Reviews

Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek

eviessreading's review against another edition

5.0

With an amazing plot, beautiful romance and loveable characters, Where The Dark Stands Still is one of my favourite reads of all time! This book follows Liska, a young girl from a quiet village, who must hide her magic in order to prevent her neighbours from discovering who she really is. She ventures into the magical forest in search of a wish-granting flower, instead she stumbles upon the Leszy, a 700 -year-old demon, with whom she makes a bargain: one year of her servitude for her wish.

Poranek has taken fantasy and intertwined Polish folklore to create a magical story. Reading this book was so fun, learning about the world, characters (Jaga the sassy house-demon being my favourite), researching the original folklore stories and getting lost in the enchanting Driada.

The world-building in this book is phenomenal, with vivid descriptions, I felt completely immersed in the story and could not put it down. With a heart warming, yet heart breaking story, I truly believe this is going to be one of the biggest books of the year.

I cannot think of a single criticism for Where The Dark Stands Still, I am completely obsessed!

A beautiful YA gothic fantasy romance, Where The Dark Stands Still is a must-read for 2024!

patibooks7's review against another edition

"where the dark stands still", bedąca polską adaptacją "pięknej i bestii" jest pięknie napisana i porusza tematy traumy, represji i akceptacji. ta książka sprawiła, że poczułam wszystkie uczucia, od przerażenia po złamane serce i wszystko pomiędzy.

megsssss_'s review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

4.25

sophiapinheiro's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.5

emaurreads's review against another edition

5.0

ripped my heart out, stomped on it, put it back together to tear it to shreds. hannah i’m billing you for my therapy bills

ayeshalovesfable's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I think this is my second time reading Polish folklore, and there is something so beautiful about it.

The way the story started was wonderful, and I knew at that moment that this was going to be the best read for me. Leski and Leszy both have my heart. I liked their character development, especially that of Leszy. I knew something was off from the first page, and their story was not that simple. The secrets were definitely mind-blowing.

For me, the story got more interesting in the second half of the novel. The pace picked up from there, and I felt there were so many haunted things behind stabilizing Driada.

As for the ending, it was totally unexpected. What am I going to do now? In short, this is an enchanting folklore with perfect fantasy and suspense.

sachasme's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

 

Honestly Cawpile told me to give this a 4 star rating but fuck it, I'm going with 5 because I really LOVED it. It reminded me of Uprooted and Howl's Moving Castle (the book), and both are on my favorite list. I loved the poetic writing, and the interactions between characters, and the folklore used. I would definitely like to read more book with this vibe/in this universe!!

It did took some time for me to really get into the story - I've read around 30% without really caring much about how the plot would unfold and mostly continued while on the bus to work - but once I really got into it I've finished in 2 days. I got a bit frustrated by the ending, but it was actually perfect, as magical as the rest of the book. I'm really glad I've found it!

 

milasimperium's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

smphillips's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

primroseamber's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.25