Reviews

A Spell of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀

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prettypious's review against another edition

4.0

Probably more like a 3 but I worry I’m comparing it to stay with me. It is well written and it was interesting but not significantly memorable or impactful

vistowoorde's review

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

rhibeetle17's review

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dark emotional informative sad tense slow-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

Content Warnings

bibliobethreads's review

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

jemeela_q's review

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informative reflective sad slow-paced

3.75

kelly_shea's review against another edition

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2.0

2.5 stars

I was ready to rate this novel highly up until almost the end. The resolution of the story was so abrupt, and lacked closure. There were quite a few questions I had that were left unanswered, and it was disappointing after everything that had built up to that point. I was left thinking "that's it?"

I don't mind tragic endings, but it felt as though in this case tragedy struck and the novel immediately ended. It was jarring considering how slow the first half of the story was.

I did really enjoy all of the different perspectives, though, especially those of the parents and siblings of the main characters.