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thelittlestlibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
When I started reading this book, I never expected it to be so fascinating. The premise sounded fairly standard for books in the same genre, but I love books about London so I got it from Libby. OH. MY. GOD. this book is so good! I paused reading at the beginning to read about Holland House and was so confused to find no information on a museum that was described so vividly and sounded so real. I didn't realize until the end why I couldn't find any information on it! The true timeline is such an interesting concept without feeling overdone and I really enjoyed the details of it.
The world of monsters feels really original, and the different gifts of the families makes me really curious to know what families outside London are like. I'm also salty that Aaron and Joan weren't allowed to see each other again because they clearly had a bond and I'm sad they couldn't stay together in the timeline.
The world of monsters feels really original, and the different gifts of the families makes me really curious to know what families outside London are like. I'm also salty that Aaron and Joan weren't allowed to see each other again because they clearly had a bond and I'm sad they couldn't stay together in the timeline.
samsbookcase's review against another edition
5.0
Finished on December 21st, 2022
I rounded my eventual rating up to 5 stars. My younger self would've stayed up during the night to finish this book, but my older self knows I shouldn't because I need my sleep. So I reluctantly put it down for me to finish this evening.
I said the following on one of my updates:
Do you know those books that you’ve been putting off reading for a while but then you start and you get sucked into the story immediately, forgetting everything around you and you’re not able to put it back down because you NEED to know what happens next? That is this book.
And it truly is. I would recommend it to anyone that loves YA Fantasy. This book had monsters, time-travel, family bound powers, lovers to enemies, enemies to potential lovers, dealing with trauma, finding comfort in someone you never thought you'd find comfort in, lots of loss and grief in more than one way. It was fast paced, keeping you on the edge of your seat during all times. This book has so much. I felt as conflicted as Joan was during the entirety of the book. Hero vs Monsters. So wonderfully complicated and enthralling.
That last chapter was heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time and has me yearning for more. I genuinely can not wait for the sequel to come out, to see what else is in store for Joan.
I rounded my eventual rating up to 5 stars. My younger self would've stayed up during the night to finish this book, but my older self knows I shouldn't because I need my sleep. So I reluctantly put it down for me to finish this evening.
I said the following on one of my updates:
Do you know those books that you’ve been putting off reading for a while but then you start and you get sucked into the story immediately, forgetting everything around you and you’re not able to put it back down because you NEED to know what happens next? That is this book.
And it truly is. I would recommend it to anyone that loves YA Fantasy. This book had monsters, time-travel, family bound powers, lovers to enemies, enemies to potential lovers, dealing with trauma, finding comfort in someone you never thought you'd find comfort in, lots of loss and grief in more than one way. It was fast paced, keeping you on the edge of your seat during all times. This book has so much. I felt as conflicted as Joan was during the entirety of the book. Hero vs Monsters. So wonderfully complicated and enthralling.
That last chapter was heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time and has me yearning for more. I genuinely can not wait for the sequel to come out, to see what else is in store for Joan.
scifi_sama's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
nattisue17's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
The FMC is hard to like, in my opinion. I didn't super enjoy this read
yulie's review against another edition
3.0
There are a few glaring faults to this, but I found it extremely fun and easy to read. Does Joan get a little exasperating sometimes when she willingly explains away or ignores obvious cues? Yes. Is it a bit irritating when she willingly puts people into danger for her own agendas? Yup. But it's whatever, it's part of the YA energy and she's definitely on the better side of YA protagonists since she's actually useful and remorseful about things.
Aaron deserves better though and I'm 1000% more interested in him than Nick. Nick is so boring I want to cry whenever he's back on the page.
What I will excessively praise, though, is how much I loved all the cultural representation in this. Reading about Joan's family and the foods and the memories she had was really heart-warming. It's nice being represented!
Aaron deserves better though and I'm 1000% more interested in him than Nick. Nick is so boring I want to cry whenever he's back on the page.
What I will excessively praise, though, is how much I loved all the cultural representation in this. Reading about Joan's family and the foods and the memories she had was really heart-warming. It's nice being represented!
eirelynbird's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
t_jenkins's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
gabrielaa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
indianahat's review against another edition
5.0
I can’t believe I didn’t review this sooner. This book seriously has to be one of my top reads for 2022. Can’t wait to read the remainder of the series in the future and absolutely recommend for anyone starting the fantasy genre.