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e_flah's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
A Darkness Strange and Lovely was a pretty big shift away from Something Strange and Deadly in both surprising and expected ways. The mood was understandably a lot darker after the big events at the end of book 1. The Spirit-Hunters' presence in A Darkness Strange and Lovely was focused more on their role in the big conflict of the series and I found myself really missing the fun interactions between them and Eleanor from book 1.
Many of the characters felt very different as well, which made sense to some extent but would have benefitted from more on-page character development. Joseph's treatment of Eleanor as she tries to make sense of her newly-discovered magic seemed out of character from the kindness we see him show in Something Strange and Deadly. Eleanor's repeated assertions that Jie was her best friend were...a surprise. The two of them didn't seem to interact one-on-one that much in the first book and didn't spend a lot of time together in A Darkness Strange and Lovely either. It would've been great to see more of Eleanor and Jie together growing as friends.
A Darkness Strange and Lovely was pretty engrossing but didn't quite have the magic from book 1.
Many of the characters felt very different as well, which made sense to some extent but would have benefitted from more on-page character development. Joseph's treatment of Eleanor as she tries to make sense of her newly-discovered magic seemed out of character from the kindness we see him show in Something Strange and Deadly. Eleanor's repeated assertions that Jie was her best friend were...a surprise. The two of them didn't seem to interact one-on-one that much in the first book and didn't spend a lot of time together in A Darkness Strange and Lovely either. It would've been great to see more of Eleanor and Jie together growing as friends.
A Darkness Strange and Lovely was pretty engrossing but didn't quite have the magic from book 1.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Violence, and Death
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