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the_reading_fairy's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-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
4.25
I really liked this book. One great thing about it is that at the beginning, the book takes time to set up the relationship between Addie and Meryl before the adventure begins. It gets the readers to care about Meryl and feel like they know her even though she isn't in most of the book.
I like how it gets me to want the same thing as the main character. In lots of books, when I get near the ending, I hope for it to be exciting, but in this book, I only wished forMeryl to be cured.
The only part I didn't like was at the very end when Addie and Rhys get married. They have known each other for only a few weeks and Addie is TWELVE and Rhys is about SEVENTEEN in human years.
But other than that, it is a really good book, and I enjoyed reading it.
I like how it gets me to want the same thing as the main character. In lots of books, when I get near the ending, I hope for it to be exciting, but in this book, I only wished for
The only part I didn't like was at the very end when
But other than that, it is a really good book, and I enjoyed reading it.
Graphic: Death, Blood, Child death, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Animal death and Injury/Injury detail
libbyhb's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-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
5.0
This book is so special and close to my heart. I first read this when I was 9, and I've reread it often since then. I love the world of this book, with the Gray Death and fairies and the Drualt tale. The writing is so beautiful but simple, and feels like an old fairy tale in the way the story is told and the symbolism and lessons. Gail Carson Levine is good at making characters both relatable and otherworldly, and at telling these kinds of stories. I love Addie and Meryl's relationship, and Addie's stubbornness overcoming her fears because of her love for Meryl. I also love that there's relatively few characters in this - it makes the sisters and Rhys and Vollys stand out so much more. I just love this story so much!
Graphic: Terminal illness, Death, and Confinement
Moderate: Violence
cmbohn's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-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
5.0
Graphic: Terminal illness
Moderate: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Confinement
Minor: Death and Death of parent
bencaroline's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death and Confinement
Moderate: Gore, Violence, Medical trauma, Grief, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
ktrecs's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A prompt from the Four Nations Readathon compelled me to reread a childhood favourite, and I am so pleased I chose this one.
It withstood the test of time, and it was very interesting to see how much of the book either affected or reflected my current taste in literature. High fantasy with themes of courage and hope? Check. Strong female mc? Check. Strong emotional relationships outside of the romance? A world grounded in realism through poem and story, myth and song? An ending that complicates the predictable HEA? Check check check!!
It was also wonderful to remember how much I saw myself in this book. How I related to Addie - her fear of spiders, her long brown hair, her timidity, her dedication to her sister! How much that meant to me as a child! It is no wonder I grew up to appreciate diversity in fiction, no wonder I want that for every child, when I remember what it meant to me.
I still love this book with all my heart.
It withstood the test of time, and it was very interesting to see how much of the book either affected or reflected my current taste in literature. High fantasy with themes of courage and hope? Check. Strong female mc? Check. Strong emotional relationships outside of the romance? A world grounded in realism through poem and story, myth and song? An ending that complicates the predictable HEA? Check check check!!
It was also wonderful to remember how much I saw myself in this book. How I related to Addie - her fear of spiders, her long brown hair, her timidity, her dedication to her sister! How much that meant to me as a child! It is no wonder I grew up to appreciate diversity in fiction, no wonder I want that for every child, when I remember what it meant to me.
I still love this book with all my heart.
Minor: Terminal illness and Violence
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