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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A book start promising an intriguing premise, ramps up to a cool conclusion and then fades out with a whimper. The idea of a teacher in multiple places at once was an interesting one, and I really wanted to see where it would go. The setting is well-presented and the atmosphere builds wonderfully in the first hundred pages. And then it stagnates with how little the mystery of the mystery book is presented, to the point where it seems like little more than a thing that just happens. The main character starts as a casual YA protagonist that wants to fit in but isn't of "pure blood". Fine concept, but what killed me was her constant namedropping of herself. "Ivy" and "I" (as a nickname to mean "alone") became such an overdone thing in the span of 300 pages. I knew her name better than what she looked like, to the point that I forgot she was a redhead until the overdrawn epilogue. She consistently bemoans her aloneness and then runs from everyone. Some of the conflict is well done in the beginning, with the quarrels between Ivy and her rival feeling real and grounded in reality, but towards the end, Ivy is always running away, from pretty much and confrontation, or even conversation that's too close to her.
And then there's the name of the book and its namesake, Emily. *spoilers* Emily is boring, I mean really boring. The girls all have whispers of personalities, with Ivy and Sofia feeling the most fleshed out, but Emily is nothing. I hate not writing a character and saying that it makes them mysterious. So little is spent on Emily other than a weird, queerbaity relationship with Ivy or being a teacher that is at the school. There were so many surface level hints to something more that just fizzle out and never go anywhere, and the handwavy explanation of "maybe Ivy has manifestation powers is just disassociating" meant nothing more than a cheap cop out to me. Not to mention the epilogue's big "reveal" that Daisy wasn't real only to double down and say "oh it was Flora who was your sister but you killed her with neglect and made Daisy up to cope" was worse. If this were a reveal done earlier in the book, maybe I could have looked over it, but the triumph with which its revealed made me wish it wasn't included at all. What a tired trope. It felt more like a crutch to prop up the rest of the book, but ruined the rest in retrospect. *spoilers*
This book is ok. A cool concept that was sadly fumbled, wrapped a clean YA victorian package. I liked the atmosphere but the book began to wear on me after the first half and disappointed me with its last half.
And then there's the name of the book and its namesake, Emily. *spoilers* Emily is boring, I mean really boring. The girls all have whispers of personalities, with Ivy and Sofia feeling the most fleshed out, but Emily is nothing. I hate not writing a character and saying that it makes them mysterious. So little is spent on Emily other than a weird, queerbaity relationship with Ivy or being a teacher that is at the school. There were so many surface level hints to something more that just fizzle out and never go anywhere, and the handwavy explanation of "maybe Ivy has manifestation powers is just disassociating" meant nothing more than a cheap cop out to me. Not to mention the epilogue's big "reveal" that Daisy wasn't real only to double down and say "oh it was Flora who was your sister but you killed her with neglect and made Daisy up to cope" was worse. If this were a reveal done earlier in the book, maybe I could have looked over it, but the triumph with which its revealed made me wish it wasn't included at all. What a tired trope. It felt more like a crutch to prop up the rest of the book, but ruined the rest in retrospect. *spoilers*
This book is ok. A cool concept that was sadly fumbled, wrapped a clean YA victorian package. I liked the atmosphere but the book began to wear on me after the first half and disappointed me with its last half.
ik ga het kort houden want ik vond er niet heel veel aan dus is de moeite ook niet zo waard. het boek is echt echt wel heel mooi geschreven, de auteur heeft een prachtige schrijfstijl, maar het verhaal was me echt veel te saai. ja, op het einde was er een goede onthulling maar de wow factor was veel te klein en de eerste 250 pagina’s was ik vooral bezig met het boek snel uit willen lezen. prima om gelezen te hebben maar is zeker geen herlezing waard. jammer want het is (op goodreads) heel onbekend en ik had het wel leuk gevonden om eens een goed onbekend boek gelezen te hebben…
the premise of this book is very interesting - doppelgängers, mysterious happenings, drama among the girls and a gorgeous setting. however, it is all ruined by the protagonist, ivy. god i hate her. the only reason i suffered through her frankly annoying and self-righteous perspective was to understand everything. and even then, it was rather unsatisfactory of an ending. it fell flat for me, although it was momentarily saved by ivy’s mother’s reveal.
some other thoughts: some scenes were tedious and contributed nothing to the overall plot. ivy herself needs to be edited - her harping on that emily white is kind doesn’t make her kind in the readers’ eyes. it would have been interesting to see the other girls fleshed out. the only one with an actual personality is sophia but there were so many other girls there!
some other thoughts: some scenes were tedious and contributed nothing to the overall plot. ivy herself needs to be edited - her harping on that emily white is kind doesn’t make her kind in the readers’ eyes. it would have been interesting to see the other girls fleshed out. the only one with an actual personality is sophia but there were so many other girls there!
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The times I couldn't put a book down, even though I had to go to bed for the night, have been way too few in the last couple of years. It happened with this book though.