Scan barcode
paxihayes's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
3.5
A strange cross between “Out of the Silent Planet” and Harry Potter.
The narration had to get its feet under it, but by the end was strong. Cute, age appropriate relationships and adults that treat teenagers like real people. Plot was stretched thin at times but was a very fun read.
The narration had to get its feet under it, but by the end was strong. Cute, age appropriate relationships and adults that treat teenagers like real people. Plot was stretched thin at times but was a very fun read.
sunnivalise's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
madisonlcollins0917's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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
4.0
reneesmith's review
4.0
This book explores the inner lives of two teenage girls suffering from PTSD & grief. Lovely prose, interesting fantasy elements, a cool backstory with Dante & Beatrice, a touch of romantic teen love, & authentic characters that grow in their knowledge of self & what love really is. I ordered a copy for my classroom to share with my teen readers.
cquick's review
adventurous
challenging
informative
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? N/A
4.5
ibetmacias's review
1.0
Truthfully, I did not enjoy this book. I did not buy into the plot, the world, the characters. Maybe a passion and understandability towards astrology is needed to find this book likable. The characters would at times describe things so deeply and knowledgable one second then in the next they were clueless and stunned with realization. Poorly written and executed, it had so much potential if done right. I simply finished the book because DNF bug me.
jlbailey831's review
4.0
The premise was cool, and I liked the writing style a lot. The double insta love between the four main characters was kind of annoying and overly convenient. But I also really liked both couples, so *shrug*
dennyzen's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
the_bookish_scorpio's review
4.0
Molto fantasioso e magico... ho amato i richiami all'astrologia e Dante
L'insta-love anche no però.
L'insta-love anche no però.
caylieratzlaff's review
3.0
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 3/5 stars.
I was really looking forward to this - especially since it seemed like a breath of fresh air in YA fantasy. I also feel like it's hard to do fantasy as a standalone, so I was curious how this was going to do + the addition of astrology and music and all these things where I was SO looking forward to it. It didn't necessarily fall flat...but as I kept reading...I just kept having more questions.
One of the things I was not expecting was for this book to deal so heavily with mental illness...but in a way that didn't directly say it was dealing with mental illness. I think part of the issue I had with it -- and to be fair, this was a part of the plot that gets semi-resolved by the end -- was Claudia's obsession with getting Rora help -- even though Rora wasn't in a space to get help....Claudia made it all about how she needed to help Rora yadda yadda yadda...but she was just obnoxious about it? I also think it would have been more powerful to be like yes, this is mental illness, this is pain, instead of skirting around it with figurative language and the plot of the book.
Now, there were some good parts. I do like the world and how it was built. I like how it ties in Dante and Marco Polo and historical expeditions. I like how it discusses how music can heal. I like how it comes to a consensus on how multiple parts are needed to make someone whole. There's also some REALLY beautiful prose.
But I have to give it 3 stars. The plot felt all over the place in some places and the mental illness rep -- while beautiful -- lost its appeal when overshadowed by Claudia and Rora's personalities. After about 40% into the book...I just felt like I was reading to finish the book. I also think people who don't know astrology that well will struggle with some of the concepts in this.
I was really looking forward to this - especially since it seemed like a breath of fresh air in YA fantasy. I also feel like it's hard to do fantasy as a standalone, so I was curious how this was going to do + the addition of astrology and music and all these things where I was SO looking forward to it. It didn't necessarily fall flat...but as I kept reading...I just kept having more questions.
One of the things I was not expecting was for this book to deal so heavily with mental illness...but in a way that didn't directly say it was dealing with mental illness. I think part of the issue I had with it -- and to be fair, this was a part of the plot that gets semi-resolved by the end -- was Claudia's obsession with getting Rora help -- even though Rora wasn't in a space to get help....Claudia made it all about how she needed to help Rora yadda yadda yadda...but she was just obnoxious about it? I also think it would have been more powerful to be like yes, this is mental illness, this is pain, instead of skirting around it with figurative language and the plot of the book.
Now, there were some good parts. I do like the world and how it was built. I like how it ties in Dante and Marco Polo and historical expeditions. I like how it discusses how music can heal. I like how it comes to a consensus on how multiple parts are needed to make someone whole. There's also some REALLY beautiful prose.
But I have to give it 3 stars. The plot felt all over the place in some places and the mental illness rep -- while beautiful -- lost its appeal when overshadowed by Claudia and Rora's personalities. After about 40% into the book...I just felt like I was reading to finish the book. I also think people who don't know astrology that well will struggle with some of the concepts in this.