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mikaelaandherbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
Not my favorite from the series; it felt like there were too many events rushed to fit the short page count. I did love getting to revisit some of our favorite characters though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Transphobia and Bullying
oliverreeds's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
everything was great. i love this series. but coras entire identity was focused around her weight. i would have like a little less of that i think. j wanted to know more abt her that wasnt obsessing over the way ppl viewed her. great vibes tho and love that she was immensely complex
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Murder, Blood, Body shaming, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Kidnapping, and Transphobia
pyromastyx's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Death
Moderate: Death of parent
ehmannky's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-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
4.75
I love getting deeper into this world. I love reading a bunch of kids who are accustomed to living in weird worlds deal with weird worlds that they don't like. It's just fun and darkly whimsical and I'm a fan.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Death
Minor: Murder
littlewishling's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Another great story from McGuire. I love learning a little more about the worlds she’s created and can’t wait to read the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Body shaming
Moderate: Death of parent, Body horror, and Death
bisexualwentworth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was by favorite in the series so far for sure! I really enjoyed revisiting characters from book one with some additional new characters and a new plot. I also appreciated the additional worldbuilding and the expanded thoughts on the whole portal fantasy system that’s going on in these books.
Some of the diversity felt a bit flat to me? Like I get that these books are too short for complex characterization, but Cora in particular felt more like Good Fat Representation than she did like a fully fleshed-out character. But I still really enjoyed the characters and the world(s) and the story and will be continuing with the series for sure!
Some of the diversity felt a bit flat to me? Like I get that these books are too short for complex characterization, but Cora in particular felt more like Good Fat Representation than she did like a fully fleshed-out character. But I still really enjoyed the characters and the world(s) and the story and will be continuing with the series for sure!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Body shaming, Death of parent, Death, Child death, and Gore
Minor: Transphobia
crownoflaurel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Medical content
Minor: Fatphobia
wickedwitchofky's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
While this book wasn’t my favorite in the series so far, I think it’s necessary and a perfect juxtaposition. The stark differences between Confection and The Moors from book 2 is key to understanding the characters and their different points of view. Loved getting to see more of the different worlds.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Confinement, Fatphobia, Cancer, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Fatphobia, Cancer, Eating disorder, Racism, Death, and Racial slurs
If you struggle with body shaming, Cora’s experience will likely be particularly poignant if not difficult for you.malaikawrites's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Ahhh Candy Land! Seanan McGuire's ability to make so many whimsical, and beautiful, worlds within one universe is truly spectacular. I've found myself intrigued with all the worlds that have been hinted at, and I've fallen in love with all the worlds we've gotten to explore so far in the series.
I will admit that I wasn't sold on this idea when first reading the synopsis for this book. I loved the dark fantasy that came with the settings within the first two books in this series, and I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy the characters or writing style in a drastically brighter setting like that of the candy land Confection turns out to be. I also wasn't sold on the more adventure focused aspects of this book, knowing that what I loved most about the first two books was the world-building and the interesting characters. I'm happy to say that despite my slightly lower expectations, I did end up enjoying this book quite a bit.
I wish we had gotten to spend more time on the story being told. It was short and sweet, which makes for a lovely, fast pace read, but some added depth into every new stage in the adventure the characters take us on would've taken my enjoyment to a whole new level.
One fault I should mention is that the pacing seemed a little off with this one and I think the book could've done with more space to really flesh things out so that the story wouldn't feel like it was empty in some places. More depth would've also helped make the areas that felt like they dragged on a bit feel more compelling. This is me nitpicking a bit though, and though it definitely won’t be one of my favourites, it's a very strong addition to the series.
I loved that this adventure was told from the perspective of a new character (Cora, a mermaid from the Land Beneath the Lake) that was just being introduced into the storyline. It allowed for further exploration of the characters that we've already heard of or gotten to know in the first two books. It also gave space for the story to naturally give us more information about the many worlds within the wayward children universe. The cast within these books has always been wonderfully diverse and this book continued with the trend of seamlessly including multiple different types of people without it ever seeming forced or like there was any "token" diversity characters. This book being told from the perspective of a plus-sized character allowed for multiple important conversations around issues that involve fatphobia to be brought into the narrative in a way that didn't feel overly performative. We also got to be introduced to amazing new characters and to revisit some amazing characters from before.
All in all, though this book was my least favourite of the three I've read so far from this series, it was still a book I enjoyed. The settings were perfection yet again and the characters, specifically the wayward children, were all interesting. The links between the children and their worlds were intricately woven into the story to make for a series worth reading. Though this book wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, I would still recommend it and the series as a whole. I can't wait to see what's next!
I will admit that I wasn't sold on this idea when first reading the synopsis for this book. I loved the dark fantasy that came with the settings within the first two books in this series, and I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy the characters or writing style in a drastically brighter setting like that of the candy land Confection turns out to be. I also wasn't sold on the more adventure focused aspects of this book, knowing that what I loved most about the first two books was the world-building and the interesting characters. I'm happy to say that despite my slightly lower expectations, I did end up enjoying this book quite a bit.
I wish we had gotten to spend more time on the story being told. It was short and sweet, which makes for a lovely, fast pace read, but some added depth into every new stage in the adventure the characters take us on would've taken my enjoyment to a whole new level.
One fault I should mention is that the pacing seemed a little off with this one and I think the book could've done with more space to really flesh things out so that the story wouldn't feel like it was empty in some places. More depth would've also helped make the areas that felt like they dragged on a bit feel more compelling. This is me nitpicking a bit though, and though it definitely won’t be one of my favourites, it's a very strong addition to the series.
I loved that this adventure was told from the perspective of a new character (Cora, a mermaid from the Land Beneath the Lake) that was just being introduced into the storyline. It allowed for further exploration of the characters that we've already heard of or gotten to know in the first two books. It also gave space for the story to naturally give us more information about the many worlds within the wayward children universe. The cast within these books has always been wonderfully diverse and this book continued with the trend of seamlessly including multiple different types of people without it ever seeming forced or like there was any "token" diversity characters. This book being told from the perspective of a plus-sized character allowed for multiple important conversations around issues that involve fatphobia to be brought into the narrative in a way that didn't feel overly performative. We also got to be introduced to amazing new characters and to revisit some amazing characters from before.
All in all, though this book was my least favourite of the three I've read so far from this series, it was still a book I enjoyed. The settings were perfection yet again and the characters, specifically the wayward children, were all interesting. The links between the children and their worlds were intricately woven into the story to make for a series worth reading. Though this book wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, I would still recommend it and the series as a whole. I can't wait to see what's next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Eating disorder
Minor: Blood and Transphobia
booksthatburn's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Cannibalism, Violence, Murder, and Death