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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
emotional
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:
Yes
I really enjoyed this novel, from the atmosphere to the characters to the ruminations on how people look away from the difficult or ugly things around them.
Our main characters felt very grounded and realistically flawed. Opal especially felt very realized. The romance between her and Arthur was very enjoyable to watch progress. The House was a delightful character and I ultimately liked the explanation for its sentience,not a ghost or spirit, but simply a house that learned to dream thanks to the magic of the river beneath it .
My complaints are pretty minor - the plot about the organization trying to get to the House wasn't concluded in a particularly satisfying way, and Jasper'sgoing off to school felt very slapdash. I think it was a good idea given the arc of his character, but in execution, it felt very rushed and unrealistic.
The framing device using the illustrations and footnotes that all comes together at the end was really fun - I was worried it wouldn't land for me or feel disingenuous, but I actually really liked it! It felt properly laid out throughout the book.
Overall, highly recommend!
Our main characters felt very grounded and realistically flawed. Opal especially felt very realized. The romance between her and Arthur was very enjoyable to watch progress. The House was a delightful character and I ultimately liked the explanation for its sentience,
My complaints are pretty minor - the plot about the organization trying to get to the House wasn't concluded in a particularly satisfying way, and Jasper's
The framing device using the illustrations and footnotes that all comes together at the end was really fun - I was worried it wouldn't land for me or feel disingenuous, but I actually really liked it! It felt properly laid out throughout the book.
Overall, highly recommend!
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is Ninth House’s softer, gentler little sister.
I loved the characters of Opal and Jasper, the themes of lying and storytelling, and how both Eden and the House were real, fleshed-out characters. It manages a soft landing to a book that felt pretty grim and genuinely spooky at points, which isn’t easier.
The Evil Secret Organization subplot lacked a satisfying conclusion and the romantic subplot felt like it was missing all its important middle bits, but I’m inclined to overlook those parts because the Gothic vibes are so good.
4.5 stars, which really goes to show the importance of marketing, because if I had picked this up as a Beauty and the Beast retelling, it would be like 2 stars at most.
I loved the characters of Opal and Jasper, the themes of lying and storytelling, and how both Eden and the House were real, fleshed-out characters. It manages a soft landing to a book that felt pretty grim and genuinely spooky at points, which isn’t easier.
The Evil Secret Organization subplot lacked a satisfying conclusion and the romantic subplot felt like it was missing all its important middle bits, but I’m inclined to overlook those parts because the Gothic vibes are so good.
4.5 stars, which really goes to show the importance of marketing, because if I had picked this up as a Beauty and the Beast retelling, it would be like 2 stars at most.
I do love a house with a personality. Overall this book was an enjoyable one though the plot rang a little Jupiter Ascending if I had to think too closely on it. A woman cleaning for money ends up finding out she’s much more important than she thought. And the ending, while as satisfying as it could have been, didn’t really excite me or disappoint me. I think the story had a kind of magical slower pace like the more adult sections of Practical Magic and while the stakes never seemed too terribly high, I still enjoyed the characters enough to follow this story to its end. The house was really the best part of the book.
fast-paced