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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
i absolutely adored this story - from the lovely prose to the beautiful relationship between ofelia and lope, i was hooked from beginning to end! the author's first two books didn't quite hit for me (her debut in particular felt like it had been cut way, way down, to the severe detriment of its pacing) but this one felt perfect. i really enjoyed getting to see the story from both lope and ofelia's perspective (in particular i liked how ofelia's chapters were written in a more idealist/romantic style and lope's were more poetic but practical), and soliel at the end was such a sweetie i teared up ! i did feel like the way the sacrifices were almost completely undone as soon as they were given to bring everyone in the underworld back aboveground felt a little anticlimactic/unnecessary (for instance, lope definitely didn't need to get her fighting abilities back if the shadows weren't going to continue to flow into the world, and the mirror walkie-talkies were cool but it kinda felt like they were a mulligan when in the end ofelia and lope could've just visited soliel in the underworld through the door instead) , but overall i loved the conclusion to this story and feel like bakewell finally hit her stride with the contents and target audience of her writing! i can't wait to read her next book!!
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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:
No
I love this so much I will be drawing fanart (a high compliment from me)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Gaslighting
Moderate: Infidelity, Kidnapping
Minor: Blood, Alcohol
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
fast-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
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Actual rating 2.5-3.0 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Where Shadows Bloom by Catherine Bakewell is a YA sapphic romantasy novel loosely inspired by seventeenth century Spain/France as well as Orpheus/Hades mythology. Ofelia is an adolescent noblewoman, raised in the countryside and dreaming of the paradise of Le Château Enchanté, where the mysterious King Léo dwells. Lope is Ofelia's devoted protector, a skilled swordswoman and aspiring poet. She must protect Ofelia (the love of her life) from the Shadows, supernatural monsters who kill humans at nightfall. However, the quest they embark upon may be more than they bargained for.
I wanted to love this book much more than I did. The premise was interesting, but I was left with many questions by the end of the book. Restructuring would have solved this: the first half was very slow, and could have been cut down to save room for Lope's time in between Chapter 28 and the Epilogue. That chunk could have also better developed Ofelia and Lope's relationship--there was very little chemistry between them, and Ofelia's chapters at the palace got old very fast (she was very whiny). The ending of the book was abrupt and the characters felt flat. Lope could have been the sole narrator--she and the Underworld god were the most interesting characters. Bakewell is great at writing visual descriptions, but the worldbuilding here was lackluster--is this meant to be high fantasy, or some magical realism version of historical Spain and France? It was unclear. Only two locations were specifically mentioned in an otherwise literary fog and there was no clear sense of place. The court was described as scary before the girls' arrival, but the stakes there felt too low and so lost my interest. However, given Bakewell's descriptions, I think this book would do well as a graphic novel.
Readers may also enjoy: A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft, Troubadour by Mary Hoffman, The Rose of Versailles by Riyoko Ikeda, Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997), The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri, School Bus Graveyard by Red, and Tremontaine by Ellen Kushner, et al.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Where Shadows Bloom by Catherine Bakewell is a YA sapphic romantasy novel loosely inspired by seventeenth century Spain/France as well as Orpheus/Hades mythology. Ofelia is an adolescent noblewoman, raised in the countryside and dreaming of the paradise of Le Château Enchanté, where the mysterious King Léo dwells. Lope is Ofelia's devoted protector, a skilled swordswoman and aspiring poet. She must protect Ofelia (the love of her life) from the Shadows, supernatural monsters who kill humans at nightfall. However, the quest they embark upon may be more than they bargained for.
I wanted to love this book much more than I did. The premise was interesting, but I was left with many questions by the end of the book. Restructuring would have solved this: the first half was very slow, and could have been cut down to save room for Lope's time in between Chapter 28 and the Epilogue. That chunk could have also better developed Ofelia and Lope's relationship--there was very little chemistry between them, and Ofelia's chapters at the palace got old very fast (she was very whiny). The ending of the book was abrupt and the characters felt flat. Lope could have been the sole narrator--she and the Underworld god were the most interesting characters. Bakewell is great at writing visual descriptions, but the worldbuilding here was lackluster--is this meant to be high fantasy, or some magical realism version of historical Spain and France? It was unclear. Only two locations were specifically mentioned in an otherwise literary fog and there was no clear sense of place. The court was described as scary before the girls' arrival, but the stakes there felt too low and so lost my interest. However, given Bakewell's descriptions, I think this book would do well as a graphic novel.
Readers may also enjoy: A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft, Troubadour by Mary Hoffman, The Rose of Versailles by Riyoko Ikeda, Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997), The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri, School Bus Graveyard by Red, and Tremontaine by Ellen Kushner, et al.
Library book, and I'm not feeling it at all. Characters, especially Ofelia, seem overly immature even for 17 year olds, and while I understand that this is supposed to show how sheltered she is, I'm already not enjoying it and it seems to get worse based on other reviews. I'll let someone else at the library have a turn <3
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
fast-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
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I love this book. It was such a refreshing change from the usual romantasy I find. The yearning, the friendship, the love. I was so frustrated with Ofelia doubting Lope. The ending was beautiful.