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blacksphinx's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book has a strong "fanfic author's first original fic" vibe. There is very little world building in this novel, and things you might think warrant an explanation (like the magic system) are glossed over, like we're already supposed to know. It's partially centered around a variation on a fanfic trope - hanahaki disease - and there's a small scene lifted directly from Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle movie. In fact, our protagonist's two-syllable name, her light blue and light green dresses, her long hair plaited into a braid, and our wizard love interest's black hair kept me wondering... If this started life as a HMC's fanfic I would not be surprised.
Overall, this is a book that comfortably fits in the YA section and would probably be a delight in most middle school or high school libraries. (This book also needs an LGBT+ tag on here, it's a queernormative setting.)
Graphic: Medical content, Drug use, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Body horror, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Mental illness
I want to list a brief content warning for an emotionally abusive relationship betweenjinjaritia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Abandonment, Body horror, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Gaslighting
alisylvi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Abandonment, Drug use, and Drug abuse
Minor: Self harm
a_ab's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I don't think I could have suffered through the abuse of the main character's internal "magic" voice for all those 15 chapters. It was revolting and infuriating to me, but it would be extremely triggering for anyone who ever had to live through even a fraction of that kind of emotional abuse.
In that vein, I found the ending rather questionable in the proposed "happiness" of it. And there's no way I am going to revisit the chapters I skipped, - as far as I am concerned, nothing is worth putting up with the abusive BS, however internalized it is: get therapy or whatever it takes to weed it out until nothing but a detached clinical memory of it remains, and even that memory is there only so that it could be quickly recognized and weedkilled on sight if it ever sprouts again.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Blood, Abandonment, Drug use, and Drug abuse
brooketreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Body horror and Drug abuse
I’m marking drug abuse because it’s the magical equivalentclarabooksit's review against another edition
- 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
2.75
Moderate: Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Addiction, Grief, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Violence
cassimiranda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
• This will appeal to anyone searching for a sweet friends-to-lovers genre romance in a fantasy setting with flower magic.
Graphic: Drug abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Mental illness
nutmegandpumpkin's review
- 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
5.0
✿
Overview
Writing Quality: 5/5
Pace: 4/5
Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 5/5
Description: 5/5
Ease of Reading: 5/5
Ending: 5/5
Personal Enjoyment: 5/5
✿
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Body horror, Mental illness, and Vomit
Minor: Drug abuse, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury
ezwolf's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
In particular I really adored the relationship that Clara has with her father. The backstory of Clara and Xavier’s relationship didn’t feel as convincing as the obvious love and affection that Clara and her father have for each other.
The casualness of the queer characters was also handled very well I think. Labels aren’t given to everyone but Clara herself is bi or pan or etc, her beloved teacher is trans, and her teacher’s apprentice is trans as well and uses they/them pronouns. It’s only briefly touched on as an actual subject but it’s not in terms of discrimination only in how having a trans teacher can be helpful for a trans student.
Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Blood and Vomit