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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Beautiful, atmospheric, and mildly haunting. This was like if the atmosphere, mystery, and dark-edged magic of A Study in Drowning met the unraveling mystery of teenage misdeeds of We Were Liars…
The themes of toxic relationships, secrets, and lies were well done.
I didn’t expect the teenage storyline and teen angst and drama isn’t my favorite thing to read about. But I loved the island, the mystery, and the writing. A great fall read.
Quotes:
“Rivulets of rainwater hugged the sidewalks, where bundled-up tourists were hidden beneath bouncing umbrellas.”
“It was a moment split down the seams, clumsily stitched closed by fourteen agonizing years.”
““There are spells for breaking and spells for mending. But there are no spells for forgetting,”
“The cadence of the woods drifted through the open window, where the wind in the trees sounded like a thousand whispers.”
The themes of toxic relationships, secrets, and lies were well done.
I didn’t expect the teenage storyline and teen angst and drama isn’t my favorite thing to read about. But I loved the island, the mystery, and the writing. A great fall read.
Quotes:
“Rivulets of rainwater hugged the sidewalks, where bundled-up tourists were hidden beneath bouncing umbrellas.”
“It was a moment split down the seams, clumsily stitched closed by fourteen agonizing years.”
““There are spells for breaking and spells for mending. But there are no spells for forgetting,”
“The cadence of the woods drifted through the open window, where the wind in the trees sounded like a thousand whispers.”
🌶️/5 barely spicy.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship
I read this for the "Memory Words" prompt in Buzzwordathon but I've had Adrienne Young books on my list for a while.
Unfortunately, this was an excellent example of "Not for Me".
I fear that second-chance romance does not work for me when the reunited couple dated in high school and then, 14 years later, feel as thought no one could ever be more right for them. Emery was with Dutch for SIX years and kept thinking about how she really KNEW August. I get it. First love. But...
This book also did the thing where a character who has shown no flaws besides not being the person you really love suddenly becomes a creep. Dutch just became a cartoonish villain midway through.
Then we have Emery and August in high school who treated their leaving the island like escaping from a cult. August was leaving his abusive grandfather and the life he never wanted but Emery seemed to juts want...a bigger life? Weren't they planning on college? Did Saoirse have a lot of colleges? Emery kept acting as though it was a state secret that they were leaving. Even from their friends.
I guessed that maybe Lily's death was connected to spellwork and then started to think it was her attempt to keep Emery and August on the island. But, in another bizarrely evil turn, she wanted to drown Emery so that she could be with August and convince him Dutch's baby was his so Lily could reclaim the orchard that rightfully belonged to her family.
So her death became less tragic and more like karma.
And then, the orchard. The whole business with the town falsifying records to get the orchard away from August would've felt more important if he had actually wanted the orchard. He so clearly didn't. Once his grandfather died, no one thought they could maybe ask August for the orchard and have him sell it or deed it? We also spent so much time on Emery and August's love story that I barely understood WHY the orchard was so important. So the stakes did not feel high at all by the end.
Also, Emery being shocked that she was a suspect in her best friend's murder when she had been seen fighting with said friend hours earlier was crazy. Obviously you would be a suspect.
I can appreciate that this magical realism, contemporary fiction genre isn't for me but I do also think the book could've spent more time on the worldbuilding and the importance of the orchard and island than the romance between Emery and August (that was maybe still going because of a spell...which I don't love the implications of). Anyway it's a 3. And I somehow deleted this entire review on the last sentence so thank goodness for undo.
Unfortunately, this was an excellent example of "Not for Me".
I fear that second-chance romance does not work for me when the reunited couple dated in high school and then, 14 years later, feel as thought no one could ever be more right for them. Emery was with Dutch for SIX years and kept thinking about how she really KNEW August. I get it. First love. But...
This book also did the thing where a character who has shown no flaws besides not being the person you really love suddenly becomes a creep. Dutch just became a cartoonish villain midway through.
Then we have Emery and August in high school who treated their leaving the island like escaping from a cult. August was leaving his abusive grandfather and the life he never wanted but Emery seemed to juts want...a bigger life? Weren't they planning on college? Did Saoirse have a lot of colleges? Emery kept acting as though it was a state secret that they were leaving. Even from their friends.
I guessed that maybe Lily's death was connected to spellwork and then started to think it was her attempt to keep Emery and August on the island. But, in another bizarrely evil turn, she wanted to drown Emery so that she could be with August and convince him Dutch's baby was his so Lily could reclaim the orchard that rightfully belonged to her family.
So her death became less tragic and more like karma.
And then, the orchard. The whole business with the town falsifying records to get the orchard away from August would've felt more important if he had actually wanted the orchard. He so clearly didn't. Once his grandfather died, no one thought they could maybe ask August for the orchard and have him sell it or deed it? We also spent so much time on Emery and August's love story that I barely understood WHY the orchard was so important. So the stakes did not feel high at all by the end.
Also, Emery being shocked that she was a suspect in her best friend's murder when she had been seen fighting with said friend hours earlier was crazy. Obviously you would be a suspect.
I can appreciate that this magical realism, contemporary fiction genre isn't for me but I do also think the book could've spent more time on the worldbuilding and the importance of the orchard and island than the romance between Emery and August (that was maybe still going because of a spell...which I don't love the implications of). Anyway it's a 3. And I somehow deleted this entire review on the last sentence so thank goodness for undo.
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense