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adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Torture, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Violence, War
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
No
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, War
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, War
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse
funny
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Xenophobia
Minor: Violence
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
Complicated
I feel like there’s a lot of critiques I can give this book but I still enjoyed the experience of reading it enough that I think 4 stars feels right. The one thing that actually kept putting me off a little was the romance. The love interest is very sweet and a good person which I appreciate but it was just very insta lovey and I didn’t super buy why either of them we’re interested in each other in a meaningful way. Also random complaint but why was Radane pretending to be an imperial investigator? It didn’t make much sense to me. Also her and Bryn being together was very random
Besides that I really liked the magic system, it’s pretty unique and reminded me of the way magic is done in the Earthsea books with a few twists. I will say it definitely feels like the worldbuilding outside of that is meant as just a backdrop to the rest of the story and not something to be thoroughly thought about. That’s most apparent in the first chapter.
I love all the wholesome jam content it’s very appealing to me specifically. Caz was a very fun side character, I feel like he very easily could have been annoying but I really liked him and thought he added to the story a lot. Overall I had a nice relaxing time and I don’t think any critiques I put here should stop someone who’s interested from picking up the book, they just might be worth keeping in mind so you can enjoy it even more.
Besides that I really liked the magic system, it’s pretty unique and reminded me of the way magic is done in the Earthsea books with a few twists. I will say it definitely feels like the worldbuilding outside of that is meant as just a backdrop to the rest of the story and not something to be thoroughly thought about. That’s most apparent in the first chapter.
I love all the wholesome jam content it’s very appealing to me specifically. Caz was a very fun side character, I feel like he very easily could have been annoying but I really liked him and thought he added to the story a lot. Overall I had a nice relaxing time and I don’t think any critiques I put here should stop someone who’s interested from picking up the book, they just might be worth keeping in mind so you can enjoy it even more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, War
The abuse is not between a couple being romanticized, it’s described as having happened to a character in the past and is explicitly a horrible thing.
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was OK. Cozy, and whimsical, and very dreamy, but the main character starts out being outright annoying, and quite delusional where the requirements for survival on an island are concerned.
There's a touch of romance, but I wouldn't even call it a romantic subplot, because we don't see a realistic relationship coming together. I'd best describe this book as a moodboard, or a whimsical exploration of a concept rather than necessarily trying to actually tell a story. I don't think we get a lot of character growth, and all of the drama that does come to pass is resolved happily but I wouldn't say satisfactorily. It was also a bit too long, having several opportunities where it could have stopped off without in any way impacting the overall resolution of the novel.
But in the grand scheme of things? It's OK. I felt that The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches did a better job of delivering a low stakes story that engaged the readers, and I don't think I'd come back to this one for any particular reason unless it was the only book available to hand, but it's not necessarily a poor book. It's exactly what it set out to be, and readers should go in managing their expectations.
There's a touch of romance, but I wouldn't even call it a romantic subplot, because we don't see a realistic relationship coming together. I'd best describe this book as a moodboard, or a whimsical exploration of a concept rather than necessarily trying to actually tell a story. I don't think we get a lot of character growth, and all of the drama that does come to pass is resolved happily but I wouldn't say satisfactorily. It was also a bit too long, having several opportunities where it could have stopped off without in any way impacting the overall resolution of the novel.
But in the grand scheme of things? It's OK. I felt that The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches did a better job of delivering a low stakes story that engaged the readers, and I don't think I'd come back to this one for any particular reason unless it was the only book available to hand, but it's not necessarily a poor book. It's exactly what it set out to be, and readers should go in managing their expectations.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, War
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Grief, Fire/Fire injury, War
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy