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fromjuliereads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I don't even have words for how much I enjoyed this book! I read the entirety over my 4 day long weekend.
I was so invested in this story and the characters, and I just had to know what was going on. The story and the world really pulled me in. I loved the reveals, the bits and pieces that we got from all of the characters. I loved how magic and music played a part, and how forgetting was so integral to the story for multiple characters - how some chose it and some were forced without knowing.
I already loved Kristen Ciccarelli's writing from her previous works, and this has further cemented her as a favourite author. Definitely a YA fantasy standalone that I would recommend!
I was so invested in this story and the characters, and I just had to know what was going on. The story and the world really pulled me in. I loved the reveals, the bits and pieces that we got from all of the characters. I loved how magic and music played a part, and how forgetting was so integral to the story for multiple characters - how some chose it and some were forced without knowing.
I already loved Kristen Ciccarelli's writing from her previous works, and this has further cemented her as a favourite author. Definitely a YA fantasy standalone that I would recommend!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Toxic relationship and Pregnancy
stacyroth's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Emeline Lark has left her small hometown of Edgewood to become a singer in Montreal, but whenever she performs, the woods from home won’t leave her alone. The smell of the woods fills her nose; moss creeps across the stage. Still, she does her best to ignore it. When Emeline receives a phone call that her beloved grandfather (who has dementia) has disappeared, she returns home to find him. Emeline scoffed at the Edgewood stories about the Wood King and his court in the forest by Edgewood. However, while trying to find her grandfather, she meets Hawthorne Fell, and despite his insistence that she leave the woods, Emeline meets the Wood King. She makes a deal – her voice for her grandfather’s freedom. The forest is under an evil curse, though, and Emeline finds herself embroiled in its midst.
Caitlin Kelly did a lovely job narrating this YA fantasy book, and Ciccarelli’s talent for imagery builds a beautiful world. I liked that the “fantasy” world in this story took place in the world as we know it. That said, I never truly connected with the main character, which made it hard to really get lost inside the story. The love-interest plotline had some ick factors in it for me, too. Overall, I would say YA fantasy fans will like this book, but it won’t win over readers who don’t favor the genre.
Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Sexual content
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