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gemstonejasper's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is a beautiful fairy tale style story about the power of love over sorrow. It explores themes of family (both found/adopted and biological), love, sorrow, and memory. It especially focuses on the relationship between a mother/grandmother and daughter/granddaughter. I really enjoyed it. I listened to the audiobook while following along in my physical copy. The audiobook is good. I love the voices she does for the characters. I could tell them each apart without paying attention to the "Luna said," "Xan said."
I think this would also be an excellent grandmother/mother/daughter buddy read idea because of the focus it puts on those relationships. I think it would be especially so in families that have one or more adopted members.
I would tell people to consider the content warnings before reading this. It's a middle grade story, so it isn't heavy on gore and violence. But it talks a lot about grief, losing a parent, losing a child, mental illness, kidnapping, confinement, gaslighting, etc. I think these are important themes and topics for kids to learn about (especially in that middle grade range) because if they haven't already, they will experience grief in some form. Just be careful and take care of yourself before anything else.
I think this would also be an excellent grandmother/mother/daughter buddy read idea because of the focus it puts on those relationships. I think it would be especially so in families that have one or more adopted members.
I would tell people to consider the content warnings before reading this. It's a middle grade story, so it isn't heavy on gore and violence. But it talks a lot about grief, losing a parent, losing a child, mental illness, kidnapping, confinement, gaslighting, etc. I think these are important themes and topics for kids to learn about (especially in that middle grade range) because if they haven't already, they will experience grief in some form. Just be careful and take care of yourself before anything else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Chronic illness, Grief, Mental illness, Confinement, Kidnapping, Bullying, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Ableism, and Gaslighting
marissasa's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This magical middle grade story was such a whimsical read. I listened to the audiobook on and off while driving and thought it was really well done, the narrator doing different voices for each of the characters really reminded me of listening to my mom do the same thing when she read stories for me as a child. Something I really appreciated about the story was that it didn't shy away from dark themes and that it treated its young audience as mature enough to understand the stakes and complex emotions of the main characters. Although some of the plot points were predictable, the final outcome still felt earned and I enjoyed all the forms of growth and character development we got to see over the years of their lives. The whole time I listened to this book I was thinking that it would make for an excellent animated show or movie and I really hope it gets adapted some day!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Death, and Emotional abuse
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