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thebookishpa's review
2.0
Started out loving it but it then turned into a strange, whimsical fairy tale. The world building was almost non existent and it makes the story clouded and hard to follow.
There were so many messages pushed in this book that it felt forced. I also hated all of the little plot holes and small things that occurred that were bizarre and didn’t make sense.
There were so many messages pushed in this book that it felt forced. I also hated all of the little plot holes and small things that occurred that were bizarre and didn’t make sense.
kapago97's review
3.0
3.5 may be bumped up to a 4 later. This book was a lot heavier than I expected it to be. I loved the idea of having to break the curse and the alternating POVs between the witch and the princess. The reason the curse was cast, what happened to the lost princess, and the history of the royals was a suprise. The idea of magic being something that could be revoked and how that all played out was an interesting depiction of men vs women.
otteroftheworld's review
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
4.25
sayanee_misti's review
3.0
For me, It felt like the story ended before it even began. And I am not saying this in the sense that the book was so good I didn't realise when I reached the end, no, not at all. Even though there is a mystery in the story it doesn't keep you up all night and forces to finish the book. And I was really expecting something like that after seeing the cover and the title.
The story had some big revelations ( that the good and gentle king and loving father of five daughters, is, in reality, selfish, self-righteous, rapist of many women and the oldest witch is actually the lost princess). But these revelations don't come as a shock, you can decipher them easily if you pay attention to Little details.
What annoys me most is the main characters are soo not curious about the most important things. They ask important questions at the very last moment. If they had been more persistent about knowing everything from the beginning the story could have ended in half the time it took. I just like more rebellion in my characters I guess
The story had some big revelations ( that the good and gentle king and loving father of five daughters, is, in reality, selfish, self-righteous, rapist of many women and the oldest witch is actually the lost princess). But these revelations don't come as a shock, you can decipher them easily if you pay attention to Little details.
What annoys me most is the main characters are soo not curious about the most important things. They ask important questions at the very last moment. If they had been more persistent about knowing everything from the beginning the story could have ended in half the time it took. I just like more rebellion in my characters I guess
ladyfives's review
4.0
Usually a carved bird is sitting and still, but this one was in flight. It was beautiful and simple and somehow exactly what I needed. A reminder that we are moving even when we feel trapped.
What a dreamy, tough little book. The Damsel comp is completely fair - the same lofty fairy tale tone and logic, with claws concealed underneath. And also a constant murmur of, "Men suck, men suck, men suck..."
(Which I'm a bit...tired of. But it is what it is.) What really won me over was how it felt like a peek behind the curtain at fairy tales - now we know how a witch feels when she enacts revenge on a royal family by punishing the princess. And now we know how bad being punished can feel. Their curses were unique and in the spare moments that it characterized them I was all over it - Alice who can't sleep and Grace who can't remember especially. I just wish it spent some time with the girls with subtler curses who could really twist the knife but never got the chance - Eden who can't hope and Nora who can't even love her family.
The tone and beauty and the neat premise really enchanted me though my wish for it to have done more - and it surprised me more than once with the turns it took (ie. the Recover These Objects to Break the Curse quest seems super simple but it doesn't end up showing up the way I thought). Still lovely and absolutely tailor-made for people like me who wanted that same tone that Damsel had and is so rare to find again.
enchantingtaleswithalex's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
TW: Sexual assault
I have to be honest...I don't really know what I just read.
When I first picked up this book it was because of the gorgeous cover art and the synopsis of the book. It sounded like a fantastic adventure where princesses would need to work together to undo the curse upon them, without the aid of Prince Charming...and maybe with the help of the witch who placed the spell on them in the first place.
But as I got into this book I really had to fight in order to make myself finish it. There were many times when I wanted to put it down as a DNF. Because I simply could not get past the way that the story was written. There are still parts of it that make no sense to me after trying to read the passages two or three times over.
We got more mention of a King who sexually assaults his subjects, and foreign royals who grope and molest wandering princesses than we did anything else. There was a brief mention (I think) where they mentioned that one of the princesses might be gender fluid or transgender. But the moment was so brief and skipped over that, again, I have no idea what I read.
They went on a journey without actually going on a journey and completed a quest that wasn't really a quest.
I feel like I understand what the author was trying to do but it just...didn't work. (The cover art is stunning though. Which is probably the most positive thing I have to say about this book.)
I have to be honest...I don't really know what I just read.
When I first picked up this book it was because of the gorgeous cover art and the synopsis of the book. It sounded like a fantastic adventure where princesses would need to work together to undo the curse upon them, without the aid of Prince Charming...and maybe with the help of the witch who placed the spell on them in the first place.
But as I got into this book I really had to fight in order to make myself finish it. There were many times when I wanted to put it down as a DNF. Because I simply could not get past the way that the story was written. There are still parts of it that make no sense to me after trying to read the passages two or three times over.
We got more mention of a King who sexually assaults his subjects, and foreign royals who grope and molest wandering princesses than we did anything else. There was a brief mention (I think) where they mentioned that one of the princesses might be gender fluid or transgender. But the moment was so brief and skipped over that, again, I have no idea what I read.
They went on a journey without actually going on a journey and completed a quest that wasn't really a quest.
I feel like I understand what the author was trying to do but it just...didn't work. (The cover art is stunning though. Which is probably the most positive thing I have to say about this book.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Eating disorder, and Sexual assault
tullock23's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
2.5
heidisusanscott's review
2.0
Really interesting concept. Fell short on the execution, however. Although the world was fantasy, the "adversary" was not. I wanted more fantasy, less real world problems. That may be a personal preference though.
emi297102710's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
It was good but confusing. Not really memorable. Would recommend if I think the person will like it. Glad theres trigger warnings at the beginning
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual harassment, Eating disorder, and Sexual assault