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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
I won’t lie, when I finished reading this I started crying and just sat hugging the book for a few moments, because I’ve been following this series since the first book came out in 2017 (when I was 11!) and it’s breaking my heart that it’s over, but in a good way, because I have grown up with this series and I love it so much! This was such a good finale to the series and I was very happy with the ending. Lottie, Ellie and Jamie all went on their own personal journeys in this book and came out even better for it, and I loved that. Tensions were high towards the end and I couldn’t put the book down, but I was very satisfied when I finished reading. Who doesn’t love a happy ending? This series is so magical and whimsical and I will love it forever.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have been a fan of these books ever since they came out. I’ve attended book signing events and met Connie Glynn about 3 times. I truly believe she is an excellent storyteller with huge potential, however, this final book was a bitter disappointment to read.
Let me just clear something up; I’m not about to rip into Connie, as I said, I’m a huge fan and these books have meant everything to me ever since I was 15. Having said that, I just can’t ignore lazy or confused writing when I see it, and must do myself and these books justice by writing an honest review.
From the very beginning, we are introduced to a complicated love triangle between Ellie, Lottie and Jamie. As a bisexual woman, I truly did not mind who Lottie ended up with as this triangle was very well written in the first book - though I did have a preference for Jamie. By the second book, my mind was already made up on who I thought Lottie was better off with, because Ellie had immediately become such an irritating character to read about. She is selfish, arrogant and spoiled - she’s a princess, I get that’s the point - but this does not change throughout the series. Ellie will do something impulsive and reckless that hurts Lottie, and then come wintering back to her with her tail between her legs every time, with no sense of improvement.
In comparison, any intense scene between Lottie and Jamie ends in both characters experiencing major revelations about themselves, and resulting in a change in behaviour that is both interesting and enjoyable to read. Lottie and Jamie are two people who relate to one another deeply; both are without parents. Both have felt lost about their roles in life. Both love Ellie. They have much more common ground than Lottie has with Ellie - I saw more chemistry with Anastacia and Ellie in one page than I did with Lottie and Ellie throughout the entire series! I can’t express the disappointment I felt when their relationship was diminished to being more ‘maternal’ than anything else.
Despite how I feel, I understand this could all just be down to my personal preference for what I want in a romance novel. So let me back this up with some actual evidence that the romance in this series was poorly thought out.
Haru is a pointless character. He truly contributed nothing to the story other than a cheap pawn to make it sting less when Ellie and Lottie end up together. That’s a hot take, but every scene he is in could’ve happened whether he was there or not - and frankly, I found him a little creepy at first. Admittedly though, he and Jamie STILL had more chemistry than Lottie and Ellie. I could have been okay with Jamie and Haru, except when Jamie finally accepts who he wants to be with in Book 5, we don’t see a single moment between these two again. Haru to me, felt like an easy way for Connie to give her three main characters a happy ending without either being accused of queer baiting or leaving us too unsatisfied to continue reading.
Jamie’s character design by the end of the book feels stiff and unlike anything he was turning out to be by books three and four. As for Ellie, I love me some angst, but a stroppy, spoilt character constantly storming off saying ‘woe is me, i’m awful’ is just annoying to read about, and not someone that many - if any - people could relate to at all. I truly loved books 1-3, but the final two made it difficult for me to defend Connie and her wonderful story - a story I truly believe has so much potential.
On top of my feeling about how the love triangle ended, I was also very disappointed that none of the other characters had much development. Binah Fae is a wonderful character, so well written, she is one I dare say needed no improvement but perhaps more story time? However, Anastacia and her constant eye rolling also became a slight bore to read. Saskia, after she finally decided to rejoin Rosewood, existed just to fawn over Anastacia and played no real role to the books either. And Ollie was thrown in at the end just so he wasn’t completely binned off as a character.
I know I said at the start I wasn’t going to rip into Connie, and I totally have, I’m aware of that, I just know I’m not the only one in the fan base who was disappointed in the ending of these books (because I have friends I made at the book signing events and they agree. haha!). Despite this, I simply can’t write a review without singing her praise.
Connie Glynn is a new author and these were her very first published books. She captured me into a world of mystery, magic, friendship, and all different types of love that I truly needed to accept myself when I started reading these at 15. Because of these books, I’ve made incredible friends all around the globe, and even been inspired to take English literature at a university. Connie’s truly an incredible writer, her imagery is beautiful and unique and her writing style is so easy to read that I finished this book in one day. I truly can’t wait to see what she writes next, and I know despite how I felt about the ending, she worked really damn hard on this series. She gave a voice to people who don’t have one in this world yet. So please do give them a read and don’t be discouraged by my grouchy, literacy-student particulars.
Let me just clear something up; I’m not about to rip into Connie, as I said, I’m a huge fan and these books have meant everything to me ever since I was 15. Having said that, I just can’t ignore lazy or confused writing when I see it, and must do myself and these books justice by writing an honest review.
From the very beginning, we are introduced to a complicated love triangle between Ellie, Lottie and Jamie. As a bisexual woman, I truly did not mind who Lottie ended up with as this triangle was very well written in the first book - though I did have a preference for Jamie. By the second book, my mind was already made up on who I thought Lottie was better off with, because Ellie had immediately become such an irritating character to read about. She is selfish, arrogant and spoiled - she’s a princess, I get that’s the point - but this does not change throughout the series. Ellie will do something impulsive and reckless that hurts Lottie, and then come wintering back to her with her tail between her legs every time, with no sense of improvement.
In comparison, any intense scene between Lottie and Jamie ends in both characters experiencing major revelations about themselves, and resulting in a change in behaviour that is both interesting and enjoyable to read. Lottie and Jamie are two people who relate to one another deeply; both are without parents. Both have felt lost about their roles in life. Both love Ellie. They have much more common ground than Lottie has with Ellie - I saw more chemistry with Anastacia and Ellie in one page than I did with Lottie and Ellie throughout the entire series! I can’t express the disappointment I felt when their relationship was diminished to being more ‘maternal’ than anything else.
Despite how I feel, I understand this could all just be down to my personal preference for what I want in a romance novel. So let me back this up with some actual evidence that the romance in this series was poorly thought out.
Haru is a pointless character. He truly contributed nothing to the story other than a cheap pawn to make it sting less when Ellie and Lottie end up together. That’s a hot take, but every scene he is in could’ve happened whether he was there or not - and frankly, I found him a little creepy at first. Admittedly though, he and Jamie STILL had more chemistry than Lottie and Ellie. I could have been okay with Jamie and Haru, except when Jamie finally accepts who he wants to be with in Book 5, we don’t see a single moment between these two again. Haru to me, felt like an easy way for Connie to give her three main characters a happy ending without either being accused of queer baiting or leaving us too unsatisfied to continue reading.
Jamie’s character design by the end of the book feels stiff and unlike anything he was turning out to be by books three and four. As for Ellie, I love me some angst, but a stroppy, spoilt character constantly storming off saying ‘woe is me, i’m awful’ is just annoying to read about, and not someone that many - if any - people could relate to at all. I truly loved books 1-3, but the final two made it difficult for me to defend Connie and her wonderful story - a story I truly believe has so much potential.
On top of my feeling about how the love triangle ended, I was also very disappointed that none of the other characters had much development. Binah Fae is a wonderful character, so well written, she is one I dare say needed no improvement but perhaps more story time? However, Anastacia and her constant eye rolling also became a slight bore to read. Saskia, after she finally decided to rejoin Rosewood, existed just to fawn over Anastacia and played no real role to the books either. And Ollie was thrown in at the end just so he wasn’t completely binned off as a character.
I know I said at the start I wasn’t going to rip into Connie, and I totally have, I’m aware of that, I just know I’m not the only one in the fan base who was disappointed in the ending of these books (because I have friends I made at the book signing events and they agree. haha!). Despite this, I simply can’t write a review without singing her praise.
Connie Glynn is a new author and these were her very first published books. She captured me into a world of mystery, magic, friendship, and all different types of love that I truly needed to accept myself when I started reading these at 15. Because of these books, I’ve made incredible friends all around the globe, and even been inspired to take English literature at a university. Connie’s truly an incredible writer, her imagery is beautiful and unique and her writing style is so easy to read that I finished this book in one day. I truly can’t wait to see what she writes next, and I know despite how I felt about the ending, she worked really damn hard on this series. She gave a voice to people who don’t have one in this world yet. So please do give them a read and don’t be discouraged by my grouchy, literacy-student particulars.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
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:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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:
No
i really enjoyed this series and i think that this book was really lovely and a great way to finish off the series! xx
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes