Reviews

Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek

brisingr's review against another edition

2.0

ADORED the eastern european folklore elements of this, and the writing style was splendid. these were 400 pages of just... fairytale happenings, and that was lovely indeed. a strong debut, however - i just couldn't care less about these characters or what's happening for them. it was SUCH a pain to pick this book up each time i stopped reading, and it pains me so much bc i really wanted to love this.

if you enjoy howl's moving castle, or the girl from the other side, then this is probably your exact jam. not really mine, i feel like the original just can't be matched (and def not in this book). it's a begrudging rating i am giving this book bc i *did* finish it, but i'm far from having enjoyed it unfortunately, while also just loving the idea and the skills set in here, just not a fan of the execution.

andrea10180's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

haylee_reads's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was fine!! It was pretty similar to Howl’s Moving Castle, but I think there were enough differences where it didn’t frustrate me too much. I did like the world building and how atmospheric it was. Liska and her magic were really intriguing. I liked how she leaned into her magic instead of being ashamed of it. The Leszy was essentially Howl; a coward turned brave boy who has great sense of style. I think there was a lot of info dumping at times and the pacing wasn’t my favorite. I think the lore was really well done. Idk I didn’t dislike it but I didn’t love it….

persychan's review against another edition

emotional sad

5.0

Questo è un libro da 5 stelle a vibe, se ci penso troppo posso pensare a vari difetti, a problemi di pacing e ad ambiti che andavano approfonditi, ma allo stesso tempo c'è molto poco che vorrei cambiare.

Nomignoli un po' eccessivi a parte, ho amato tutto dal concept, alla storia d'amore alla prosa. Probabilmente il mio romantasy preferito dell'anno.

weathrwax's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

emmyella's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

asecretplant's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

4.5

A very beautifully written book. Great plot, well executed, incredible characters!

tthe_cancerian's review against another edition

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I actually found a lot of grammatical and syntactical errors. hated the characters and the romance was underwhelming.  writing was not good either. heavily borrowed from howl moving castle. 

bellareads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

julischreads's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0