Reviews

Mandrake Manor by JP Rindfleisch IX

luukdamen's review

adventurous funny fast-paced

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

3.0

soyboysimon's review

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

2.0

Wanted so badly to love this book but constantly found myself just trying to get to the end of it. It has all of the elements I like in a story: magic, queers, strong friendships. What it doesn't have is a strong plot. Halfway through it and I'm still waiting for it to start. The problems resolve super quickly and then the last quarter of the book is spent tying up loose ends. I really wanted to like it, but it just felt so surface level and tropey. Could just be that it's not my cup of tea!

plantgal_jill's review

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

2.75

justeva's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious relaxing 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? N/A

5.0

This cozy suburban fantasy is such a fun read! The over-the-top flirting and banter kept me laughing while the magical world JP built kept me invested in the story. 

moeisme1972's review

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced

3.25

Mandrake Manor is the perfect fall, cozy fantasy book! I was in need of a cozy LGBTQ+ fantasy and this book fell right into my hands. The three protagonists, as well as the setting of the story, are in my mind what made this book so enjoyable. The dynamic between the three main characters was incredibly well written and so fun that I caught myself smiling many times while reading! I absolutely love different points of view in stories, so I was very happy to find that this book split between the three main characters’ perspectives. Another thing I found adorable was the herb poems at the beginning of each chapter. They were well written and gave a bit of insight into what was going to take place in the chapter ahead, which I found very smart. That being said, I felt that the plot did not hook me as much as I was hoping it would. I felt that if the plot started out as more of a main focus in the beginning and if it was more controlled that it would have flowed seamlessly with the rest of the story. I loved the amount of time spent on the character dynamics and descriptions of the setting, but I just wish that same amount of time was taken to establish the plot elements early on. Overall, I highly recommend picking up Mandrake Manor for a cozy read to get you ready for autumn!

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this story and I am reviewing it voluntarily.