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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
“Every first is a loss.”
It was hard to assign a rating to this book. I sputtered through the first half, distracted and unimpressed... but the second half made up for it. I saw some of the plot twists coming from a mile away, and I had trouble differentiating between the three main characters since they’re narration voices were just about the same, but the interactions between characters were great and things got twisty and interesting. Overall, I really enjoyed it by the end.
It was hard to assign a rating to this book. I sputtered through the first half, distracted and unimpressed... but the second half made up for it. I saw some of the plot twists coming from a mile away, and I had trouble differentiating between the three main characters since they’re narration voices were just about the same, but the interactions between characters were great and things got twisty and interesting. Overall, I really enjoyed it by the end.
This concept could have been way more creepy and impactful then it was. It is still well written and the characters are great but I felt like it could have been more creepy as opposed to whimsical. I do not tend to like whimsy but if you do you will enjoy this far more then me!
This book was just *right* up my alley. It took me some time to get into the story but once I did I became super invested. I loved the intrigue (even though I did see some things coming) and the blurred lines between magic and reality were very well done. I would've liked to have seen Ivy be a bit more developed and I did sometimes struggle keeping Olive and Hazel apart in their narration, but overall this was such a great reading experience!
What a fantastic magical realism adventure that was reminiscent of Neil Gaiman, I loved it! This was the perfect mix of bizarre, magic and teen struggles. I loved every minute of this and will be reading more by this superb author.
I love the way magical realism doesn't quite fit into the fantasy genre, but yet as a reader we totally accept the bizarre things that are happening. I love books like this, they always end up being my favourite. This was totally helped too by some weird characters and a jaw dropping plot twist. This is another top box for diversity, looking at a female bisexuality, which I always think should be written about more.
The plot had such a good build up to the end point, it had me on the edge of my seat to find out the ending and when I did, I loved it! The writing was intriguing at all points and painted a gorgeous picture of this Irish setting. This is definitely an autumn worthy book, if you didn't already get that from the beautiful cover - I want that woman's hair!
I've kept this spoiler free so you will go and read it! Go on... read it...
I love the way magical realism doesn't quite fit into the fantasy genre, but yet as a reader we totally accept the bizarre things that are happening. I love books like this, they always end up being my favourite. This was totally helped too by some weird characters and a jaw dropping plot twist. This is another top box for diversity, looking at a female bisexuality, which I always think should be written about more.
The plot had such a good build up to the end point, it had me on the edge of my seat to find out the ending and when I did, I loved it! The writing was intriguing at all points and painted a gorgeous picture of this Irish setting. This is definitely an autumn worthy book, if you didn't already get that from the beautiful cover - I want that woman's hair!
I've kept this spoiler free so you will go and read it! Go on... read it...
This was a disappointing read. I expected so much more from it I mean Spellbook = witches right?! Nope this book was lacking and the reason for the 2*s rating was because the last few chapters were wayyyy better than more than half of the book.
“What will you let go of? What can you not afford to lose?”
I had heard literally nothing about this book or the author when I requested it from PRH's First to Read program. All I knew, going into it, was what you can read on the GR synopsis, and that it had an intriguing cover.
✘ PLOT
When three young Irish girls find a mysterious spellbook and carry out a spell to return lost items, they don't pay enough attention to the line that warns them items must be sacrificed for those items being brought back. Without a sacrifice, the magic takes things - tangible and abstract alike - of its own accord.
While Olive and her best friend begin to unknowingly lose things, Hazel and her brother and childhood friend find the spellbook, and strange forces collide to bring the five teens together. Slowly, diary pages from the trio begin to appear, leading Olive, Hazel, and their friends on an adventure to find the trio, bring back what has been stolen, and put an end to the nightmare that magic can create.
✘ CHARACTERS
There are a lot of characters in this book. The characters are divided into 3 "groups", and as the chapters swap perspectives, each group has a singular narrator. The narrators get a great deal of development, while the side characters get a bit less.
• First, there’s the original trio: Laurel, Ash, and Holly. These three are the most influential characters as they kind of started the story, but we spend the least time with them and they’re certainly the most mysterious. Laurel is a likable, sensible narrator with no frills.
• Second, there’s Olive and her best friend, Rose. Olive is the narrator of this duo, and she’s a very enjoyable character. She’s a bit stubborn and headstrong, with a heart of absolute gold, and she’s incredibly concerned with the well-being of her family (including Rose).
• Third, there’s Hazel, her twin brother Rowan, and their childhood friend, Ivy. Hazel is the narrator of this one, and her chapters were probably my favorite. She’s angsty, pissed off at the world, full of regret and shame, and a shameless flirt. She’s fun, but there’s always an underlying darkness beneath her mask.
✘ WRITING
Moïra's writing is beautiful. It's lyrical and full of metaphors, while still being a quick and enjoyable read. She paints incredible scenery around the characters, and leaves so many little bread crumbs throughout the story. There's a wonderful twist to the story that I did guess about halfway through, but the way it was executed still gave me chills all over.
✘ REP/AWARENESS
I went into this book with no idea it was an LGBTQ+ read, so you can imagine my delight when Olive mentions that she and Rose are "the only bisexual girls in town". Hazel is also a lesbian, and without any spoilers, there is a lovely f/f romance toward the last third of the book. The representation is done really flawlessly and without tropes.
There's also diversity and self-awareness thrown in here and there: Rose is half Indian (a brief scene involves racism, and is addressed as problematic immediately). Olive is entirely deaf in one ear (and makes mention to her hearing aid a few times).
In one scene I really loved, there's an entire conversation between Olive and her sister regarding feminism:
I give my sister a baffled look and am not nearly discreet enough to hide it. It’s one thing to find out she reads poetry; it’s another to discover she identifies as a feminist. Maybe I have more in common with my little sister than I thought.
The book goes on after that scene to discuss feminism a few more times, as well as the terror that is rape culture. None of it ever feels like "checking boxes on the list"; you can easily tell that Moïra writes from her heart.
✘ FINAL VERDICT
From the characters to the plot, this book was so much more than I hoped for, and I loved every moment of it. I found myself addicted to the developing twists, and could barely bring myself to put it down. It has a solid ending that doesn't feel rushed, and the loose ends are tied by the time you close the back cover. I am so pleased to have been given the chance to read and review Spellbook, and I can't wait to see what else Moïra has in store for her readers!
Content warnings: rape (mostly implied), consensual sex (f/f and m/f), alcoholism, abusive parents.
ARC provided by Penguin Random House "First to Read" in exchange for an honest review.
You can find this review and more at my blog!
I had heard literally nothing about this book or the author when I requested it from PRH's First to Read program. All I knew, going into it, was what you can read on the GR synopsis, and that it had an intriguing cover.
✘ PLOT
When three young Irish girls find a mysterious spellbook and carry out a spell to return lost items, they don't pay enough attention to the line that warns them items must be sacrificed for those items being brought back. Without a sacrifice, the magic takes things - tangible and abstract alike - of its own accord.
While Olive and her best friend begin to unknowingly lose things, Hazel and her brother and childhood friend find the spellbook, and strange forces collide to bring the five teens together. Slowly, diary pages from the trio begin to appear, leading Olive, Hazel, and their friends on an adventure to find the trio, bring back what has been stolen, and put an end to the nightmare that magic can create.
✘ CHARACTERS
There are a lot of characters in this book. The characters are divided into 3 "groups", and as the chapters swap perspectives, each group has a singular narrator. The narrators get a great deal of development, while the side characters get a bit less.
• First, there’s the original trio: Laurel, Ash, and Holly. These three are the most influential characters as they kind of started the story, but we spend the least time with them and they’re certainly the most mysterious. Laurel is a likable, sensible narrator with no frills.
• Second, there’s Olive and her best friend, Rose. Olive is the narrator of this duo, and she’s a very enjoyable character. She’s a bit stubborn and headstrong, with a heart of absolute gold, and she’s incredibly concerned with the well-being of her family (including Rose).
• Third, there’s Hazel, her twin brother Rowan, and their childhood friend, Ivy. Hazel is the narrator of this one, and her chapters were probably my favorite. She’s angsty, pissed off at the world, full of regret and shame, and a shameless flirt. She’s fun, but there’s always an underlying darkness beneath her mask.
✘ WRITING
Moïra's writing is beautiful. It's lyrical and full of metaphors, while still being a quick and enjoyable read. She paints incredible scenery around the characters, and leaves so many little bread crumbs throughout the story. There's a wonderful twist to the story that I did guess about halfway through, but the way it was executed still gave me chills all over.
✘ REP/AWARENESS
I went into this book with no idea it was an LGBTQ+ read, so you can imagine my delight when Olive mentions that she and Rose are "the only bisexual girls in town". Hazel is also a lesbian, and without any spoilers, there is a lovely f/f romance toward the last third of the book. The representation is done really flawlessly and without tropes.
There's also diversity and self-awareness thrown in here and there: Rose is half Indian (a brief scene involves racism, and is addressed as problematic immediately). Olive is entirely deaf in one ear (and makes mention to her hearing aid a few times).
In one scene I really loved, there's an entire conversation between Olive and her sister regarding feminism:
I give my sister a baffled look and am not nearly discreet enough to hide it. It’s one thing to find out she reads poetry; it’s another to discover she identifies as a feminist. Maybe I have more in common with my little sister than I thought.
The book goes on after that scene to discuss feminism a few more times, as well as the terror that is rape culture. None of it ever feels like "checking boxes on the list"; you can easily tell that Moïra writes from her heart.
✘ FINAL VERDICT
From the characters to the plot, this book was so much more than I hoped for, and I loved every moment of it. I found myself addicted to the developing twists, and could barely bring myself to put it down. It has a solid ending that doesn't feel rushed, and the loose ends are tied by the time you close the back cover. I am so pleased to have been given the chance to read and review Spellbook, and I can't wait to see what else Moïra has in store for her readers!
Content warnings: rape (mostly implied), consensual sex (f/f and m/f), alcoholism, abusive parents.
ARC provided by Penguin Random House "First to Read" in exchange for an honest review.
You can find this review and more at my blog!
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Me encanto. Al principio era medio lento y un poco aburrido pero después se puso tremendo y tiene un plot twist re inesperado.
Sinopsis
El libro está narrado en 3 puntos de vista y cada una de las personas que lo narra es parte de un grupo distinto. La historia empieza a partir de una fiesta en el pueblo en la que por alguna razón todos perdieron algo. Para solucionar todo esto hay un libro de hechizos para encontrar cosas, pero si funciona alguien tiene que perder algo a cambio.
Es un libro lleno de misterio y hay partes que no se entiende nada porque tiene mucho suspenso.
Es un libro lleno de misterio y hay partes que no se entiende nada porque tiene mucho suspenso.
Aspectos positivos y negativos
positivos
- magia
- misterio
- representación (l)g(b)t+
- personajes diversos
- un poco de romance pero no es lo principal
- te entretiene la mayor parte
- plot twist que te caes de culo
- te da como una vibe de halloween y de un pueblo así viejo medio turbio pero interesante
negativos
- tarda un poquito en empezar
- la traducción cago algunas partes
- magia
- misterio
- representación (l)g(b)t+
- personajes diversos
- un poco de romance pero no es lo principal
- te entretiene la mayor parte
- plot twist que te caes de culo
- te da como una vibe de halloween y de un pueblo así viejo medio turbio pero interesante
negativos
- tarda un poquito en empezar
- la traducción cago algunas partes
Iba a hacer tipo una sección hablando de los personajes pero son muchos y iba a spoilear todo pero bueno.
Conclusión, léanlo que re vale la pena además me saco del bloqueo de 2 meses que tenia.
Conclusión, léanlo que re vale la pena además me saco del bloqueo de 2 meses que tenia.