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bree_h_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
This is definitely a book with a lot of potential, I just think it needed some more polishing to be really good.
To start, out of the three main characters only two felt compelling and like they were properly attached to the plot. Taylor and Jamie were easily the strongest characters with the best connection to the main plot. Taylor as a witch who’s connecting with her supernatural abilities despite her father’s disapproval and feels a call to the house, and Jamie as the person trapped in the house with a ghost trying to uncover its secrets to escape. Theo…was there. He did stuff relating to the plot, but I didn’t find him compelling or interesting as a character. It very much felt like he was just there to be the love interest. Which is fine! It just didn’t feel like we needed his POV and his discoveries could have been done by Taylor or Jamie. Taylor and Jamie also had the strongest character dynamic. I felt like they played off each other and I bought into their friendship in a way I couldn’t buy into Taylor and Theo’s friendship and Jamie and Theo’s romance.
I think my issues buying into Theo’s relationship with the other characters is the early book having an issue with trying to speed run the development of character relationships and telling the reader things instead of showing them. It skips over all the establishment of friendship and romance and tries to explain it was by being obsessed with each other one at first sight. I felt so lost and just couldn’t buy into the being friends, despite the book TELLING me about how they were close friends now and developed a close bond. I never SAW that happening on page because it was skipped over. This also made the pacing feel really off, there were several instances I thought the pacing felt weird and the most common reason was it felt like the book was rushing itself.
I think those compounded into a book I just didn’t care about and had minimal interest in. I think it has potential, again, it just needed some more work. If you check it out I hope you enjoy!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Confinement, Death, Abandonment, and Cursing
Moderate: Blood, Misogyny, Death, Death of parent, Racism, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Grief, Medical content, and Physical abuse
Minor: Child abuse
akal's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Death
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Racism and Homophobia
aurora4847's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-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
3.75
I wasn't quite sure if I was going to like this book at first. It was slow to grab me, but once it did I was hooked. Lovely story about witchcraft, hauntings, and the ways in which we hold ourselves back from things we really want.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Abandonment, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Moderate: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Car accident, Racism, and Hate crime
A main character is in the foster system. There is blood and non-descriptive animal death for ritual purposes. A main character is grieving the loss of their parent, which has strained their relationship with their other parent. A main character is confined to a house with an individual trying (sometimes violently) to keep them there.marmaladereads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was such an unexpectedly beautiful story, it really washed over me in stages, and by the time I reached the end, I was completely entranced.
This story is a triple POV shared by three teenagers connected by a haunted old house in the woods.
Jamie has been rejected his whole life by everyone around him. He was raised in foster care and immediately does not fit in the small town of his latest placement. He runs away from his foster home and ends up squatting in an abandoned house in the woods, only to realize once he's entered the house that the ghost that occupies it will not allow him to leave.
Theo is an overly anxious goody two shoes who has always felt like he has to be perfect to be loved by anyone, including his parents. He stumbles across the haunted house and Jamie, and vows to help him, even though they don't really get along.
To help Jamie, Theo also locates and enlists the help of Taylor, a local witch who comes from a long maternal line of witches but has been forbidden from practicing her craft by an overprotective father after the death of her mother.
The three must work together (racing against time and fighting an angry ghost) to rescue Jamie from the house he is trapped in before it is too late, growing from strangers to friends to more. There is a beautiful romantic subplot between Theo and Jamie, as well as the unraveling of multiple interconnected threads of family and personal secrets that all made this story feel like it was really woven together.
I loved the way the relationship between Theo and Jamie blossomed, but I also really enjoyed the fact that Taylor remained integral to the story throughout and never felt like a third wheel. There are definitely some twists that shocked me, and I rushed through the end of the book with baited breath. By the end I simply loved it.
There are definitely a couple of creepy moments but this is more of a mystery than a horror and ultimately I found it more hopeful and heartwarming than scary. It does start at a slow to medium pace, and at about the 60% mark it picks up pretty rapidly and it suddenly becomes apparent that everything up until that point was some skillful build up.
I did have an issue with a couple of moments that didn't make sense to me other than to dismiss them as Teenage Logic™, like why it would be so bad for anyone else to discover that Jamie was trapped in the house, and I didn't feel that Taylor's friend Anna really added much to the story, but these minor issues didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story in the end.
This story is a triple POV shared by three teenagers connected by a haunted old house in the woods.
Jamie has been rejected his whole life by everyone around him. He was raised in foster care and immediately does not fit in the small town of his latest placement. He runs away from his foster home and ends up squatting in an abandoned house in the woods, only to realize once he's entered the house that the ghost that occupies it will not allow him to leave.
Theo is an overly anxious goody two shoes who has always felt like he has to be perfect to be loved by anyone, including his parents. He stumbles across the haunted house and Jamie, and vows to help him, even though they don't really get along.
To help Jamie, Theo also locates and enlists the help of Taylor, a local witch who comes from a long maternal line of witches but has been forbidden from practicing her craft by an overprotective father after the death of her mother.
The three must work together (racing against time and fighting an angry ghost) to rescue Jamie from the house he is trapped in before it is too late, growing from strangers to friends to more. There is a beautiful romantic subplot between Theo and Jamie, as well as the unraveling of multiple interconnected threads of family and personal secrets that all made this story feel like it was really woven together.
I loved the way the relationship between Theo and Jamie blossomed, but I also really enjoyed the fact that Taylor remained integral to the story throughout and never felt like a third wheel. There are definitely some twists that shocked me, and I rushed through the end of the book with baited breath. By the end I simply loved it.
There are definitely a couple of creepy moments but this is more of a mystery than a horror and ultimately I found it more hopeful and heartwarming than scary. It does start at a slow to medium pace, and at about the 60% mark it picks up pretty rapidly and it suddenly becomes apparent that everything up until that point was some skillful build up.
I did have an issue with a couple of moments that didn't make sense to me other than to dismiss them as Teenage Logic™, like why it would be so bad for anyone else to discover that Jamie was trapped in the house, and I didn't feel that Taylor's friend Anna really added much to the story, but these minor issues didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story in the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Abandonment
Moderate: Violence and Animal death
Minor: Xenophobia
chris_reads's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Abandonment, and Confinement
Moderate: Blood, Medical content, and Child abuse
Minor: Racism, Cursing, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
bellebookcorner's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
4.0
This book definitely give The Cemetery Boys x Haunting of Bly Manor vibes with the eerie atmosphere from an abandoned empty house in a middle of creepy woods with witchcraft and spells as well!
This book follows three different main characters – Jaime, Taylor and Theo.
They form a friendship after Theo accidentally met Jamie who was trapped in an abandoned house deep in the woods. Figuring out there’s something supernatural involved, Theo asked for Taylor’s help who happened to come from a long line of witches.
I really enjoy the mystery element as the three main characters set out to find the answer to what’s keeping Jaime from leaving the house. And the answer at the end of the book really surprised me!
Not just covering the mystery, the romance blooming between Theo and Jaime is also delightful. It’s sweet and cute, it progresses slowly as they keep spending enough time together.
Each character is unique and has their own problem to solve and through this mysterious event each of them ended up discover something for themselves.
Although, sometimes at the middle of a chapter I can forget which POV I’m reading so I need to go back to the beginning of the chapter to remind myself.
Overall, for a debut novel this is a really good heart-warming story which comes with a satisfying ending!
It’s enjoyable, entertaining and perfectly suitable for teens who wanted to read a book for the spooky season!
Definitely will keep an eye out for the next book from this author in the future!
I received an advanced review copy for free through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the author and publisher!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Blood
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Animal death
Minor: Racism, Homophobia, and Murder
imstephtacular's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Abandonment, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Cursing
Minor: Murder, Grief, Homophobia, and Violence
daniellestarredpages's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-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? No
4.0
Saint Juniper's Folly introduces readers to three unique and intriguing characters.
I loved the development of friendship and then romance between Jaime and Theo as well as the friendship between Jaime, Theo and Taylor. I loved how Theo realising his feelings for Jaime and the fact that he was queer was handled in the story.
Each character had a distinct story line that was interesting to follow, I loved Theo's storyline in particular that highlighted teens who have no idea what they want to do in the future, and also hiding this feeling from parents who have high expectations and their own visions of the teen's future.
Taylor's relationship with her father was quite interesting to read about and the feelings of grief over her mother's death and the growing distance between her and her father felt very real.
I loved the development of friendship and then romance between Jaime and Theo as well as the friendship between Jaime, Theo and Taylor. I loved how Theo realising his feelings for Jaime and the fact that he was queer was handled in the story.
Each character had a distinct story line that was interesting to follow, I loved Theo's storyline in particular that highlighted teens who have no idea what they want to do in the future, and also hiding this feeling from parents who have high expectations and their own visions of the teen's future.
Taylor's relationship with her father was quite interesting to read about and the feelings of grief over her mother's death and the growing distance between her and her father felt very real.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This book felt rushed. I almost thought the audiobook was abridged because it seemed to skip too much time, but it wasn't. It was a good book overall, but it just felt like it was missing things that would have helped with character development, and that would have made me care more about the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Medical content, Grief, Blood, Confinement, and Abandonment
Moderate: Death of parent
rorikae's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
4.0
'Saint Juniper's Folly' by Alex Crespo is a haunting Young Adult novel about three teens brought together when one gets trapped in an abandoned house in the town of Saint Juniper.
Jaime is coming back to town after many years away being shuffled from foster family to foster family. Returning home isn't welcoming as it might be for others and it becomes even more fraught when he finds himself trapped in an abandoned house in the woods.
Theo feels like he's spinning his wheels in Saint Juniper and he isn't quite sure what to do. Senior year is coming up but he's afraid to push himself out of his comfort zone.
Taylor is still coming to terms with her mother's death especially when her father has banned her from practicing magic, one of the connections she shares with her mom.
When Theo discovers Jaime in the abandoned house, stuck and unable to leave, he enlists Taylor's help to find a solution. As the clock ticks down to the house's demolition, the three strike up a friendship and for Theo and Jaime, potentially something more.
Saint Juniper's Folly is an endearing story about three teens connecting with one another over a shared goal while also coming to terms with their own individual issues. Each of the characters are unique and stand out well in the story. Crespo does an excellent job with characterization and makes it easy to care for and root for the three protagonists. There were a few story pieces that I wish were more fleshed out like Jaime's childhood and the story of the house itself. I also felt that it wasn't as haunting as I would have hoped for. Even so, I think the character work and heart of the story are what make it shine.
Jaime is coming back to town after many years away being shuffled from foster family to foster family. Returning home isn't welcoming as it might be for others and it becomes even more fraught when he finds himself trapped in an abandoned house in the woods.
Theo feels like he's spinning his wheels in Saint Juniper and he isn't quite sure what to do. Senior year is coming up but he's afraid to push himself out of his comfort zone.
Taylor is still coming to terms with her mother's death especially when her father has banned her from practicing magic, one of the connections she shares with her mom.
When Theo discovers Jaime in the abandoned house, stuck and unable to leave, he enlists Taylor's help to find a solution. As the clock ticks down to the house's demolition, the three strike up a friendship and for Theo and Jaime, potentially something more.
Saint Juniper's Folly is an endearing story about three teens connecting with one another over a shared goal while also coming to terms with their own individual issues. Each of the characters are unique and stand out well in the story. Crespo does an excellent job with characterization and makes it easy to care for and root for the three protagonists. There were a few story pieces that I wish were more fleshed out like Jaime's childhood and the story of the house itself. I also felt that it wasn't as haunting as I would have hoped for. Even so, I think the character work and heart of the story are what make it shine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Grief, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Death and Murder