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playeririreads's review against another edition
3.0
I mean, I don't really know how to rate this book. It's kind of stupid(I'm sorry), but I still finished it. That means this book must be entertaining, to some extent, so I guess it deserves a basic 3 star. However, I definitely will not recommend this to anyone, cause it's not worth the time.
dried_daisies's review against another edition
4.75
I wanted to read this book because I has heard it was inspired by Harry Potter, but as I started reading it I began to think it was just a direct copy from the entire saga and that it was really lacking a character introduction and background information, but then I saw someone say that it is supposed to read as a fanfic (it kind of literally is a fanfic), refering to how when creating fanfics the authors automatically expect the readers to know all the background details and therefore have the opportunit to skip all of that parts and go straight to the present that they want to create, in this case beginning the story at the characters last year in school.
When discussing about this story with one of my friends I said that the book is aware of its lack of seriousness and I stand by it, it doesn't really try to be super complex and all that stuff, as a novel for teens it works well because it is simple, easy to understand, uses popular tropes and implements them very well I think. It knows its audience and knows how to please them.
I wouldn't say that I have a problem with the system the author created for the spells but I just found it quite silly, I just laughed when I first saw it.
Overall it was a good book, it made me turn off my brain and forget about my surroundings for a couple of hours.
When discussing about this story with one of my friends I said that the book is aware of its lack of seriousness and I stand by it, it doesn't really try to be super complex and all that stuff, as a novel for teens it works well because it is simple, easy to understand, uses popular tropes and implements them very well I think. It knows its audience and knows how to please them.
I wouldn't say that I have a problem with the system the author created for the spells but I just found it quite silly, I just laughed when I first saw it.
Overall it was a good book, it made me turn off my brain and forget about my surroundings for a couple of hours.
esshgee's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
kristengilmore84's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
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
4.0
ginger_04's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
ginathehuman's review against another edition
2.0
I enjoyed the romance parts, the test was kind of like a mediocre written fan fiction ( i mean, it actually is a fanfiction but in my opinion rainbow rowell is just better at writing only romace books)
hell0fri3nd's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
yulie's review against another edition
3.0
This started off as a fun, quirky, enjoyable romp through an alternate Harry Potter universe... and then it turned into its own thing, and I was fully into it. Yes, some things are just kind of hand-waved but it was so *fun* and this book knew exactly what it wanted to be. It was quirky and some of the ideas it pulled on were really amusing, and it wasn't masterfully written but it doesn't pretend like it's trying to be. The characters are solid for the purposes of the book, the references to pop culture are great, and the reference to the Bechdel test had me actually laughing. I powered through this book in two days and had a great time! If you're looking for a ton of depth and meaningful character development, this really doesn't have it. Do the characters grow, and do you like them for their quirks? Of course! But it's all pretty matter-of-fact. It's equivalent to a great blockbuster film -- enjoyable, get your popcorn, power through it and have fun! The story is serviceable and what it does makes sense, and I like that!
The only major criticism I would have is that when you're placed into the points of views of each character, they all have the same voice. Their narration has the same cadence, sentence structure, and beats as each other. This made it a bit difficult for me to figure out who was narrating sometimes when the POVs were switching rapidly and I had to quickly flick back to see who the narrator was.
The only major criticism I would have is that when you're placed into the points of views of each character, they all have the same voice. Their narration has the same cadence, sentence structure, and beats as each other. This made it a bit difficult for me to figure out who was narrating sometimes when the POVs were switching rapidly and I had to quickly flick back to see who the narrator was.