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chris_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Confinement, Chronic illness, Abandonment, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent, Violence, Grief, and Gun violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Kidnapping
asahome's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
I found the first part of the book boring. I know it is intended to set up the rest of the book so you can understand the action when it gets there, but it felt too long to me. I also really struggled to understand when we were in the present versus when we were looking at the past. If there had been a format change or something to indicate we were not in the present, it would have felt less jarring to me.
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent, Self harm, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Death
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Child abuse, Chronic illness, and Medical content
apoppyinthewind's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Basically Esther & Joanna's chapters could be summarized up as "They each miss their sister, their family trauma and secret keeping screws with their mental health, paranoia, people being suspicious" rinse repeat. While Nicholas & Collins chapters made me feel like I was learning more about the magical world the story was set in. The book could have just been Nicholas & Collins and I wouldn't have missed Esther or Joanna which is unfortunate since they're the main titular characters.
That said, overall it was enjoyable enough and I appreciate that the story was contained to one book. If you like books about books and magic, you might like this one.
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Torture, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Murder, Stalking, and Confinement
tracylou's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Törzs' gift in the book is the dialogue between characters. She crafts conversations that read honestly, cover various emotions and situations, and feel authentic to the character she's crafted. For me, these patches of dialogue were the saving grace of the novel.
The biggest problem for me, though, was a lack of focus. Any of the four main characters could have been the hero or the anti-hero, and given the book title, it probably should've been the sisters. Sadly, the sisters are the characters who feel the flattest. The friendship between Nicholas and Collins is far more interesting than the estrangement or reconnection between the sisters.
The pacing of the novel felt uneven, dragging in some places and racing to the finish in others. I found myself wishing the author would have followed a more chronological timeline, allowing the reader to follow the events, appreciate the intricacies of the magic, and enjoy the characters more.
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Self harm, and Violence
readwithria's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I was very intrigued by the premise of this book. Sisterhood, familial magic, and dark secrets are usually things that I enjoy in books. However, it took about 300 pages to get through the setup and to the main plot. Those first couple hundred pages were interesting, but easy to put down. The last 85 pages were much more action-packed, but almost to the point of going by too quickly.
Other than the pacing, it also bothered me that it felt like the decisions the three POV characters made were because of the plot, and I prefer books where the plot happens the way it does due to decisions made by the main characters.
Things that I did enjoy included
- the magic system
- Pearl, Collins, Sir Kiwi, and the little cat
- the themes of colonial deconstruction
- the division of information through the different POVs
I would recommend this book to people who enjoy books that deal with family secrets, generational trauma, and objects of power. I would not recommend this book to people who are sensitive to self harm (CW: graphic bloodletting for magical purposes)
This was interesting, but missed the mark in a few key ways. 3.5 stars.
Graphic: Blood and Self harm
Moderate: Murder, Grief, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Cursing, Kidnapping, Gore, Colonisation, Medical content, Death, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent
Minor: Classism, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Cursing
aksmith92's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
The setup: The novel follows two sisters, Esther and Joanna, born and raised in a magical family - those who can read magic from books and cast certain spells. While Joanna can produce this magic when reading it, Ester seems untouched by the magic. When she reads the books, nothing happens. More perplexing, magic seems to have no impact on her. Esther and Joanna's family is complicated, and we are met with many fascinating tales about mothers, fathers, stepmothers, and overall familial ties.
In addition, we also travel alongside the tale of someone named Nicholas and his bodyguard, Collins. We know little about Nicholas and his ties to Esther and Joanna's story, but he lives in The Library, a heavily guarded magical library in London. Nicholas is a Scribe, meaning that he writes magical books.
Throughout the novel, we learn of the characters, the magic, and their connection through many ups and downs.
What I liked: I found this novel quite innovative and original. The theme of magical books has no doubt been done before, particularly in witchy settings, but I just thought this one was unique. Additionally, the writing style and prose were just lovely. I found it atmospheric but still grounded in modern times, which was an interesting touch. To me, this seemed to sway to the side of magical realism versus fantasy, but it is about magical books and spells, so I can see why it wouldn't necessarily be too close to real life. Either way, I just thought it worked so well. There were also a couple of twists and turns throughout this novel that I didn't see coming, which I always LOVE!
What didn't hit the mark: The beginning was slow, and while I loved the character development, once the connection was there between plots, I felt some things were a little rushed. That said, I gave this 4.5 stars, so it didn't impact my overall reading experience and love for the book.
I recommend this as a nice in between of magical realism, contemporary literature, and fantasy. It was super readable, yet poetic at times, and I loved the plot. I look forward to checking out this author's other works in the future!
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Child abuse, Body horror, Grief, Violence, Confinement, Blood, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Gore, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Medical content, and Medical trauma
akswhy's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Gun violence
Minor: Death of parent
someryarns's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Blood, Abandonment, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Self harm, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
in_libris_speramus's review
- 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? No
5.0
Graphic: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Violence and Kidnapping
Minor: Confinement and Torture
nialiversuch's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Death, Confinement, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail