Reviews

Ivory Apples by Lisa Goldstein

kleonard's review against another edition

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2.0

This fantasy novel started off with promise and some beautiful writing: in a grove in the woods, a girl incorporates a sprite into her body, and has to learn to control it and when to let it take control. The grove is owned by her great-aunt, a recluse who write a best-selling fantasy novel herself but became plagued by fans and hides from them. So far, so good. But then the story's development gets unfocused and the writing changes, becoming flat and dull, and the plot becomes ever-more complicated and full of nonsensical actions on the parts of the characters, who also fail to develop beyond the two-dimensional. The sprite-carrying protagonist soon finds her life infiltrated by an obsessed fan of her great-aunt; soon the fan has killed Ivy's dad and taken over control of Ivy and her three younger sisters, Ivy leaves, and there are gaps in the story where she simply says "years went by." The sprite in her body comes and goes in mentions so inconsistently it's as if it's not really part of the story, and Ivy's sisters, the evil guardian, and other characters do seemingly random and bizarre things that are unrelated, or, equally strangely, pick up conversations ended seemingly months or years before as if nothing had intervened. The book reads like it needed a lot more developmental editing and another year or two to be fully cooked.

scribe391's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Narrated by Ivy, Goldstein’s fantasy explores artistic inspiration (Muse) and fame.

lostinagoodbook's review against another edition

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2.0

Seems like this would have been something I’d have really enjoyed. Ivy has a Great-Aunt in hiding. She is a VERY famous author with a connection to the magical world. Ivy as a young girl comes into contact with a muse, who chooses to attach itself to her. Unfortunately, a woman comes into Ivy’s life who wishes nothing but ill for Ivy and her sisters, in an effort to locate the famous Great-Aunt. Tragedy ensues.

The book has ties to fantasy themes and mythology. But the execution is haphazard and a little disjointed. Ivy’s journey was interesting at first, but she takes a hard swerve right in the middle of the book that I never was able to bounce back from. There was also some additional imagery about apples and the moon that never really landed properly.

I was not a fan of this one. I think if you liked The Thirteenth Tale, this is a little reminiscent, and probably the reason I picked it up to begin with. But the tone is much different. It is a simple fantasy.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from Netgalley.

lisawreading's review

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3.0

In Ivory Apples , four young sisters end up at the mercy of an outsider who charms her way into their family and then takes over. Kate is a clever but overly obsessed fan of the classic children's fantasy book Ivory Apples -- not just because she loves the story, but because she suspects that the author, Adela Martin, had access to real magic as she wrote the book, and Kate wants some of her own.

Oldest sister Ivy is the only one not fully taken in by Kate's schemes, and breaks away from the family in order to keep her aunt's secrets, only to return in desperation when she realizes that her sisters need rescuing. Meanwhile, Kate is right about one thing -- there IS a source of real magic, and Adela and Ivy both have access to it.

I enjoyed the family dynamics and Ivy herself, as well as the central role played by the book Ivory Apples and its secrets. Not all of the magical aspects made complete sense to me, and the sense of urgency throughout lagged from time to time. Still, the book is different and unusual in all sorts of ways, and Kate makes for a devious and menacing bad guy beneath her pleasant and child-friendly exterior. I'd definitely like to read more by this author.

Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies.

hippiechick56's review against another edition

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3.0

It was worth reading but it just didn't hook you all the way into the story. It fell short of my expectations.

silentrequiem's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

alyram4's review against another edition

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2.0

2.5/5 stars

I'll be the first to admit that the summary of this book didn't catch too much of my attention. Contemporary Fantasy is a genre I have a lot of difficulty enjoying properly. I either love it or hate it. Ivory Apples is somewhere in between for me. i didn't like it, but I didn't dislike it either. The writing itself is quite beautiful and gets you invested, but the dialogue between characters and even the world itself is a bit off-putting. Something just doesn't seem right when you read this, and by the end I was still left very unsatisfied. I usually don't say this, but this is a book where you should probably judge it based off of the summary. If you think you'll love it, then go ahead and grab it. If it doesn't grab your attention, it may be best to just skip this

Also, strangely enough I don't remember much of the story after being away from it for a few days... So that's a bit unfortunate.

ARC provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own..

slanderoid's review

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I'm not sure who the target audience is - it reads like YA but gets incredibly dark at times. Writing was a bit rough at times. A lot of parts felt rushed to me

jerseygrrrl's review against another edition

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4.0

Great mix of magic, storytelling, and sibling relationships.

llyrian's review against another edition

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This book traumatized me but it was well written and engaging, and the tale's topic was engaging and interesting too, so I'm torn about what I should rate this