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diazona's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
3.75
I found this book quite enjoyable for a story where not very much actually happens. I mean, of course there are things that happen, there wouldn't be a story to tell otherwise, but it's driven more by developments in the characters' thoughts and feelings rather than the events that occur. You get the feeling that most of the events could have not happened, or been left out of the story, and it wouldn't really make a difference.
There are a couple of pretty neat plot twists toward the end. They definitely make the last quarter or so very interesting indeed, I just don't think it's enough to make me forget about the lack of things happening during the first three quarters.
Normally a story without meaningful events is not one I'm going to be very interested in, but I think what saves this one is the rich character development. All the main characters have distinct and consistent personalities (except for gruff Jamie who shows an unexpectedly soft side at some point in the middle), they feel realistic and relatable, and most of all they're nice. These are the kinds of people I wish I could have as friends and family. So it didn't take very far into the book before I started caring about them and getting invested in their successes and failures. According to the afterword, the author was inspired to write this story as a reaction to the loneliness of the pandemic, and in that sense, mission accomplished.
All in all, it's a good book. I wouldn't put it on my list of all-time favorites, and it's not one that I see myself coming back to read and reread regularly, but any time I'm in the mood for something heartwarming and comforting, I'll be glad to have this on my (virtual) shelf.
There are a couple of pretty neat plot twists toward the end. They definitely make the last quarter or so very interesting indeed, I just don't think it's enough to make me forget about the lack of things happening during the first three quarters.
Normally a story without meaningful events is not one I'm going to be very interested in, but I think what saves this one is the rich character development. All the main characters have distinct and consistent personalities (except for gruff Jamie who shows an unexpectedly soft side at some point in the middle), they feel realistic and relatable, and most of all they're nice. These are the kinds of people I wish I could have as friends and family. So it didn't take very far into the book before I started caring about them and getting invested in their successes and failures. According to the afterword, the author was inspired to write this story as a reaction to the loneliness of the pandemic, and in that sense, mission accomplished.
All in all, it's a good book. I wouldn't put it on my list of all-time favorites, and it's not one that I see myself coming back to read and reread regularly, but any time I'm in the mood for something heartwarming and comforting, I'll be glad to have this on my (virtual) shelf.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment and Cursing
Minor: Vomit, Murder, Death, Alcohol, Confinement, and Death of parent
gnukiwi's review
dark
emotional
funny
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Physical abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Classism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, and Cursing
Minor: Murder and Racism
lunep's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Alcohol, Cursing, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Grief, Murder, Bullying, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Misogyny, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Abandonment, and Classism
samchase112's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
5.0
Review soon! Big thoughts: lovely, thoughtful, comforting, heartwarming
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Cursing, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent and Child abuse
Minor: Murder, Racism, and Xenophobia
eni_iilorak's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Grief, Death, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Homophobia, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Murder, and Toxic relationship
laffi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Death, and Death of parent
emily_mh's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
4.25
I thought I had written down my thoughts for this after reading it but apparently not! So here goes nothing.
If people are looking for a cosy, found family romance with a fantasy backdrop and DON’T want to support the harmful book that is The House in the Cerulean Sea, I would point them in this book’s direction. Reading it makes you feel safe and loved, just like the MC Mika who is finally finding a place to belong. The little family at Nowhere House is quirky and incredibly tight-knit. Ian and Ken’s relationship dynamic was darling in particular. While Mandanna does include sweet, casual moments (which are key to the found family trope), I do wish there had been more of these, spread out so we could see every character interact with every other character. I also wish we had seen Jamie as a father figure to all the girls like the book says he is - we are only really shown his interaction with Terracotta. I also wish Lucie and her story featured more.
Mika has some real depth to her as the MC. Her journey is all about feeling safe enough, loved enough, and valued enough to feel like she belongs. She’s dealing with childhood trauma stemming from exploitative carers, but also from the way the witching society is set up in the UK; that is, according to the mantra “divided we are safer.” Mika really questions this structure, seeing how the three kids she meets are thriving together, and so asks the question: is happiness together worth the risk of danger? I really liked the journey she went on.
The romance was pretty good. I don’t have the same issues some reviewers did where they couldn’t see the chemistry between Mika and Jamie - I personally did, and could definitely see the ways in which they fitted together. Hurt/comfort as a trope is employed, paired with the-LI-goes-feral-when-the-MC-is-hurt, which is a fave combo of mine and was done really well here. An issue I did have was that Jamie felt a little half-baked as a character sometimes. His POV is occasionally included, but not enough to get a real sense of him - given an element of the plot, I can understand why Mandanna didn’t commit to dual POV, but it did have that unfortunate effect. Also, the complication with his backstory (which gave him dynamism) is introduced and resolved within a couple of chapters, so the rest of the time he lacked the depth as a character that I wanted.
The non-romantic subplot was also enjoyable - I thought it was cleverly done and tied in well with the world-building and romance, only adding to the story. And the world-building itself was great. Mandanna really focussed in on the social element of witches, which as aforementioned, heavily plays into the characters and plot. But also the history she builds and how magic is personified was so cool. Don’t even get me started on the potion magic, which is my JAM. I lovedddd seeing Mika explain ingredients and their interactions, and mix up brews.
I thought this was a standalone but to my delight it seems that a companion novel is coming out next year. I’m looking forward to it!
Rep: British-Indian MC, Achillean SC, Achillean British-Japanese SC, Black SC, British-Vietnamese SC, British-Palestinian SC
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Cursing, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Xenophobia, Death, Cancer, Homophobia, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Sexual content, and Murder
Minor: illness, menstruationbrigid_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Classism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Racism, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Death
Minor: Homophobia and Murder
chrisljm's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
3.75
loved every character in this book, but i didn’t enjoy the second half of the book as much as i enjoyed the first half.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Confinement, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Racism, Classism, and Murder
fromthefoxhole's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
5.0
The writing - phenomenal, somehow the British accents come through in the pacing of the prose, the characters are all charming in their own right, and well fleshed out, I could picture this book so well it was almost like watching a TV series.
The story - Mika Moon is a witch, and she is part of a smallish society of witches. This society is led by Primrose, a very strict and rule-focused witch, who also happens to be the woman who raised her and isolated her for the majority of her life.
After viewing one of Mika's videos, a man forms an idea, and shortly thereafter Mika receives a dm, WITCH WANTED. Upon reading further, she finds it is a request for a tutor, as he has 3 young witches who require assistance. As Mika had been raised that witches should not congregate (except for short amounts of time a few times a year), she accepted immediately.
What follows is a delightful romp, wherein Mika teaches these young witches and allows herself to learn alongside them.
The review - Yes. Read it, it's just a wonderful time, truly. Mika is a sunshine-y FMC that will bowl you over with sweetness, countered directly by Jamie, the grumpy love interest, hell bent on protecting his girls at any cost. The supporting cast is no less excellent, each given their moment to shine and charm the reader, so that by the end, each of the 7 of them have their hooks in you as much as Jamie and Mika. Add to that a heaping spoonful of whimsy, a dash of mystery, and a pinch of spice, and you've got the recipe for a 5 star read. I'm gonna recommend it to everyone I know.
The story - Mika Moon is a witch, and she is part of a smallish society of witches. This society is led by Primrose, a very strict and rule-focused witch, who also happens to be the woman who raised her and isolated her for the majority of her life.
After viewing one of Mika's videos, a man forms an idea, and shortly thereafter Mika receives a dm, WITCH WANTED. Upon reading further, she finds it is a request for a tutor, as he has 3 young witches who require assistance. As Mika had been raised that witches should not congregate (except for short amounts of time a few times a year), she accepted immediately.
What follows is a delightful romp, wherein Mika teaches these young witches and allows herself to learn alongside them.
The review - Yes. Read it, it's just a wonderful time, truly. Mika is a sunshine-y FMC that will bowl you over with sweetness, countered directly by Jamie, the grumpy love interest, hell bent on protecting his girls at any cost. The supporting cast is no less excellent, each given their moment to shine and charm the reader, so that by the end, each of the 7 of them have their hooks in you as much as Jamie and Mika. Add to that a heaping spoonful of whimsy, a dash of mystery, and a pinch of spice, and you've got the recipe for a 5 star read. I'm gonna recommend it to everyone I know.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content