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ryner's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Though Marit herself has aged out of the Danish orphanage system, her almost-little sister Eve has caught the eye of a former ballerina who wishes to adopt her, and Marit is also asked to join the household as a seamstress. The two girls are delighted and relieved at the possibility of staying together. However, Marit is also keeping a few secrets: She has never revealed to Eve her magical abilities for fear of frightening her, and their new family, the Vestergaards, own the mines where her her father's mysterious death occurred, and Marit wants answers.
This standalone teen novel was an entertaining palate cleanser, and I liked the writing style, though it wasn't as much of a page turner as I was maybe expecting. It has lovely cover art, and I love the idea that someone may have embroidered the design just for this book. One area in which I feel the author stumbled was in being uncommitted to the language the characters spoke (Danish or English?). Danish terms are sprinkled throughout the text, which is fun, but then in one scene Marit fondly recalls the way in which Eve used to mispronounce "upside down." The singling out of this very non-Danish phrase felt a little odd. Recommended overall, possibly enjoyed more by readers who can keep themselves from overanalyzing. :)
This standalone teen novel was an entertaining palate cleanser, and I liked the writing style, though it wasn't as much of a page turner as I was maybe expecting. It has lovely cover art, and I love the idea that someone may have embroidered the design just for this book. One area in which I feel the author stumbled was in being uncommitted to the language the characters spoke (Danish or English?). Danish terms are sprinkled throughout the text, which is fun, but then in one scene Marit fondly recalls the way in which Eve used to mispronounce "upside down." The singling out of this very non-Danish phrase felt a little odd. Recommended overall, possibly enjoyed more by readers who can keep themselves from overanalyzing. :)
faoduoni's review against another edition
5.0
Wowwww
I haven’t read in like three weeks because I’ve had sat but this was a great way to go back in
Firstly I didn’t know this was historical fiction and neither did I know it was fantasy as well
It was unexpected but very very welcome!
This book is very well paced and I like that the author didn’t do any filler chapters, because in a setting such as this I would have gotten very bored
While I really like the characters I was more compelled by the plot of uncovering all those mysteries because mysteries confuse me
The whole concept of different people having different forms of magic was unique, in most books with magic, people have fire water earth mind and blah blah, there’s nothing like this were every one had a unique ability completely. Some of the powers were very cool actually, jakobs in particular
They’re powers weren’t exactly fighting powers even, in fact, they reminded me of fairies
Also the big reveal of the mystery was very unexpected like I never would have guessed it till Amrit was discovering it as well
I really enjoyed Emily’s writing in the disappearances and she’s shown it only gets better, I look foreword to her next book
I haven’t read in like three weeks because I’ve had sat but this was a great way to go back in
Firstly I didn’t know this was historical fiction and neither did I know it was fantasy as well
It was unexpected but very very welcome!
This book is very well paced and I like that the author didn’t do any filler chapters, because in a setting such as this I would have gotten very bored
While I really like the characters I was more compelled by the plot of uncovering all those mysteries because mysteries confuse me
The whole concept of different people having different forms of magic was unique, in most books with magic, people have fire water earth mind and blah blah, there’s nothing like this were every one had a unique ability completely. Some of the powers were very cool actually, jakobs in particular
They’re powers weren’t exactly fighting powers even, in fact, they reminded me of fairies
Also the big reveal of the mystery was very unexpected like I never would have guessed it till Amrit was discovering it as well
I really enjoyed Emily’s writing in the disappearances and she’s shown it only gets better, I look foreword to her next book
rally_reviews's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
5.0
YA
piendorabox's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. I picked this book because of the cover (it's so pretty and I'm a sucker of needlework on book covers) and for the first time in forever I didn't regret getting cover-baited. Splinters of Scarlet is a story that gets "bigger" the further you read, if that makes any sense. Solid 4 stars.
therobinwrites's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thindbooks's review against another edition
4.0
*This book was given to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*
This book was an enjoyable read that involved magic which if you use it too much you can die from it. The main character, Marit, and her orphan sister Eve move to the Vestergaard household when Eve gets adopted. In the Vestergaard household magic is used but how long can Marit keep her secrets from Eve before she finds out and can she discover Vestergaard's secrets?
I enjoyed this historical, fantasy book that takes place in Denmark. The author's writing was beautiful and I loved the way she described the clothes that Marit made for Eve. I loved the magic system that the author created in this book which was easy and quick to understand. Seeing the story of how if you use too much of the magic, it can bring consequences. It's a fresh and unique twist to the story that you don't see in all books.
The characters in this book were easy to connect with and there were two POVs in this book that made it more interesting. I loved the main character, Marit, because she was such a strong, fierce character that would do anything to stay with Eve and protect her even if she might die. I also loved Helene Vestergaard at the ending ( can't spoil why) and I think you would too if you read this book.
This book was not only about the mystery but also about family relationships which were the theme to this book. Seeing how Marit would do anything to Eve and having that relationship develop. Though you are probably wondering if there is romance in this book. There is but it's not the key factor to the story. There is romance development with Marit and someone but the relationship theme in this book is more family vs romance.
The reason I gave this book 4 stars was because of the mystery. Somehow I felt like it should have been a mystery where you find the villain at the end of the story and not in the middle. That was my only problem but other than that this book was amazing. I totally recommend this book. Perfect for fans who love fantasy and historical fiction combined.
Visit my Thindbooks Blog from July 20-24 to see my Splinters of Scarlet mini blog tour. There will be my review, author's interview and more!
This book was an enjoyable read that involved magic which if you use it too much you can die from it. The main character, Marit, and her orphan sister Eve move to the Vestergaard household when Eve gets adopted. In the Vestergaard household magic is used but how long can Marit keep her secrets from Eve before she finds out and can she discover Vestergaard's secrets?
I enjoyed this historical, fantasy book that takes place in Denmark. The author's writing was beautiful and I loved the way she described the clothes that Marit made for Eve. I loved the magic system that the author created in this book which was easy and quick to understand. Seeing the story of how if you use too much of the magic, it can bring consequences. It's a fresh and unique twist to the story that you don't see in all books.
The characters in this book were easy to connect with and there were two POVs in this book that made it more interesting. I loved the main character, Marit, because she was such a strong, fierce character that would do anything to stay with Eve and protect her even if she might die. I also loved Helene Vestergaard at the ending ( can't spoil why) and I think you would too if you read this book.
This book was not only about the mystery but also about family relationships which were the theme to this book. Seeing how Marit would do anything to Eve and having that relationship develop. Though you are probably wondering if there is romance in this book. There is but it's not the key factor to the story. There is romance development with Marit and someone but the relationship theme in this book is more family vs romance.
The reason I gave this book 4 stars was because of the mystery. Somehow I felt like it should have been a mystery where you find the villain at the end of the story and not in the middle. That was my only problem but other than that this book was amazing. I totally recommend this book. Perfect for fans who love fantasy and historical fiction combined.
Visit my Thindbooks Blog from July 20-24 to see my Splinters of Scarlet mini blog tour. There will be my review, author's interview and more!
mrowkoob's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
nora4's review against another edition
5.0
Das Cover habe ich schon vor längerem entdeckt und schon damals hat es mich direkt angesprochen. Der Klappentext hat mich dann endgültig überzeugt und so habe ich schon seit einer Weile darauf gewartet, das Buch endlich zu lesen.
Trotz des vielversprechenden Klappentextes wurde ich aber noch überrascht, und zwar auf positive Weise durch das Setting, welches man vom Klappentext her nicht herauslesen konnte: Dänemark ist sowieso ein wunderschönes Land, und die gewählte Zeit kurz nach dem Deutsch-Dänischen Krieg hat, obwohl ich selten historische Romane lese (ausser eben mit Fantasy), ebenfalls sehr gut gepasst und zu der mystischen Atmosphäre beigetragen.
Auch die Figuren konnten strahlen. Marit und Eve waren mir direkt sympathisch und ich mochte ihre Verbindung sehr. Und auch Helene konnte durch ihre Rolle, als gefühlter Mittelpunkt eines Konstrukts aus Geheimnissen wirklich sehr viele Pluspunkte bei mir erzielen.
Auch der Aufbau mit der Magie in dieser Welt und deren Umgang wird gut beschrieben, ohne dass es jemals zu heftig oder schwerlastig wirkt. Auch sie trägt in diese leicht düstere, aber märchenhafte Atmosphäre des dänischen Winters bei. Die Autorin hat es irgendwie punktgenau geschafft, die Stimmung, die auch Hans Christian Andersen zu dieser Zeit wohl für Inspiration genutzt hat, auch hier zu fangen und einzufügen. Für mich war das wirklich klasse.
Das ich das Buch mögen würde, war mir vom Gefühl her von Anfang an klar, aber dass es sich aber gleich unter die Favoriten schleicht, hätte ich nicht direkt erwartet und dennoch ist es so. Ich bin jedenfalls begeistert und kann dem Buch auch wirklich nur fünf glänzende Edelsteine gewähren.
Trotz des vielversprechenden Klappentextes wurde ich aber noch überrascht, und zwar auf positive Weise durch das Setting, welches man vom Klappentext her nicht herauslesen konnte: Dänemark ist sowieso ein wunderschönes Land, und die gewählte Zeit kurz nach dem Deutsch-Dänischen Krieg hat, obwohl ich selten historische Romane lese (ausser eben mit Fantasy), ebenfalls sehr gut gepasst und zu der mystischen Atmosphäre beigetragen.
Auch die Figuren konnten strahlen. Marit und Eve waren mir direkt sympathisch und ich mochte ihre Verbindung sehr. Und auch Helene konnte durch ihre Rolle, als gefühlter Mittelpunkt eines Konstrukts aus Geheimnissen wirklich sehr viele Pluspunkte bei mir erzielen.
Auch der Aufbau mit der Magie in dieser Welt und deren Umgang wird gut beschrieben, ohne dass es jemals zu heftig oder schwerlastig wirkt. Auch sie trägt in diese leicht düstere, aber märchenhafte Atmosphäre des dänischen Winters bei. Die Autorin hat es irgendwie punktgenau geschafft, die Stimmung, die auch Hans Christian Andersen zu dieser Zeit wohl für Inspiration genutzt hat, auch hier zu fangen und einzufügen. Für mich war das wirklich klasse.
Das ich das Buch mögen würde, war mir vom Gefühl her von Anfang an klar, aber dass es sich aber gleich unter die Favoriten schleicht, hätte ich nicht direkt erwartet und dennoch ist es so. Ich bin jedenfalls begeistert und kann dem Buch auch wirklich nur fünf glänzende Edelsteine gewähren.
lotte28_1d's review against another edition
challenging
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
sarag19's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 out of 5 stars
All magic comes with a cost and in this alternate version of Denmark filled with magic it can be deadly to the magic users. Its a shame that the book itself doesn’t really deliver on that level of danger to magic users.
The book is centered on Marit, an orphan that has aged out of the orphanage and works as a seamstress. We also have a few chapters with Phillip, the head of the Vestergaard family and owner of the mines. After the loss of her family she is dedicated to Eve, another orphan that she has taken on as her only family. Her gift at sewing, that was my take away that her gift is just sewing, allows her to follow Eve when she is adopted into a new family. Which conveniently happens to be the family that is responsible for mines that killed Marit’s father.
Thats really what this book boils down to, convenient coincidences that allows the plot to unfurl in a way that felt forced. Everyone that worked in the house had some use to the story and all had reasons to get on board with Marit’s quest long before they actually had a good reason. Most of the staff was one dimensional for a good part of the book and the romance felt forced. We just don’t spend enough time with the two characters developing their relationship outside of what was needed for the story.
We get a few chapters with Phillip that I wish we had more of, he has a more complex background and his views added to Marit’s side of the story and the final outcome. But they are written vaguely the first few chapters that almost come into conflict with his later chapters with magic.
The main antagonist is just kind of there. I never got the feeling from the book that Marit was ever in any real danger, even during the final confrontation. I wish that the build up and final confrontation had been more. There is a lead up right at the very end that indicated that these men are supposed to be dangerous, their magic unpredictable making for a possibly very tense scene which just never materialized.
Now, the biggest problem that I had was with the Firn. It felt inconsistent in whether it was something that was really dangerous meaning magic should be used sparingly or just something that might happen. The synopsis the more the magic is used the more it builds up but we see it used all the time by Marit and the rest of the household staff without any fear of the Firn. When it does actual show up its more when the magic is used outside of its natural boundaries and even they its inconsistent in how actually deadly it is to a person.
The writing is pretty descent even if it fell a little flat when it came to describing the beautiful outfits that Marit created. The way the construction was written I thought they would be whimsical but when described on the body of the wearer they sounded clunky and heavy. There is a lot of really interesting concepts going on, particularly with the use of the mine but they never get fully fleshed out or developed.
All magic comes with a cost and in this alternate version of Denmark filled with magic it can be deadly to the magic users. Its a shame that the book itself doesn’t really deliver on that level of danger to magic users.
The book is centered on Marit, an orphan that has aged out of the orphanage and works as a seamstress. We also have a few chapters with Phillip, the head of the Vestergaard family and owner of the mines. After the loss of her family she is dedicated to Eve, another orphan that she has taken on as her only family. Her gift at sewing, that was my take away that her gift is just sewing, allows her to follow Eve when she is adopted into a new family. Which conveniently happens to be the family that is responsible for mines that killed Marit’s father.
Thats really what this book boils down to, convenient coincidences that allows the plot to unfurl in a way that felt forced. Everyone that worked in the house had some use to the story and all had reasons to get on board with Marit’s quest long before they actually had a good reason. Most of the staff was one dimensional for a good part of the book and the romance felt forced. We just don’t spend enough time with the two characters developing their relationship outside of what was needed for the story.
We get a few chapters with Phillip that I wish we had more of, he has a more complex background and his views added to Marit’s side of the story and the final outcome. But they are written vaguely the first few chapters that almost come into conflict with his later chapters with magic.
The main antagonist is just kind of there. I never got the feeling from the book that Marit was ever in any real danger, even during the final confrontation. I wish that the build up and final confrontation had been more. There is a lead up right at the very end that indicated that these men are supposed to be dangerous, their magic unpredictable making for a possibly very tense scene which just never materialized.
Now, the biggest problem that I had was with the Firn. It felt inconsistent in whether it was something that was really dangerous meaning magic should be used sparingly or just something that might happen. The synopsis the more the magic is used the more it builds up but we see it used all the time by Marit and the rest of the household staff without any fear of the Firn. When it does actual show up its more when the magic is used outside of its natural boundaries and even they its inconsistent in how actually deadly it is to a person.
The writing is pretty descent even if it fell a little flat when it came to describing the beautiful outfits that Marit created. The way the construction was written I thought they would be whimsical but when described on the body of the wearer they sounded clunky and heavy. There is a lot of really interesting concepts going on, particularly with the use of the mine but they never get fully fleshed out or developed.