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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Rating: 4.25/5
Spice: Could’ve been YA (minimal intimacy)
ARC courtesy of Flatiron Books, thank you for the early copy!
This book felt very immersive, a high-stakes treasure hunt through a magical Los Angeles filled with secret. We follow Holland St. James, who believes in magic and that belief becomes survival when the Watch Man tells her she’ll die at midnight unless she finds the Alchemical Heart. What follows is a fast-paced scavenger hunt full of myths, betrayals, and a lot of “who can I really trust?” moments.
The structure gave me Caraval vibes—a missing sister in the background, a magical environment, and a sense that nothing is ever quite what it seems.
The romance aspects of this story lost me a bit. Holland crosses paths with multiple men who were mysterious and somehow connected to her. It sometimes felt like a tennis match of shifting dynamics without enough depth to latch onto. The story happens in a short span of time, which didn’t leave much room for real connection.
The worldbuilding and mystery elements were the strongest parts. I loved the magic-meets-modern setting. The book that kept me hooked the majority of the time. The pacing sometimes felt slower, but not in a "let me catch my breath" type of way.
This didn’t feel drastically more “adult” than Stephanie's YA series, but it definitely carried slightly darker undertones.
Spice: Could’ve been YA (minimal intimacy)
ARC courtesy of Flatiron Books, thank you for the early copy!
This book felt very immersive, a high-stakes treasure hunt through a magical Los Angeles filled with secret. We follow Holland St. James, who believes in magic and that belief becomes survival when the Watch Man tells her she’ll die at midnight unless she finds the Alchemical Heart. What follows is a fast-paced scavenger hunt full of myths, betrayals, and a lot of “who can I really trust?” moments.
This didn’t feel drastically more “adult” than Stephanie's YA series, but it definitely carried slightly darker undertones.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Stopppp I enjoyed this so much! Urban legends, Old Hollywood, magical characters with a dash of dark academia? I’m so obsessed with this. The whole last third of the book I was thinking, “if there isn’t a sequel to this I’m going to choke.” Thankfully the book lends itself to continuing in the unique world that was created by Garber and I’m going to be first in line to get anything else written in this universe. If this sounds like your jam, preorder this baby. It’s a perfect October read as well!
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
This book was a trip and I loved every second of it.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was fast paced and I liked the old Hollywood Glamour. However, I presume there will be a sequel as there are some glaring plot holes. Also, Holland was absolutely infuriating!
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel like I’m going to need to sit with this one… I can’t tell if it was stupidly brilliant or brilliantly stupid😆 The concept was there and I didn’t dislike it as it had Garber’s quintessential whimsical and dreamy feel, but some of the plot lines felt completely random and thrown in. I also have so many questions about the characters as they all seem to be bad but only one was semi fully explained like what were the motives? What did her sister do? Also why is like, every male she meets a love interest 😅 I also don’t understand the time loop which felt random. Again, the vibes were there and it was giving whimsy Alice vibes meets The Blonde Identity meets spooky Hollywood glam. Do we know if this is a standalone?
I’m well aware that this seems like I’m full on bashing the book, but I need more answers than this book gave lol.
I’m well aware that this seems like I’m full on bashing the book, but I need more answers than this book gave lol.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The first half of this book was good! It kept up a quick pace and had me turning pages and staying up to see what happens next. The world was starting to be built out well and the characters felt like they were being explored and set up for something bigger. But the last half (or really the last quarter) just wasn’t it. The ending was shoehorned in and didn’t really wrap up any of the loose ends that were left. It felt rushed and incomplete, like she ran out of time to write it. I do feel like her quality of writing has matured from Caraval (which makes sense as this is her first step into adult fiction from YA) but it was at the cost of muted emotions running through the book.
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated