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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
adventurous
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
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-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
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I aspire to have a love like this, one to last through this lifetime and every one to follow. There is so much beauty in Veronica’s writing and the way she created this remarkable connection between Darcy and Amon. He is the epitome of “I will burn the entire world down just to know her, let alone fall in love with her.” It took me about 200 pages to truly latch onto the story, but once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down. It is so worth every page.
“What if I told you that you're my entire reason for being? That you're why I wake up in the morning. Every goddamn day from the dawn of time until now. What if I told you that you belong to me in a way no woman ever belonged to a man? That I might be evil personified, but you're the only one I'll ever be good to.”
“What if I told you that you're my entire reason for being? That you're why I wake up in the morning. Every goddamn day from the dawn of time until now. What if I told you that you belong to me in a way no woman ever belonged to a man? That I might be evil personified, but you're the only one I'll ever be good to.”
I had high expectations for this one given how popular it has become, and went into it with an open mind despite being over 700 pages which felt really daunting. Unfortunately, I wound up DNF’ing. I really really tried - but the length of the book makes it feel too drawn out and unnecessary. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and the writing has a lot of room for improvement. Overall, just not for me.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
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:
No
A dark, witchy, paranormal/fantasy romance with some sci-fi and monster romance elements, and a nod to Rapunzel. This book would be perfect for spooky season!
This book was quite an ambitious undertaking, with 3 timelines, at least 4 settings, and two magic systems. I’m really impressed that it was all tied together and wrapped up in a stand-alone.
Unfortunately, the writing wasn’t quite for me. I found the FMCs internal monologue a bit rambling at times, and both the banter and her monologue repetitive. I also felt like there was a lot of explanation when new information or clues were presented, so there wasn’t as much left to the reader’s imagination. I prefer when the author trusts me to pick up on the clues and form my own interpretation of what the characters may be feeling.
Thank you Atria Publishing and Simon and Schuster for the ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was quite an ambitious undertaking, with 3 timelines, at least 4 settings, and two magic systems. I’m really impressed that it was all tied together and wrapped up in a stand-alone.
Unfortunately, the writing wasn’t quite for me. I found the FMCs internal monologue a bit rambling at times, and both the banter and her monologue repetitive. I also felt like there was a lot of explanation when new information or clues were presented, so there wasn’t as much left to the reader’s imagination. I prefer when the author trusts me to pick up on the clues and form my own interpretation of what the characters may be feeling.
Thank you Atria Publishing and Simon and Schuster for the ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was an interesting read. The author's warning at the beginning promised everything I enjoy in a book: complex narrative threads, lengthy books, and extreme slow burn, all wrapped up in a paranormal, gothic, horror, fantasy setting. I would say that is a mostly correct description, although the romance felt more like insta-lust to me.
I think this could have been a lot shorter, as the pacing felt off. The level of detail was overdone and the chapters were too long for my liking. I found the book kind of a slog to get through. I think Darcy makes a lot of questionable decisions and really brushes things off that she shouldn't - her reactions are so toned-down that it took me out of the story. Girl! It's okay to react! Why are you NOT reacting?! Sometimes it felt like the story was just happening to her rather than her having a part in it.
I do know that a lot of people love this book, and I can see why, but ultimately, I don't think it's for me. If you like multiple timelines, morally grey characters, and a gothic atmosphere, I think you'll like this.
I think this could have been a lot shorter, as the pacing felt off. The level of detail was overdone and the chapters were too long for my liking. I found the book kind of a slog to get through. I think Darcy makes a lot of questionable decisions and really brushes things off that she shouldn't - her reactions are so toned-down that it took me out of the story. Girl! It's okay to react! Why are you NOT reacting?! Sometimes it felt like the story was just happening to her rather than her having a part in it.
I do know that a lot of people love this book, and I can see why, but ultimately, I don't think it's for me. If you like multiple timelines, morally grey characters, and a gothic atmosphere, I think you'll like this.
Okay I’m sorry but I couldn’t finish this 😭 I tried for a while but I just couldn’t. I’ve been in a reading slump and this is not helping so I must do what I must.
This was okay at first but then I got a bit confusing unless you were really really paying attention cause of the timelines. Which I do understand it was explained beforehand but I’m tired LMAO it was so much 🤧 it felt like after a while you didn’t know who was who, what was what, shit where was where. Also these chapters were wayyy too long for my liking. Why is the audiobook that long?? Almost 2 hrs for one chapters? Nope. I had to do what I had to for MEHH.
This was okay at first but then I got a bit confusing unless you were really really paying attention cause of the timelines. Which I do understand it was explained beforehand but I’m tired LMAO it was so much 🤧 it felt like after a while you didn’t know who was who, what was what, shit where was where. Also these chapters were wayyy too long for my liking. Why is the audiobook that long?? Almost 2 hrs for one chapters? Nope. I had to do what I had to for MEHH.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for a copy of the book. I am excited to leave a review.
Fairydale is a dark gothic historical romance. Veronica Lancet masterfully weaves a story that keeps you guessing right up until the very end through the use of an unreliable narrator and three different timelines. The paranormal elements add an interesting effect to the story. Darcy’s narration helps you feel like you are in the story as you are trying to figure out what is happening at the same time she is. Her feelings of being torn between both Caleb Hale and Amon d’Artan are palpable and relatable as she tries to discern what to do about her conflicting feelings. Both Caleb and Amon steal your heart as you learn about them despite how different they are. The bonus epilogue adds a beautiful flourish to the story as it further wraps up the story.
This book is dark with quite a bit of gore. Please check the trigger/content warnings before diving in. Your mental health is important.