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annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
This book has been on my wishlist for such a long time already and I feel incredibly stupid for only discovering a week ago that it was written by the author who also wrote the lovely novel Jinxed. But, I got this book in a bookbox last week and I was very excited to finally read it and I was for sure not disappointed.
From start to finish the story reads easily and fast. The writing style is a nice mixture of describing emotions and what's going on, but it never really drags or loses itself in way too much detail. That makes it a really quick and easy read. But, it's not just quick and easy. It's also very entertaining and amusing.
That's partly because of the concept and the magic system of the book. The result is a nice hunt/road trip that takes us to all those different, but magical places and we get to meet amazing mythical creatures (and most of the time they're not as nice as we hoped they'd be) and yet it never feels pointless or just prolonging the story. It fits. It works. And the excitement of discovering the ingredients of the potion and the dangers coming with attempting to get them is constantly there.
But, it's also partly because of the characters, who are maybe not that layered and complicated, but who are realistic and unique and very relatable. Especially Sam was quite funny and it was very easy to identify with her and to understand where she was coming from and why she wanted certain things so badly.
I'm really excited to read the second book in this series!
From start to finish the story reads easily and fast. The writing style is a nice mixture of describing emotions and what's going on, but it never really drags or loses itself in way too much detail. That makes it a really quick and easy read. But, it's not just quick and easy. It's also very entertaining and amusing.
That's partly because of the concept and the magic system of the book. The result is a nice hunt/road trip that takes us to all those different, but magical places and we get to meet amazing mythical creatures (and most of the time they're not as nice as we hoped they'd be) and yet it never feels pointless or just prolonging the story. It fits. It works. And the excitement of discovering the ingredients of the potion and the dangers coming with attempting to get them is constantly there.
But, it's also partly because of the characters, who are maybe not that layered and complicated, but who are realistic and unique and very relatable. Especially Sam was quite funny and it was very easy to identify with her and to understand where she was coming from and why she wanted certain things so badly.
I'm really excited to read the second book in this series!
tanu_jellyfish's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
aches's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
patchworkbunny's review
4.0
The Potion Diaries was loads of fun. I was happy to see a fairyland world with some technological advancements. However in this world, instead of taking drugs to cure all ills, the people take potions. Once hand crafted by alchemists like the Kemi family, now large corporations make synthetic potions for half the price. Big Pharma exists in this world in the form of companies like ZoroAster, the leaders in synthetic potions.
It’s an underdog story, old craft versus new business models and a reflection of modern society but really adventure is the main ingredient. With a sprinkling of love, of course. Samantha Kemi is our young alchemist, carrying on the once famous family name in their shop which is struggling to survive. The Wild Hunt is her chance to save the business, with both fame and fortune being the reward, as well as saving the Princess of course.
There is also a love interest. It just so happens the boy Samantha has liked from afar for years was around when the Princess was poisoned. He’s also her rival in the hunt, can they possibly remain friends or does he just want to use her for her potion skills?
I loved the different elements of the potion. Each ingredient is rare and the alchemists must go to great length to source them. Their properties reflect the nature of what they came from and there’s a reason love potions have been banned…
So if you want a different kind of fairy story, I highly recommend The Potion Diaries, which is published under the alterntive title of Madly in the US.
It’s an underdog story, old craft versus new business models and a reflection of modern society but really adventure is the main ingredient. With a sprinkling of love, of course. Samantha Kemi is our young alchemist, carrying on the once famous family name in their shop which is struggling to survive. The Wild Hunt is her chance to save the business, with both fame and fortune being the reward, as well as saving the Princess of course.
There is also a love interest. It just so happens the boy Samantha has liked from afar for years was around when the Princess was poisoned. He’s also her rival in the hunt, can they possibly remain friends or does he just want to use her for her potion skills?
I loved the different elements of the potion. Each ingredient is rare and the alchemists must go to great length to source them. Their properties reflect the nature of what they came from and there’s a reason love potions have been banned…
So if you want a different kind of fairy story, I highly recommend The Potion Diaries, which is published under the alterntive title of Madly in the US.
katietopp's review
5.0
Great, easy, fun read. Interesting premise, with relatable characters. I'll definitely be reading the second.
booklover160's review against another edition
3.0
Honestly, I'm a little disappointed. I expected more from a book recommended by Zoe Sugg (Zoella on YouTube) but at least I was entertained.
For the things that were done well, I really like Sam. I liked her spunk and cleverness. I liked that she stood up for herself and resolved her issues. I loved the plot. I thought it was clever, new, and hilarious. The princess brews a love potion, only to accidentally take it herself and see her own reflection? Amazing. However, that's about it.
I didn't like the pacing. Everything moved way too fast for me. I could barely comprehend the fight/action scenes that take the same amount of space as the travel scenes. Honestly, the speed at which this novel moves is breakneck. Next, I didn't like the love interest. Not only did it feel insta-lovey and just boring, but the guy himself was so bland. He seemed not to develop at all. We barely get a taste at all. Hell, I'm convinced he knew she was going to give him the potion and did something to make her take it. It's even implied at one point! But we don't learn ANYTHING about him. He keeps whining that he doesn't want to be like dad, but gives in to his every whim and desire. Bleh.
I did want to know more about Evelyn. She must be brilliant to come up with the love potion and she's obviously is very magically powerful. I found her character the most interesting.
One thing I do want to point out that I personally was a fan of, is that this is both a modern and old world. Alchemists, magic, princesses and so on exist in this world with smartphones, big pharma, and selfies. It was a fun and interesting twist. It was a little clunky and awkward at times, but I liked it in the end.
Overall, a fun read for a tween/teen girl but I expected better. PS- read in one day! My shortest read of the year so far! (7 hours)
For the things that were done well, I really like Sam. I liked her spunk and cleverness. I liked that she stood up for herself and resolved her issues. I loved the plot. I thought it was clever, new, and hilarious. The princess brews a love potion, only to accidentally take it herself and see her own reflection? Amazing. However, that's about it.
I didn't like the pacing. Everything moved way too fast for me. I could barely comprehend the fight/action scenes that take the same amount of space as the travel scenes. Honestly, the speed at which this novel moves is breakneck. Next, I didn't like the love interest. Not only did it feel insta-lovey and just boring, but the guy himself was so bland. He seemed not to develop at all. We barely get a taste at all. Hell, I'm convinced he knew she was going to give him the potion and did something to make her take it. It's even implied at one point! But we don't learn ANYTHING about him. He keeps whining that he doesn't want to be like dad, but gives in to his every whim and desire. Bleh.
I did want to know more about Evelyn. She must be brilliant to come up with the love potion and she's obviously is very magically powerful. I found her character the most interesting.
One thing I do want to point out that I personally was a fan of, is that this is both a modern and old world. Alchemists, magic, princesses and so on exist in this world with smartphones, big pharma, and selfies. It was a fun and interesting twist. It was a little clunky and awkward at times, but I liked it in the end.
Overall, a fun read for a tween/teen girl but I expected better. PS- read in one day! My shortest read of the year so far! (7 hours)
samanthastemarie's review
4.0
I really enjoyed reading this book.
I thought the character Samantha was so strong right from the beginning. This is a breath of fresh air when compared to all the other female protagonists who are awkward, don't know they're pretty, etc. Samantha has her own opinions, goes against family tradition when she thinks it's necessary, and she makes some really hard choices along the way.
I thought the story was well paced. I was always entertained and the author gave enough information about the ingredients and the magic to keep you wanting more but not too much, which would result in information overload.
I will say I was disappointed by how obvious the love interest was between Samantha and Zain. Because she is such a strong female character I hoped that she would stay solo and not give in to the traditional "the boy was mean to me but I'm going to give him a shot anyways" theme.
All in all this was a great book and I would recommend it.
I thought the character Samantha was so strong right from the beginning. This is a breath of fresh air when compared to all the other female protagonists who are awkward, don't know they're pretty, etc. Samantha has her own opinions, goes against family tradition when she thinks it's necessary, and she makes some really hard choices along the way.
I thought the story was well paced. I was always entertained and the author gave enough information about the ingredients and the magic to keep you wanting more but not too much, which would result in information overload.
I will say I was disappointed by how obvious the love interest was between Samantha and Zain. Because she is such a strong female character I hoped that she would stay solo and not give in to the traditional "the boy was mean to me but I'm going to give him a shot anyways" theme.
All in all this was a great book and I would recommend it.
bookworm097's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a fun, quick read. It was not quite what I expected it to be. The only thing I knew about this book was that it was about a princess who drank her own love potion, thus falling in love with herself. It sounded funny and light-hearted, while at the same time being different and interesting.
I expected this to be set in a typical medieval-style fantasy world, not the modern, technological era it actually was in. I felt like that took away from the story. It was a bit awkward and somewhat cheesy at times.
One of my biggest issues was the lack of description and world-building. Hardly any of the characters got any physical description, so it was very hard to picture what was going on, since I didn't know what they looked like. The magic system needed more explanation. What are the limits? Why do they need an object? It felt very weak and poorly written. It was as if the author wanted/needed magic for the story line, so she added it in without thinking about how it actually fits into the world and is practically used.
I would have liked to know more about potion mixing as well. How it works exactly and how you know what ingredients to use and such. The premise was great, but I think the author missed a lot of opportunities to make it shine. This was definitely more character-driven than plot-driven. It almost feels more like a rough draft, before all those details that make a story truly wonderful and immersive were added in.
All in all, it's not a bad book. Fairly light-hearted and fast paced. It kept my attention and didn't take very long to read. I don't know if I will pick up the other books in the series. This book ended well enough that I don't have a burning need to find out what happens next. If the other books are conveniently placed in my path, I might pick them up, but it's not a top priority.
I expected this to be set in a typical medieval-style fantasy world, not the modern, technological era it actually was in. I felt like that took away from the story. It was a bit awkward and somewhat cheesy at times.
One of my biggest issues was the lack of description and world-building. Hardly any of the characters got any physical description, so it was very hard to picture what was going on, since I didn't know what they looked like. The magic system needed more explanation. What are the limits? Why do they need an object? It felt very weak and poorly written. It was as if the author wanted/needed magic for the story line, so she added it in without thinking about how it actually fits into the world and is practically used.
I would have liked to know more about potion mixing as well. How it works exactly and how you know what ingredients to use and such. The premise was great, but I think the author missed a lot of opportunities to make it shine. This was definitely more character-driven than plot-driven. It almost feels more like a rough draft, before all those details that make a story truly wonderful and immersive were added in.
All in all, it's not a bad book. Fairly light-hearted and fast paced. It kept my attention and didn't take very long to read. I don't know if I will pick up the other books in the series. This book ended well enough that I don't have a burning need to find out what happens next. If the other books are conveniently placed in my path, I might pick them up, but it's not a top priority.
btpbookclub's review against another edition
4.0
This is book one in the Potion Diaries series and I absolutely loved it. A race against time to save the princess from her own love potion. A race to win with the cure, but not everyone is going to play fair in order to win. I devoured most of this and I cannot wait to see what lies ahead for this series.
Sam was determined to win and never gave up no matter how many times she got knocked down. Maybe in the end she just needed teamwork & to come together to win. A beautiful outcome and ending. I look forward to book two. Highly recommend. Magical. A well deserved four stars from me.
Sam was determined to win and never gave up no matter how many times she got knocked down. Maybe in the end she just needed teamwork & to come together to win. A beautiful outcome and ending. I look forward to book two. Highly recommend. Magical. A well deserved four stars from me.