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thereadernthebeast's review
4.0
This is madness. It's so desperately beautiful... so dark and magical, written through a stoning prose. I loved it.
I received an advanced review copy, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest opinion.
Escrito con la gracia de un cuento de hadas, oscuro y encantador.
I received an advanced review copy, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest opinion.
Escrito con la gracia de un cuento de hadas, oscuro y encantador.
samthesunrise's review
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Pretty decent, the ending was cute, but all in all kind of chaotic. And it almost felt like there were underlying messages that I was missing.
redheadread's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
maria_hossain's review
2.0
This is a weird fantasy and I'm slowly liking weird SFF books, as of late. I'm glad Erewhon Books is providing a lot of weird SFF books for readers like me out there. I'm also glad that this book is a standalone, because ever since I learned I have ADHD since January 2020, my attention span reduced to that of a goldfish. Hence, I'm sort of glad everything sorted out through a satisfying ending in one book.
First off, the good things. I like our protagonist, Jean's voice and her way of seeing the world. She's not a know-it-all like her Nan, neither is a swashbuckling daredevil like her mum used to be. She's practical and pragmatic. She does things after thinking them through and isn't one to do impulsive things. She's also accepting of circumstances and doesn't whine or lament over the series of unfortunate events that always happen on her birthdays. She knows she's no regular kid and her family is no ordinary family and hence all the bad things in her life. But this doesn't mean she's a passive, limp noodle. She acts when she needs to and reacts when she needs to. That's what I love about her. Jean March is a cool protagonist.
I also like the supporting cast. Nan March is an affectionate grandma who possesses a rough diamond personality. She loves Jean with all her heart but doesn't pamper her or sugarcoat the truths of the world from her. Ella March is a douchebag mum with reasons. Lolly is a good friend who provides some comic relief and support whenever needed. The Huskling King is my favorite, with his witty banter with Jean and lots of sarcasm. Mark comes way too late to cut a mark on the story. The Graceful Man unfortunately feels like a two-dimensional villain whose worst, most disturbing traits makes me go "Meh". He could use some more development, IMO.
My three complaints now. First, no chapter breaks. Like none! The eARC was broken in 5 parts and none of them had individual chapter breaks. It was hard to keep on reading after the first 10-15 pages without a break. Things kept happening and kept threading into another event that kept happening. I really don't like long, long, long chapters with no breaks. Really exhausting and it just ruins your mood to continue the book.
Second complaint, the setting. I felt like most of the things in this setting happened without reason. This world has so many similarities with ours, yet nothing to explain things. Why are the March women destined to have an arch nemesis? What's the reason for this arch nemesis' existence? What if one girl was born with no arch nemesis? Other than being their evil counterpart, is there no other purpose to these nemesis' existence? What or who decides what kind of nemesis a March girl gets? What if the March family gets a boy child for a long time? Or someone is born without any abilities that make the March family the walkers? What are walkers and what's so special about them and how have they come to be? What's the In Between? How many powers do the March women get? Do they all get the same power? How powerful can you become? Is there no choice to choose a different life? So many things in this world are left unexplained and I don't like it, tbh.
Third, that ending. It felt like deux ex machina. Too easy, too brief, another thing left unexplained (or maybe I am dumb, who knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
Anyway, if you're up for a weird fantasy of powerful women, intriguing villains, and a coming-of-age story about a girl slowly coming into her calling and her powers, this book is for you.
Thank you, NetGalley and Erewhon Books, for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
First off, the good things. I like our protagonist, Jean's voice and her way of seeing the world. She's not a know-it-all like her Nan, neither is a swashbuckling daredevil like her mum used to be. She's practical and pragmatic. She does things after thinking them through and isn't one to do impulsive things. She's also accepting of circumstances and doesn't whine or lament over the series of unfortunate events that always happen on her birthdays. She knows she's no regular kid and her family is no ordinary family and hence all the bad things in her life. But this doesn't mean she's a passive, limp noodle. She acts when she needs to and reacts when she needs to. That's what I love about her. Jean March is a cool protagonist.
I also like the supporting cast. Nan March is an affectionate grandma who possesses a rough diamond personality. She loves Jean with all her heart but doesn't pamper her or sugarcoat the truths of the world from her. Ella March is a douchebag mum with reasons. Lolly is a good friend who provides some comic relief and support whenever needed. The Huskling King is my favorite, with his witty banter with Jean and lots of sarcasm. Mark comes way too late to cut a mark on the story. The Graceful Man unfortunately feels like a two-dimensional villain whose worst, most disturbing traits makes me go "Meh". He could use some more development, IMO.
My three complaints now. First, no chapter breaks. Like none! The eARC was broken in 5 parts and none of them had individual chapter breaks. It was hard to keep on reading after the first 10-15 pages without a break. Things kept happening and kept threading into another event that kept happening. I really don't like long, long, long chapters with no breaks. Really exhausting and it just ruins your mood to continue the book.
Second complaint, the setting. I felt like most of the things in this setting happened without reason. This world has so many similarities with ours, yet nothing to explain things. Why are the March women destined to have an arch nemesis? What's the reason for this arch nemesis' existence? What if one girl was born with no arch nemesis? Other than being their evil counterpart, is there no other purpose to these nemesis' existence? What or who decides what kind of nemesis a March girl gets? What if the March family gets a boy child for a long time? Or someone is born without any abilities that make the March family the walkers? What are walkers and what's so special about them and how have they come to be? What's the In Between? How many powers do the March women get? Do they all get the same power? How powerful can you become? Is there no choice to choose a different life? So many things in this world are left unexplained and I don't like it, tbh.
Third, that ending. It felt like deux ex machina. Too easy, too brief, another thing left unexplained (or maybe I am dumb, who knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
Anyway, if you're up for a weird fantasy of powerful women, intriguing villains, and a coming-of-age story about a girl slowly coming into her calling and her powers, this book is for you.
Thank you, NetGalley and Erewhon Books, for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
thereaderandthebeast's review
4.0
This is madness. It's so desperately beautiful... so dark and magical, written through a stoning prose. I loved it.
I received an advanced review copy, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest opinion.
Escrito con la gracia de un cuento de hadas, oscuro y encantador.
I received an advanced review copy, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest opinion.
Escrito con la gracia de un cuento de hadas, oscuro y encantador.
chairhouse's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
charlotte_owl's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
4.25
mimipoppins's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
meanoldmom's review
5.0
I was able to read an advanced copy of this book, and it was So good! I couldn’t put it down!
This is a beautiful story with great characters, and a really interesting world!
This is a beautiful story with great characters, and a really interesting world!
lazygal's review
1.0
DNF at 25%. The rules of this world didn't make sense and I didn't feel there was a need care about Jean or her story.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss.