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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
This book didn't make me feel anything. I didn't care what happened to any of the characters. The world building and magical rules weren't enough to distract me from hurricane preparedness. I know many people love it, but I just couldn't enjoy this soggy piece of white bread.
3.5
Shakespeare, mystery, romance, friendship, acceptance, and growth. This book is bursting with meaning and adventure!
Full rtc
Shakespeare, mystery, romance, friendship, acceptance, and growth. This book is bursting with meaning and adventure!
Full rtc
So beautiful! What a lovely debut! A mix of historical fiction and magical realism
You ever get sad when a book ends? Because it was so good, you don't want it to be over? I'm sad right now.
Oh I ADORED this. And I'm not just being biased because I know the author. It was truly an escape into a different little world which is something I think we are all craving right now. It's why I love books with fantasy elements like this. The story features three towns who have something "disappear" every 7 years - scent, stars, dreams, etc. No one knows why. Very original. I loved how Shakespeare was woven in.
Also shout-out to the auburn/red-haired characters. That, I will fully admit I'm biased toward. :-D
Oh I ADORED this. And I'm not just being biased because I know the author. It was truly an escape into a different little world which is something I think we are all craving right now. It's why I love books with fantasy elements like this. The story features three towns who have something "disappear" every 7 years - scent, stars, dreams, etc. No one knows why. Very original. I loved how Shakespeare was woven in.
Also shout-out to the auburn/red-haired characters. That, I will fully admit I'm biased toward. :-D
4.5 stars!
This was also a random pick up after watching a book haul. It's equal parts adventure and mystery, with a dash of romance.
Set in the background of WW2, Aila and her brother Miles return to their mother's hometown after her death while their father goes to fight in the war. When they get to a town, they discover the town's secrets of disappearances every 7 years.
I found myself simultaneously wanting go read faster and wanting to savour the reading experience. It was a quick easy read, but I also could not believe this is a debut novel! The romance was beautiful, slowburning, and didn't take over the storyline.
The writing also didn't suffer from "debut novel curse" with the characters being flushed out and the storyline not being too jumbled. My only concern was the setting for WW2. I realize that this story could not have been told in any different timeline, but some descriptions were difficult to let fly (was there rationing in the US during WW2?). My other concern was that the story wrapped up a little too conveniently, but overall it was a great read!
This was also a random pick up after watching a book haul. It's equal parts adventure and mystery, with a dash of romance.
Set in the background of WW2, Aila and her brother Miles return to their mother's hometown after her death while their father goes to fight in the war. When they get to a town, they discover the town's secrets of disappearances every 7 years.
I found myself simultaneously wanting go read faster and wanting to savour the reading experience. It was a quick easy read, but I also could not believe this is a debut novel! The romance was beautiful, slowburning, and didn't take over the storyline.
The writing also didn't suffer from "debut novel curse" with the characters being flushed out and the storyline not being too jumbled. My only concern was the setting for WW2. I realize that this story could not have been told in any different timeline, but some descriptions were difficult to let fly (was there rationing in the US during WW2?). My other concern was that the story wrapped up a little too conveniently, but overall it was a great read!
This book was wonderful, a 4.5 out of 5 stars for me, as it falls in the same vein as some of my other absolute favorites (Wintersong, The Night Circus), though I had a few minor moments that kept me from over-the-top loving it.
I loved Aila as our protagonist. She's so flawed, yet genuinely means well, and has such a true-to-life relationship with her younger brother. I related to her in so many ways, I couldn't help but cheer for her more than most heroines I come across in fiction.
The story was fascinating, although it lost me here and there. I found myself wanting to know more; early on, we're plunged so quickly into the story that sometimes I hoped for more explanation regarding the Disappearances than I feel we got. The revelation about the cause of the Disappearances was interesting, but I only felt 80% convinced by it; part of it had to do with me racing at breakneck speed to get to the end of the book (because I was so hooked by the final third of the story), but part of it had to do with simply wanting more explanation and feeling that things moved too fast.
The dual narration mostly worked for me. I liked being introduced to Stefen early on, because his role at the end of the story didn't feel so out of the blue.
The thing that carried me through this book, most of all, was the love story. Some other reviewers mentioned it seemed to understated, but BOY did it work for me. I don't want to provide spoilers, but the span of pages having to do with Aila and a certain disappearance complicating her relationship with Will had me SCREAMING. GIGGLING.
All-in-all, I enjoyed this immensely. A surprising, exciting, smart mystery.
I loved Aila as our protagonist. She's so flawed, yet genuinely means well, and has such a true-to-life relationship with her younger brother. I related to her in so many ways, I couldn't help but cheer for her more than most heroines I come across in fiction.
The story was fascinating, although it lost me here and there. I found myself wanting to know more; early on, we're plunged so quickly into the story that sometimes I hoped for more explanation regarding the Disappearances than I feel we got. The revelation about the cause of the Disappearances was interesting, but I only felt 80% convinced by it; part of it had to do with me racing at breakneck speed to get to the end of the book (because I was so hooked by the final third of the story), but part of it had to do with simply wanting more explanation and feeling that things moved too fast.
The dual narration mostly worked for me. I liked being introduced to Stefen early on, because his role at the end of the story didn't feel so out of the blue.
The thing that carried me through this book, most of all, was the love story. Some other reviewers mentioned it seemed to understated, but BOY did it work for me. I don't want to provide spoilers, but the span of pages having to do with Aila and a certain disappearance complicating her relationship with Will had me SCREAMING. GIGGLING.
All-in-all, I enjoyed this immensely. A surprising, exciting, smart mystery.
Great cover on this book. It is simple, but a great representation of the story and it has some unique title work.
I am not sure, but it appears as if this book is the author's debut. Perhaps she writes under a different pen name? In any case, I was beyond impressed with this story. When I requested this ARC, I wasn't aware that this was going to be set back in the 1940's. I may have passed it over had I known that and what a missed opportunity that would have been!
The writing was fantastic. The plot was unique and intricate. Layer by layer the author peels away the mystery of the Disapperences in such a way that it has you turning the pages frantically. There is magic and friendships. Interesting secondary characters. Twists and turns. A smidge of young romance. Well developed and likable main characters. And finally SHAKESPEARE! How can I NOT love a book that brings the Bard into the mix?
Two HUGE thumbs up from yours truly.
A bit of a slow start, but I loved how the mystery came together and how the characters were developed. I've never read anything like it, or anything that has so many references to Shakespeare.
One of the best books I’ve read this year! Absolute killer mystery, I loved it!