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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is YA Romantasy set in medieval Portugal. It retells the myth of the miracle of the roses with a modern twist. It follows a princess who wants to give back tot he starving poor, but is plagued with all the food she touches turns to roses. We follow her as she learns to control her magic, falls in love, and conquers her internalized homophobia. This book is wasn’t for me, but I loved its message and it’s great from a representative standpoint.
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
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:
No
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was só excited to read it but as portuguese i expected that The legend would be The focus of history. I lost myself in the descriptions and feelings between Isabel and Fatyan
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to like this book. Especially, because, since immigrating I have felt the need to be closer to my culture. But my god, this book is a mess! I felt like I was constantly being gaslighted into thinking of Dinis as a fair person, when he never listened to Isabel when she tried to speak to him about things. Isabel is also super annoying, so self righteous that she becomes a bad person because of it. I also felt like the author didn't know what she wanted the book to be about. Personally, the storyline about Matias was not necessary at all. It felt like it was added for more drama, without adding anything good to the story. In my opinion, it would have been a lot more interesting to discuss the implications of a queen being in love with another woman than a silly plot twist about a cartoonishly evil guy. Also, I felt like it was implied throughout the book that Christianity was the superior religion and that those who did not convert to it were bad people. And also, when the characters talk about women loving women, they only mention homossexuality. That doesn't sit right with me because some of the characters are portrayed as kind of immune to the culture they live in. So why not mention the spectrum of sexuality at all?
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a good story but very slow. The religious based internalized homophobia bothered me a little bit but that's more of my own issue than one with the book - it was very realistic, which I think was my problem. Otherwise I did enjoy the story. Great narrator on the audiobook.
adventurous
lighthearted
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:
No
Beautifully written and quick read! I liked how Yzabel had struggles between her faith, duty, and love. It gave the story emotional weight and realism. We love seeing lesbians overcoming that aged old Catholic Guilt.
challenging
sad
tense
slow-paced
I think this one was too slow paced for my taste. There were just too many internal thoughts, and the fact that most of them were religious and homophobic made for a hard reading, even though it was absolutely integral to the story.
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
I liked the story over all, I think it was beautiful and I really loved the Fatyan and Yzabel as a couple. To me though the ending felt so rushed, it felt like all the sudden it was over and that I didn't have the closure I was hoping for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia