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thecottagebookworm's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
julielovesbooks72's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
cimorene1558's review
2.0
I found this book incredibly annoying. Is it horror? Is it a rather pastoral fantasy? Who knows? Certainly the author seems to be unsure. There were good bits, but they don’t go anywhere, and the illustrations are distracting and not to my taste. I really wanted to like this, but I just can’t, it’s not at all good.
macbeckyton's review
4.0
I don't read YA stuff very often and I originally bought this book for the illustrations but it turned out to be quite weird and quite wonderful and just the tonic I needed.
gillyg19's review
2.0
Slow and boring. I didn’t care about the characters much at all and the story really dragged.
meredithahobbs's review
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
elmermel's review
3.0
I love Janet Hill's art and I've been a big fan for years. I discovered she had a picture book about dogs, which I bought for my Aunt (Hi Aunt Kristy!), and I thought that was cute so I decided to give this book a try. Plus, the cover reminded me of a Nancy Drew novel so how could I resist?
I adore the subject matter of this book - witches, whimsy etc. - and the characters and plot were good as well. My main issue with this book is its brevity. I'm assuming it was short because this was her first novel or perhaps it was intended for a younger audience. Janet Hill created a unique take on witches but it all felt really rushed. There were so many interesting characters but none of them felt fully flushed out. I feel like this could have been amazing had it been written as a 400-some page novel for adults.
I would recommend this book as a quick, light read with delightful illustrations, and as a way to support this amazing artist.
https://bookshop.org/a/93510/9781770499249
I adore the subject matter of this book - witches, whimsy etc. - and the characters and plot were good as well. My main issue with this book is its brevity. I'm assuming it was short because this was her first novel or perhaps it was intended for a younger audience. Janet Hill created a unique take on witches but it all felt really rushed. There were so many interesting characters but none of them felt fully flushed out. I feel like this could have been amazing had it been written as a 400-some page novel for adults.
I would recommend this book as a quick, light read with delightful illustrations, and as a way to support this amazing artist.
https://bookshop.org/a/93510/9781770499249
kailadan's review
4.0
Thank you to Penguin Random House for the reading copy of this book. What makes this title so unique is the absolutely beautiful artwork scattered throughout. The plot was interesting with a good twist at the end but it kind of meandered its way along - I would have liked some more interaction perhaps with neighbours or history or other magical events. The whole story felt distanced to me - it didn't draw me in, I think because the characters were a bit flat. Perhaps this is more to do with the reading level (intended for younger teens I believe?) I do hope that there is a sequel planned with stories about those interesting attic finds! Perhaps the best way I can sum this up is a Muggle version of Harry Potter. I gave it a 4 rather than a 3 for the lovely art.