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pbella3's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, Cancer, Death, and Emotional abuse
thenextgenlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
“Death is a part of life, Pipes. We all greet it eventually.”
kllm07's review against another edition
3.0
While I enjoyed the characters and the story I felt like something was missing. I never fully understood her mother’s motives.
mlottermoser's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Abandonment, Car accident, Grief, Cancer, and Emotional abuse
msghani's review against another edition
4.0
Erin Bowman's first foray into the MG age range is fun, magical, and poignant. I think young readers will eat this up and I hope we get more from her!
mommawolf's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a cute read. I loved the whole book. This also hit home because I too lost my dad to cancer. I can relate to how the main character feels about losing her dad and wanting to do everything she can to save him. I also really enjoyed the twist at the end even though half way through I started to suspect something was up with that cat after the main character went into her grandmothers office.
fscottfishgerald's review against another edition
4.0
I liked the premise, the side characters, the magic, and even the story. The pacing was a little quick at times, I think this book might have actually benefits from a few more chapters. The adults in this book are flawed, like real people are. But I did struggle to like a certain someone even at the end. But I like the set up for a sequel. I'm curious to see if this will continue as a series or be left as a standalone.
krennthief's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
3.75
I really enjoyed this! It was a little clunky, especially the dumping about the lore stuff, and I found almost all of the characters besides Piper kinda flat. Kind of a middle-of-the-road Youth fantasy, but its depiction of Piper’s grieving process as her dad’s health deteriorated and her ultimate acceptance of it was absolutely gut wrenching.
It was very jarring to be in the midst of some silly cartoonish Villain monologue and then suddenly crushed under the overbearing weight of genuinely moving emotion. I appreciated this book’s handling of the grieving process so much.
Thematically, too, I liked where it was at! I think there could have been more explorations of Justice for these exploited children, but I’m glad it was a major recurring issue that the author focused on. I think the twist at the end stole a bit of potential value that could have been gained from Piper’s mom not being Mind-Controlled, but I did like that she was still a Terrible person because of her Endless seeking of her mother’s approval and the ramifications of that deeply unhealthy and destructive prioritization.
A weird mixed bag but overall I liked it!
It was very jarring to be in the midst of some silly cartoonish Villain monologue and then suddenly crushed under the overbearing weight of genuinely moving emotion. I appreciated this book’s handling of the grieving process so much.
Thematically, too, I liked where it was at! I think there could have been more explorations of Justice for these exploited children, but I’m glad it was a major recurring issue that the author focused on. I think the twist at the end stole a bit of potential value that could have been gained from Piper’s mom not being Mind-Controlled, but I did like that she was still a Terrible person because of her Endless seeking of her mother’s approval and the ramifications of that deeply unhealthy and destructive prioritization.
A weird mixed bag but overall I liked it!
thenextgenlib's review against another edition
3.0
“Death is a part of life, Pipes. We all greet it eventually.”