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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I'm in love with this book!
It's full of magic, love, loss, and relationships.
I needed this book right now and can't wait to book talk it for work.
It's full of magic, love, loss, and relationships.
I needed this book right now and can't wait to book talk it for work.
This one wavers from 2.5-3 stars, because while it's a great idea and concept, it was confusing. As a reader, I personally struggle with narratives that switch POV and introduce us to flocks of characters. I am so busy trying to remember who is who that I can't immerse as much as I'd like.
Mostly, I'm left with questions, and needing a prequel about Mags and a prequel about the original three girls, because I feel like that is what I'd need to fully appreciate this work. I'm interested in all of it...but it kind of felt like a lot of build up that never really climaxed and is left with a ton of potential.
I also went into this knowing very little and would like to advise everyone reading that this book dabbles in some horror and creepy themes, and is probably not best to be read right before bed. Common triggers: sexual assault, underage sex, blood, gore, fire, ghosts...basically, if you have a common trigger, it's probably gonna get hit in this one.
On the plus side, kudos for the bisexual (and potentially gay) rep for several of the characters.
I just suppose I wanted more than what this book had to give.
Mostly, I'm left with questions, and needing a prequel about Mags and a prequel about the original three girls, because I feel like that is what I'd need to fully appreciate this work. I'm interested in all of it...but it kind of felt like a lot of build up that never really climaxed and is left with a ton of potential.
I also went into this knowing very little and would like to advise everyone reading that this book dabbles in some horror and creepy themes, and is probably not best to be read right before bed. Common triggers: sexual assault, underage sex, blood, gore, fire, ghosts...basically, if you have a common trigger, it's probably gonna get hit in this one.
On the plus side, kudos for the bisexual (and potentially gay) rep for several of the characters.
I just suppose I wanted more than what this book had to give.
An excellent read the first time around, and I definitely recommend it for anyone out there looking for queer rep in their fabulist YA. But unfortunately, rereading doesn't hold much interest for me.
Initial Reaction: 3.5 Stars. This was good because it was different, but still very underwhelming.
Actual Review:
Blurb from the back of my copy:
One stormy summer night, Olive and her best friend, Rose, begin to lose things. It starts with simple items like hair clips and jewellery, but soon it’s clear that Rose has lost something bigger; something she won’t talk about. Then Olive meets three wild, mysterious strangers: Ivy, Hazel and Rowan. Like Rose, they’re mourning losses - and holding tight to secrets. When they discover the ancient spellbook, full of hand-inked charms to conjure back lost things, they realise it might be their chance to set everything right. Unless it’s leading them towards secrets that were never meant to be found.
Spellbook of the Lost and Found is a release that I was highly anticipating, however I was mostly disappointed.
A major weakness in Spellbook of the Lost and Found was the writing. The novel is told in alternating POV'S between three of the main character's, however, all of these character's sounded exactly the same. It was extremely confusing, especially at the beginning when so many different character's and sub-plots were introduced throughout the different POV'S, it was hard to establish a base connection or emotional tether to any of the character's as I was too busy trying to figure out who was who.
I did enjoy certain elements - while this author lacked the ability to distinguish her narrative voice's clearly, Fowley-Doyle excelled in creating tense atmosphere's and more than a little disturbing scenes that were properly bone-chilling. I loved the importance of family, and the way that particular thematic was the underlying base for so many of the character's motivations. Rowan and Ivy especially were the character's that held the book together - like so many things in the book, they straddled the line between realistic and mystical - just enough to keep the reader in suspense.
And no spoiler's, but the ending was what cemented my disappointment for this book. The story ended extremely abruptly; there was a major plot twist (which I figured out about a third of the way through) that wasn't revealed until nearly the ending. The author made the odd decision of building up events from this point further, and then quite suddenly cutting off the narrative there, with not nearly enough development for any kind of satisfactory resolve, for both the character's and the story. There was no climax and despite incremental build up from the beginning of the novel, it abandons the reader with no pay off, except for a sub-plot or two.
Spellbook of the Lost and Found had an extremely interesting premise, but it was ultimately very poorly executed, and it's taught me (yet again - when will I learn??) not to trust the hype. I wish I could've liked this more, but I definitely could have given this a miss.
Actual Review:
Blurb from the back of my copy:
One stormy summer night, Olive and her best friend, Rose, begin to lose things. It starts with simple items like hair clips and jewellery, but soon it’s clear that Rose has lost something bigger; something she won’t talk about. Then Olive meets three wild, mysterious strangers: Ivy, Hazel and Rowan. Like Rose, they’re mourning losses - and holding tight to secrets. When they discover the ancient spellbook, full of hand-inked charms to conjure back lost things, they realise it might be their chance to set everything right. Unless it’s leading them towards secrets that were never meant to be found.
Spellbook of the Lost and Found is a release that I was highly anticipating, however I was mostly disappointed.
A major weakness in Spellbook of the Lost and Found was the writing. The novel is told in alternating POV'S between three of the main character's, however, all of these character's sounded exactly the same. It was extremely confusing, especially at the beginning when so many different character's and sub-plots were introduced throughout the different POV'S, it was hard to establish a base connection or emotional tether to any of the character's as I was too busy trying to figure out who was who.
I did enjoy certain elements - while this author lacked the ability to distinguish her narrative voice's clearly, Fowley-Doyle excelled in creating tense atmosphere's and more than a little disturbing scenes that were properly bone-chilling. I loved the importance of family, and the way that particular thematic was the underlying base for so many of the character's motivations. Rowan and Ivy especially were the character's that held the book together - like so many things in the book, they straddled the line between realistic and mystical - just enough to keep the reader in suspense.
And no spoiler's, but the ending was what cemented my disappointment for this book. The story ended extremely abruptly; there was a major plot twist (which I figured out about a third of the way through) that wasn't revealed until nearly the ending. The author made the odd decision of building up events from this point further, and then quite suddenly cutting off the narrative there, with not nearly enough development for any kind of satisfactory resolve, for both the character's and the story. There was no climax and despite incremental build up from the beginning of the novel, it abandons the reader with no pay off, except for a sub-plot or two.
Spellbook of the Lost and Found had an extremely interesting premise, but it was ultimately very poorly executed, and it's taught me (yet again - when will I learn??) not to trust the hype. I wish I could've liked this more, but I definitely could have given this a miss.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-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
*3.5 ⭐️
Waking up the morning after the town party, Olive notices that things have disappeared. Some more valuable than others. Her friend, Rose, may or may not have also lost something more important that she can’t talk about. They then meet Ivy, Rowan and Hazel. Three teenagers that ran away and have many secrets. When they find a spellbook that promises them ways to fix their problems, they can’t help but cast a spell that could do more damage than good.
I have to firstly say that I adore Moïra’s writing. She’s able to evoke such beautiful imagery and explain things in magical ways. I haven’t read many books set in Ireland (which I should do more of seeing as I live here) and she’s able to capture rural Ireland perfectly,
For what ever reason though, I found it hard to pick this book up. There was just something about the plot that didn’t have me hooked. It was perhaps a bit too long and too slow for me to be gripped by it.
I did however think the ending was perfect. The mystery was extremely satisfying and shocking even if I don’t think the lead up entirely made sense. But I have been reading the book for a while so that might have been my fault.
While I like the characters in theory, the execution wasn’t there. I spent the majority of the first third of the book confusing them all. It didn’t help that the names sounded familiar but I don’t think it was just that. The characters didn’t feel that distinct from one another. I just never connected with any of them and wanted more from them. I do appreciate the representation in this book and how it was never the sole focus of the characters, just a part of who they are.
All in all, while I loved elements of this and the mystery, the characters felt distant and made me not care for the story as much. I’m looking forward to reading All the Bad Apples, hopefully I like it just as much as The Accident Season.
Waking up the morning after the town party, Olive notices that things have disappeared. Some more valuable than others. Her friend, Rose, may or may not have also lost something more important that she can’t talk about. They then meet Ivy, Rowan and Hazel. Three teenagers that ran away and have many secrets. When they find a spellbook that promises them ways to fix their problems, they can’t help but cast a spell that could do more damage than good.
I have to firstly say that I adore Moïra’s writing. She’s able to evoke such beautiful imagery and explain things in magical ways. I haven’t read many books set in Ireland (which I should do more of seeing as I live here) and she’s able to capture rural Ireland perfectly,
For what ever reason though, I found it hard to pick this book up. There was just something about the plot that didn’t have me hooked. It was perhaps a bit too long and too slow for me to be gripped by it.
I did however think the ending was perfect. The mystery was extremely satisfying and shocking even if I don’t think the lead up entirely made sense. But I have been reading the book for a while so that might have been my fault.
While I like the characters in theory, the execution wasn’t there. I spent the majority of the first third of the book confusing them all. It didn’t help that the names sounded familiar but I don’t think it was just that. The characters didn’t feel that distinct from one another. I just never connected with any of them and wanted more from them. I do appreciate the representation in this book and how it was never the sole focus of the characters, just a part of who they are.
All in all, while I loved elements of this and the mystery, the characters felt distant and made me not care for the story as much. I’m looking forward to reading All the Bad Apples, hopefully I like it just as much as The Accident Season.
3,5 stars
I wasn't expecting to fly through this but it was very enjoyable. I thought the magical aspects and the mystery were very cool and I loved the representation. I liked one of the romances more than the other but neither of them were new favourites and the story was slightly confusing at times but I think that's just the magical realism.
I wasn't expecting to fly through this but it was very enjoyable. I thought the magical aspects and the mystery were very cool and I loved the representation. I liked one of the romances more than the other but neither of them were new favourites and the story was slightly confusing at times but I think that's just the magical realism.
I want to thank NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for providing me with this copy in exchange for an honest review
Wow, I ended up being much better than I expected! , I really enjoyed the book and all the time I felt that it reminded me of The Raven Boys since the plot has a lot of mystery, friendship and magical realism. A great book that grows a lot as you read it, it has a very interesting concept, a great diversity of characters and a very catchy writing style
4/5 Stars
You can find this one and more of my reviews on my blog A Book. A Thought.
The plot follows three girls, who are the main characters of the book, who begin to notice that many of their personal objects have disappeared. It all starts with an object as simple as a jewel, but it grows until they loses many more important things. One day one of them finds a Spellbook with which they think they can recover their lost objects, but this magic is much more complex than they expected so they have to sacrifice some things in order to recover others.
I decided to make this a kind of "short" review, I hope so lol, for two reasons, first I don't have the time to write a more detailed review today and I don't want to prolong the review for later because I really want to share my thoughts with you now, and secondly because I believe that this is a book to which everyone should enter without knowing more than necessary and so I assure you that you'll be surprised as I've done it
The book starts being a bit confusing and at first I find it hard to follow but it also has a writing style that wraps you in a way that makes you want to keep reading. It's my first time tried with the author and I'm very happy to have done it, her handling of the mystery and the suspense is very good, it makes the reading a bit creepy but that is one of the things that I've liked most. The diversity in content is to highlight
We have so many characters here OMG, although it's great on the one hand it can also be somewhat confusing and I haven't had enough time to know them deeply, even so I have several POV's that I've enjoyed more than others due to the characters that appeared in them, but sometimes keeping it simple is a little better.
Even so one of the good things that brought this amount of girls, is a great variety of personalities and diversity, which is fantastic. I was pleasantly surprised that a couple of the girls proclaim themselves openly bisexual and lesbian, that makes this reading an LGBT + read and that's really cool, I think many more people will find this as an interest reading now that you know that fact
Magic in the book plays a central role and gives an mystery aura , will also put the characters to take unexpected desissions which will give us very good and entrancing twists in the plot. This book tells about everything with a great atmosphere management, it makes you feel that you are in the place where everything is happening, which is incredible
I really wanted to finish it a couple of days ago because it was the date of its release, but I didn't get the chance, I still enjoy it a lot and that's what matters! , So if you liked The Raven Boys and you're looking for something similar, I highly recommend this book, also plays important topics such as sexuality, friendship, family and how to deal with loss
Wow, I ended up being much better than I expected! , I really enjoyed the book and all the time I felt that it reminded me of The Raven Boys since the plot has a lot of mystery, friendship and magical realism. A great book that grows a lot as you read it, it has a very interesting concept, a great diversity of characters and a very catchy writing style
4/5 Stars
You can find this one and more of my reviews on my blog A Book. A Thought.
The plot follows three girls, who are the main characters of the book, who begin to notice that many of their personal objects have disappeared. It all starts with an object as simple as a jewel, but it grows until they loses many more important things. One day one of them finds a Spellbook with which they think they can recover their lost objects, but this magic is much more complex than they expected so they have to sacrifice some things in order to recover others.
I decided to make this a kind of "short" review, I hope so lol, for two reasons, first I don't have the time to write a more detailed review today and I don't want to prolong the review for later because I really want to share my thoughts with you now, and secondly because I believe that this is a book to which everyone should enter without knowing more than necessary and so I assure you that you'll be surprised as I've done it
The book starts being a bit confusing and at first I find it hard to follow but it also has a writing style that wraps you in a way that makes you want to keep reading. It's my first time tried with the author and I'm very happy to have done it, her handling of the mystery and the suspense is very good, it makes the reading a bit creepy but that is one of the things that I've liked most. The diversity in content is to highlight
We have so many characters here OMG, although it's great on the one hand it can also be somewhat confusing and I haven't had enough time to know them deeply, even so I have several POV's that I've enjoyed more than others due to the characters that appeared in them, but sometimes keeping it simple is a little better.
Even so one of the good things that brought this amount of girls, is a great variety of personalities and diversity, which is fantastic. I was pleasantly surprised that a couple of the girls proclaim themselves openly bisexual and lesbian, that makes this reading an LGBT + read and that's really cool, I think many more people will find this as an interest reading now that you know that fact
Magic in the book plays a central role and gives an mystery aura , will also put the characters to take unexpected desissions which will give us very good and entrancing twists in the plot. This book tells about everything with a great atmosphere management, it makes you feel that you are in the place where everything is happening, which is incredible
I really wanted to finish it a couple of days ago because it was the date of its release, but I didn't get the chance, I still enjoy it a lot and that's what matters! , So if you liked The Raven Boys and you're looking for something similar, I highly recommend this book, also plays important topics such as sexuality, friendship, family and how to deal with loss
Three groups of people are linked by an ancient spellbook, as well as things lost and things found. Lovely and magical.