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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
I very much enjoyed this book. It had good pacing and the characters were always moving forward.
It started out in YA territory, before dipping slightly into romance (I think this is my first romance novel?) with magic and things mixed in.
I am not sure if the series is a continuation or other stories set in the same world but I will be adding them to my "Want to Read" list.
It started out in YA territory, before dipping slightly into romance (I think this is my first romance novel?) with magic and things mixed in.
I am not sure if the series is a continuation or other stories set in the same world but I will be adding them to my "Want to Read" list.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
This is a magical regency era adventure with a romantic element, but I wouldn’t categorize it as a romance. There is zero spice, so be prepared for the romance to be innocent. It has a very political-social subtext which resonates with current events rather unapologetically. I liked it a lot, but it did feel a little short. Still, I really detest filler in a book, so shorter is totally acceptable if the story calls for it.
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-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
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
5 stars because it made be warm and fuzzy the whole time 🥰
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A half-baked try at a very interesting concept, portraying something like autism with the device of a faerie curse. I can start with the curse/theft since that is the beginning of the book. The exact means by which it happens are not at all important to the st0ry, which only requires that it does happen, so the scene is brief, which is fine, but it also reads like the end of a Scooby Doo episode: "If it weren't for you meddling kids!" The comparison that comes to mind is The Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue. Young Addie feels real, a woman feeling trapped and limited by her rural existence, about to be forced to marry into that life for good, so she goes out and does something stupid with a mysterious being. Young Dora in this book exists for a few pages and we know little about her: she's not like the other girls and would rather climb trees and get dirty than embroider and whatever else is proper. The one who curses Addie is known to her beforehand through reputation, his terror impressed upon the reader through a buildup of tension, references dropped here and there. The faerie who takes half of Dora's soul (not a spoiler, in the description of the book) appears suddenly and is a silly caricature wearing four coats and giving evil villain monologues. More cheesy, he is just a guy with mildly pointed ears, not a primordial entity of shadow from Addie or a surreal being from Emily Wilde. This is part of why I say the story is half-baked. Faerie themes are fine and make sense for this story, since we need the initial partial soul theft to get the story going, and who better to do that than a mischievous faerie? Yet their portrayal is lazy, hazy, without much detail.
Dora is the focus of the book and therefore of most complaints against it. I make it sound like I have nothing but complaints. It is only that I am focusing on them for now. She has had half of her soul removed, which in this case means that her emotions are dulled, she lacks ability to perceive social cues and she is distant, aloof much of the time. That premise is why I picked up the book - it describes me. I was hoping to read something very relatable, and at times it was, but I wonder whether Olivia Atwater herself knows what it is like, since the depiction was inconsistent and not as detailed as one might hope. Dora is entirely unaware of herself at times, when it suits the plot, and otherwise navigates social circumstances well enough. Her distant nature also seems to conform to the plot. If she is impolite, it is often intentional, or overblown by the wicked stepmother (this is styled a fairy tale). She is still a standard female protagonist: swooning over the first tall, handsome, roguish, misunderstood, powerful man to look at her. This one does not have black hair. Progress.
I was wondering while reading how it would conclude. If it was all "I must return to my whole state," it would seem somewhat insensitive to anyone reading who is meant to be represented by the character, as though they must be fixed. Spoilers here, I suppose. Dora ultimately chooses not to re-merge via some plot nonsense that really is not well explained, in the likeness of a fairy tale ending that sweeps everything under the rug for the happily ever after. It solves the problem, ish. It would have made a more compelling element of the plot to dwell on it more. Does she want to experience all of that tiring emotion? Would having it make her a different person? Does she want to be other than herself? Those can all be very meaningful questions with important answers. When the answers are given, they are brief asides, barely a blip rather than a focus.
The book is a fairy tale with an interesting premise, rather than an interesting premise supported by a fairy tale plot device. The story follows the track of such a tale rather than carving out its own path to consider the implications of being a person like Dora. If that's the sort of story you want, dive in for the romance and simple structure and have fun. If you come for the premise, maybe look elsewhere.
Dora is the focus of the book and therefore of most complaints against it. I make it sound like I have nothing but complaints. It is only that I am focusing on them for now. She has had half of her soul removed, which in this case means that her emotions are dulled, she lacks ability to perceive social cues and she is distant, aloof much of the time. That premise is why I picked up the book - it describes me. I was hoping to read something very relatable, and at times it was, but I wonder whether Olivia Atwater herself knows what it is like, since the depiction was inconsistent and not as detailed as one might hope. Dora is entirely unaware of herself at times, when it suits the plot, and otherwise navigates social circumstances well enough. Her distant nature also seems to conform to the plot. If she is impolite, it is often intentional, or overblown by the wicked stepmother (this is styled a fairy tale). She is still a standard female protagonist: swooning over the first tall, handsome, roguish, misunderstood, powerful man to look at her. This one does not have black hair. Progress.
I was wondering while reading how it would conclude. If it was all "I must return to my whole state," it would seem somewhat insensitive to anyone reading who is meant to be represented by the character, as though they must be fixed. Spoilers here, I suppose. Dora ultimately chooses not to re-merge via some plot nonsense that really is not well explained, in the likeness of a fairy tale ending that sweeps everything under the rug for the happily ever after. It solves the problem, ish. It would have made a more compelling element of the plot to dwell on it more. Does she want to experience all of that tiring emotion? Would having it make her a different person? Does she want to be other than herself? Those can all be very meaningful questions with important answers. When the answers are given, they are brief asides, barely a blip rather than a focus.
The book is a fairy tale with an interesting premise, rather than an interesting premise supported by a fairy tale plot device. The story follows the track of such a tale rather than carving out its own path to consider the implications of being a person like Dora. If that's the sort of story you want, dive in for the romance and simple structure and have fun. If you come for the premise, maybe look elsewhere.