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bookedandbusy's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-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? No
5.0
I absolutely loved this book! It was a fun, fast paced cute fantasy and I loved the characters!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Police brutality
twistykris's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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? Yes
4.75
This was a super sweet, queer fantasy novel that was just a wonderful read for this time of year (September). I loved both Rook and Sun's journeys of self-discovery as they both struggle with finding their place in the world and eventually discover that they are enough. And Antonia and Fable were just wonderful (and I know she's not the same, but for some reason Antonia gave me Eda vibes from The Owl House). Not really enemies-to-lovers, but more a sort of academic rivals vibe with some grumpy-sunshine and found family tropes sprinkled in.
The whole section of
Sun being a cat and chasing leaves and meowing and cuddling and purring just made me so smiley 🥹
The only reason I'm removing a .25 star (and may just change to a 5-star in the future) is because of a couple things. One being that it repeated itself a few times, like almost word -for-word sentences (namely when Rook thinks/ talks about the butterflies his grandmother made with magic that he'd catch in the summer). And then the ending felt.. a little less than satisfactory. There's this whole "fight the system" arc that turns into "appealing to the better nature of the oppressors and things change." I wasn't wishing for violence or a full-blown revolution, but it kinda took the wind out of my sails.
Overall, a really fun, inclusive late-summer-turning-to-fall read, and I'm looking forward to reading more from F.T. Lukens!
Oh, and a quote that had me laughing like an idiot:
The whole section of
The only reason I'm removing a .25 star (and may just change to a 5-star in the future) is because of a couple things. One being that it repeated itself a few times, like almost word -for-word sentences (namely when Rook thinks/ talks about the butterflies his grandmother made with magic that he'd catch in the summer). And then the ending felt.. a little less than satisfactory. There's this whole "fight the system" arc that turns into "appealing to the better nature of the oppressors and things change." I wasn't wishing for violence or a full-blown revolution, but it kinda took the wind out of my sails.
Overall, a really fun, inclusive late-summer-turning-to-fall read, and I'm looking forward to reading more from F.T. Lukens!
Oh, and a quote that had me laughing like an idiot:
They weren't going to catch me. I was the motherfucking Gingerbread Man.
-Rook
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Violence
Moderate: Police brutality
Minor: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Deadnaming
caidyn's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
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
This was very cute! I liked Rook and Sun. Although Antonia stole the show.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Police brutality
analenegrace's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
F.T. Lukens has yet to disappoint me; this was another fun, fantastical romp. Their books are great for those who want fantasy but don't want to commit to 1000 pages of lore. While there could be more lore, I appreciate what we get from their universes, and this one was no exception.
Rook and Sun, as well as their magical mentors, were fun characters I found myself rooting for very quickly. I love found family tropes and grumpy sunshine tropes, so this was a super easy read. It was very fast-paced and a quick read.
Rook and Sun, as well as their magical mentors, were fun characters I found myself rooting for very quickly. I love found family tropes and grumpy sunshine tropes, so this was a super easy read. It was very fast-paced and a quick read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Police brutality, Classism, and Violence
Minor: Grief
ofbooksandechos's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Police brutality and Violence
Additional content warnings: fictional magical law enforcement organisation brutality, community gatekeeping, claustrophobia
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