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booklover160's review against another edition
4.0
I DID IT. I FINISHED IT IN JANUARY! Silly achievement aside, this was not what I was expecting... but in a good way.
TW:
This was much darker than I anticipated. Luckily, Tiff, my readalong partner, warned me of the triggers in the book and while it softened the blow at the start, the lengths of the abuse at the end made me queasy.
But this is still a romance after all. And the first kiss scene was so magical and sweet and lovely, it made me believe in love a thousandfold.
For the pros, the writing was definitely magical and engaging. I liked the flowery language when the boys got all lovey-dovey and yet the magic tricks were so well described, I was holding my breath reading. I LOVED Wil and Jack. They were so well-rounded and their stories broke my heart. I LOVED the whole cast of characters (other than the baddies who were just plain evil) and I was surprised at how passionately I felt for them by the end.
But it wasn't perfect. I really feel that at least 100 pages could have been cut. The end felt like it was dragged out WAY too long and the final trick was way too fast. I thought the end felt a little too neatly tied up, but I also could have read a whole nother novel about our boys.
Overall, this was super interesting and well written for a story about two magical boys who fall in love in 1909. I look forward to more from this author.
TW:
Spoiler
abuse (physical and mental), parental abuse, kidnapping, death, torture, racismThis was much darker than I anticipated. Luckily, Tiff, my readalong partner, warned me of the triggers in the book and while it softened the blow at the start, the lengths of the abuse at the end made me queasy.
But this is still a romance after all. And the first kiss scene was so magical and sweet and lovely, it made me believe in love a thousandfold.
For the pros, the writing was definitely magical and engaging. I liked the flowery language when the boys got all lovey-dovey and yet the magic tricks were so well described, I was holding my breath reading. I LOVED Wil and Jack. They were so well-rounded and their stories broke my heart. I LOVED the whole cast of characters (other than the baddies who were just plain evil) and I was surprised at how passionately I felt for them by the end.
But it wasn't perfect. I really feel that at least 100 pages could have been cut. The end felt like it was dragged out WAY too long and the final trick was way too fast. I thought the end felt a little too neatly tied up, but I also could have read a whole nother novel about our boys.
Overall, this was super interesting and well written for a story about two magical boys who fall in love in 1909. I look forward to more from this author.
nutmegandselkie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, and Sexism
aspenandcopper's review against another edition
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Stalking, and Classism
malalaisee's review against another edition
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
3.75
bookpup's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
I don't like open ended endings!!
The rest of the story was cute enough. I loathed the so called "parental figures" in both Jack and Wil's life. Especially after Jack's betrayal. How could they leave him without saying anything??
I don't like open ended endings!!
The rest of the story was cute enough. I loathed the so called "parental figures" in both Jack and Wil's life. Especially after Jack's betrayal. How could they leave him without saying anything??
erni's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
capyval's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Excellent characters, interesting plot, and the correct amount of fantasy in an historical set.
Perhaps it is important to check the trigger warnings before reading this book, although know that there's no homophobia included, which I agree with the author, was the correct choice for this story.
Perhaps it is important to check the trigger warnings before reading this book, although know that there's no homophobia included, which I agree with the author, was the correct choice for this story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Blood, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Misogyny and Racism
spacey_ghost's review against another edition
Really tried my best to sit through and still had to put this down. I don't know why this was such a hard read for me but I just couldn't seem to care about anything going on, even when one of the characters has the whole "actual magic and has been kidnapped" thing going on