Reviews

I’m torn about this book. I really liked the beginning of it. It had a really fun spooky atmosphere and was immediately a little more serious than I thought it would be, which I liked. Sometimes middle grade fantasy can lean a little too whimsical and silly and doesn’t really work for me. However then I feel like we went a little too far into the serious. There are some moments in this book that made me feel uncomfortable and that I wouldn’t want my middle grade child to just see normalized. The way men are described as reacting to Fliss gave me the ick. She’s 16, works as a bartender serving rowdy drunk men, and is described the whole book as beautiful and drawing attention from every man she sees. I believe that this is setting up Fliss to have a little growth as she’s originally seen as vain and flirty. I think the author could have done this in a different way though. Having grown men described as watching her “hungrily” grossed me out and was unnecessary. I also didn’t love the normalization of alcohol and drunkenness. These young girls (the youngest is 6) are constantly around drunk people. I’m not a prude by any means and drink myself occasionally but I just don’t think this is a great environment to be represented as normal for young readers. Lastly there is mention of suicide quite often in this book. If any of these issues had had any sort of discussion about them that would lead to a teaching moment for the young reader it would have been a completely different story but they aren’t. I wouldn’t normally have an issue with any of these elements in an adult book where they would be more expected. It’s just that in a middle grade they sort of ruined the whimsy and made the book feel like it should have been at least YA. I also didn’t love the ending.

Content Warnings

caroline42's review against another edition

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adventurous funny inspiring mysterious medium-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? Yes

4.5

abbi_pot's review

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adventurous relaxing

4.0

Incredibly cute story based on generational magic, sisterhood, and adventure.

It was a lot more spooky than most in the same genre, which made it more enjoyable.

Great read for a cold fall day

thebooklovingpanda's review

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5.0

I accidentally read this in one sitting (it was so engrossing) and I'm pleased to report I'm officially out of my reading slump!

There are three items...three gifts, if you like. Each of them is an everyday object. Each of them holds a different kind of power. I call it a pinch of magic.

I was really quite pleasantly surprised by this book! It had splashes of so many things I liked:

- Three spunky heroines (sisters) with a well-written relationship and distinct personalities
- Light humour, including some sisterly teasing which reminded me of myself and my own sister
- Great plot twists and pacing! That ending twist just elevated this from four to five stars. GENIUS. And the delivery of it was spot-on!
- A delightfully witchy backstory, told with ever increasing foreboding, with a flavour that reminds me of books like [b:The Merrybegot|502771|The Merrybegot|Julie Hearn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1294487500s/502771.jpg|296752] (one of my favourite witchy stories!)
- Just the tiniest dash of romance

An easy, enjoyable fantasy read sprinkled all over with a pinch of magic.

dinnureads's review against another edition

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5.0

I absolutely loved this middle grade story about 3 sisters and a curse that defines their lives. Such a sweet and at times sad story but so hopeful and written with such great flow!

ghello_2003's review

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

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