. It didn't help that EVERYONE had plant/tree names. I weirdly think my favorite part are the two budding relationships? The scenes of them getting together were pretty spicy for a YA book ngl.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol
Moderate: Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Mental illness
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I actually liked this a lot more than I thought I would, and so much of it is beautiful and surprising and holds echoes of stories by authors like [a:Anna-Marie McLemore|6434877|Anna-Marie McLemore|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1516319453p2/6434877.jpg]. The biggest "twist" is almost immediately obvious, but it's still a lovely/bittersweet/salt-slow-sad winding journey til all the pieces actually connect on the page. Many deep things are dealt with really well, though others are a bit vague and still more happenings taint it all just a little too much for me to think of this as highly as I'd have liked.
Spoiler
like the whole end-twist with Ivy, who in general is an underdeveloped character not helped by the dubious reveal of her parentage and what this means for... previous developments
Read as part of BooksandLala's Buzzwordathon.
Be careful what you wish for:
Not all lost things should be found.
There are a lot of wonderful things about this book, so much so that I initially gave it a 4, not a 3.5. It is beautifully written, the premise is extraordinarily creepy and intriguing, and there are nearly 400 pages straight of pure, perfect autumn atmosphere.
The characters are a tad pretentious, but not without seeming like real people who say things real people would say. Mags and Olive's family (if not Olive herself) are particular masterworks. They go through both deep and everyday traumas, and despite existing in a world of magical realism, everything stays just south of over-the-top. The plot is truly mysterious and keeps you on your toes, and it's fully engaging throughout.
There's one key problem here: the book's a little tacky. First of all, the majority of the main cast is named after trees and plants, and the main characters' names are all tied to ingredients found in the titular "spellbook." Tacky. Everyone is in love with everyone. Tacky. The aforementioned pretentious characters try to critique other characters who are equally pretentious about their pretentiousness. Tacky. The spooky factor when the kids engage with the spellbook is dialled up to ten, for no particular reason. Tacky.
Also it's a small town setting without real small town vibes and a small town cast of characters, and that's just upsetting. I could have had half the confusing side characters eliminated for some small town colour.
It would be easy not to believe it. … To tell ourselves there’s no such thing as magic.
Be careful what you wish for:
Not all lost things should be found.
There are a lot of wonderful things about this book, so much so that I initially gave it a 4, not a 3.5. It is beautifully written, the premise is extraordinarily creepy and intriguing, and there are nearly 400 pages straight of pure, perfect autumn atmosphere.
The characters are a tad pretentious, but not without seeming like real people who say things real people would say. Mags and Olive's family (if not Olive herself) are particular masterworks. They go through both deep and everyday traumas, and despite existing in a world of magical realism, everything stays just south of over-the-top. The plot is truly mysterious and keeps you on your toes, and it's fully engaging throughout.
There's one key problem here: the book's a little tacky. First of all, the majority of the main cast is named after trees and plants, and the main characters' names are all tied to ingredients found in the titular "spellbook." Tacky. Everyone is in love with everyone. Tacky. The aforementioned pretentious characters try to critique other characters who are equally pretentious about their pretentiousness. Tacky. The spooky factor when the kids engage with the spellbook is dialled up to ten, for no particular reason. Tacky.
Also it's a small town setting without real small town vibes and a small town cast of characters, and that's just upsetting. I could have had half the confusing side characters eliminated for some small town colour.
It would be easy not to believe it. … To tell ourselves there’s no such thing as magic.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
A magical- realism kind of magic, filled with longing and regret and an over blown sense of "be careful what you wish for".
I truly appreciated that different relationships were treated equally. BUT I was honestly, prudishly disappointed by how quickly the teenagers got naked with each other. I'd love to be able to show teenagers a model of how people can fall for each other and not need to have sex the first week after they meet. There's all kinds of representation needed in ya novels, but I'd put out a plea to ya authors for them to show how people could talk to each other and make decisions about sexuality without just giving in to their hormones the first time they have the chance.
I truly appreciated that different relationships were treated equally. BUT I was honestly, prudishly disappointed by how quickly the teenagers got naked with each other. I'd love to be able to show teenagers a model of how people can fall for each other and not need to have sex the first week after they meet. There's all kinds of representation needed in ya novels, but I'd put out a plea to ya authors for them to show how people could talk to each other and make decisions about sexuality without just giving in to their hormones the first time they have the chance.