Scan barcode
wilybooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
2.0
This was an intriguing premise that had a lot of potential, but sadly fell a bit flat for me.
Both of the main characters felt quite two-dimensional and lacking in depth. Mariel even reminded me of a teenager at times. The secondary characters were even more shallow and felt like caricatures or cardboard cut-outs. I found myself unable to become immersed in the story because it just felt noticeably fake, especially with respect to the dialogue. The humour was more cringe and juvenile than actually funny and the third-act breakup was incredibly unnecessary given the conflict and drama already happening in the last third of the book. There were also a lot of editing mistakes (like, several per chapter) — things like missing punctuation, words smashed together, and uncapitalised names/places. I expect better editing from a traditionally published book. [This is for the UK digital version.]
Both of the main characters felt quite two-dimensional and lacking in depth. Mariel even reminded me of a teenager at times. The secondary characters were even more shallow and felt like caricatures or cardboard cut-outs. I found myself unable to become immersed in the story because it just felt noticeably fake, especially with respect to the dialogue. The humour was more cringe and juvenile than actually funny and the third-act breakup was incredibly unnecessary given the conflict and drama already happening in the last third of the book. There were also a lot of editing mistakes (like, several per chapter) — things like missing punctuation, words smashed together, and uncapitalised names/places. I expect better editing from a traditionally published book. [This is for the UK digital version.]
There were a few plus points, however. I enjoyed the world-building, which was fun and detailed without being overexplained. The plant magic/affinity was especially nice; I loved how Mariel’s plants would comfort her. I loved that Mariel was plus-size but there was no plot point or issues surrounding it; she just was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Animal death, Death, and Violence
Minor: Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Cancer, and Classism
fromjuliereads's review
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was such a fun read! I actually laughed and exclaimed out loud a few times, and thoroughly enjoyed the premise and characters. It had some depth to it, too - some conversations about self worth and setting boundaries which I really liked! Overall it was a fun and cute read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
Minor: Abandonment
headinthepages's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
Lighthearted and fun to read with some steamy scenes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Drug use, and Sexual content
More...