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bree_h_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.75
I really enjoyed most of this book. I found the relationship extremely compelling and every character in the book felt very real and alive. The prose made everything feel very cozy, but instilled a wonderful sense of dread in the scenes it really needed it.
To start, I thought the introduction to the world was very well done and didn’t feel like a long, rambling info dump for most of the early chapters. I thought Maggie’s introduction chapter was beautifully written and captured a melancholic nostalgia. Meanwhile Wes’ really captured the feeling of being out of place and anxious very well. I also enjoyed the difference in their perspectives. Maggie’s chapter made the manor feel comfortable and homey, while Wes’ chapter made it feel cold and eerie. I thought there was a well done, clear distinction between POVs and how different places and circumstances felt different depending on the POV you were in.
I also really enjoyed the relationship, watching Maggie and Wes slowly warm up to each other and come together as friends as they catch feelings was sweet and well executed. Relationships outside of theirs was also amazing. Maggie’s relationship with her mom was so sad, but you could totally understand why she was still so loyal to her mother. Meanwhile Wes’ relationship with his sisters felt so dead on and accurate. There were conversations with his sisters that felt exactly like conversations I’ve had with my two younger brothers and it was all so fun and sweet. Relationships outside of family were also really interesting, watching Maggie and Wes grapple with their identities from religious/ethnic groups outside of the norm felt (unfortunately) very real as well. It was sad and painful to watch them be pushed to the fringes of society and attacked.
The romance too was just so wonderful. I was giggling, kicking my feet, screaming, and freaking out the entire time. The pining and longing and refusal to admit feelings was just so yummy. It never felt ridiculous or overdone for their hesitations to be together, especially Maggie’s. I was also pleasantly surprised by their conflict resolution and that the brief third act break up was an outside force and an overblown miscommunication. I think my only issue with the romance was that I felt two of the really big moments happened at really strange times and it took me out of it a little bit. My other issue with the romance was the spice. Salt and sand on his lips? Wes. Stop. You’re going to give Maggie an infection. (That also took me out of the book.)
Otherwise it was amazing! I think if those had been handled a little bit better I would have easily given this 5 stars. Not rating it 5 stars was already hard, but I couldn’t look past those smaller flubs with the romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Abandonment and Death of parent
wilybooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
4.0
Note: I don't ordinarily read YA these days so please read this review with that in mind.
The writing in this was absolutely gorgeous. So lyrical — poetic, almost — and atmospheric. I highly recommend reading this in autumn because it has perfect spooky, gothic vibes. Margaret and Wes's slow-burn romance was so romantic and tender and full of pining. They both felt like fully fleshed-out characters with realistic flaws and issues. I also enjoyed that they were both poor; usually fantasy romances will have at least one of the pair be royalty or aristocratic or blindingly rich, and that was refreshingly not the case here.
This is a very character-driven and introspective book, and while I loved that aspect, I do wish there had been a little bit more focus on the hala and the hunt. It's mostly squashed into the last 10% and it felt a bit anticlimactic and rushed given the build-up of the previous 90% of the book.
The worldbuilding was also a little bit shaky for me. It's very clearly based on 1920s New England with direct parallels in terms of religion, ethnicity, real-world events and tensions, etc. but then there are some more modern concepts and theories mentioned as well. I know it's fantasy but I think it was too close to the real world to work in terms of cohesion. I think it would have flowed better for me if the world had been a bit more distinctly its own thing or if there were a few more magical/fantastical elements outside of the alchemy and the hala.
Overall, though, this was a lovely heartfelt fantasy romance with some deftly explored themes of loneliness, persecution, trauma, and religion.
The writing in this was absolutely gorgeous. So lyrical — poetic, almost — and atmospheric. I highly recommend reading this in autumn because it has perfect spooky, gothic vibes. Margaret and Wes's slow-burn romance was so romantic and tender and full of pining. They both felt like fully fleshed-out characters with realistic flaws and issues. I also enjoyed that they were both poor; usually fantasy romances will have at least one of the pair be royalty or aristocratic or blindingly rich, and that was refreshingly not the case here.
This is a very character-driven and introspective book, and while I loved that aspect, I do wish there had been a little bit more focus on the hala and the hunt. It's mostly squashed into the last 10% and it felt a bit anticlimactic and rushed given the build-up of the previous 90% of the book.
The worldbuilding was also a little bit shaky for me. It's very clearly based on 1920s New England with direct parallels in terms of religion, ethnicity, real-world events and tensions, etc. but then there are some more modern concepts and theories mentioned as well. I know it's fantasy but I think it was too close to the real world to work in terms of cohesion. I think it would have flowed better for me if the world had been a bit more distinctly its own thing or if there were a few more magical/fantastical elements outside of the alchemy and the hala.
Overall, though, this was a lovely heartfelt fantasy romance with some deftly explored themes of loneliness, persecution, trauma, and religion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Blood, Bullying, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Animal death
Moderate: Ableism, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Classism, Gaslighting, Sexual content, and Grief
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
ka_ke's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
It’s very mediocre, if I put it down, i found it took a lot to pick it back up and start reading again.
It’s got good alchemy lore but oddly a significant amount of walmart brand christianity? I guess maybe it’s the authors way of recovering from some religious trauma.
It’s got good alchemy lore but oddly a significant amount of walmart brand christianity? I guess maybe it’s the authors way of recovering from some religious trauma.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Grief, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Racism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence
Minor: Sexual content, Child death, Toxic friendship, and Xenophobia
annacharlottes's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
A great YA romp with an undercurrent of wisdom about trauma and families.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Antisemitism, Abandonment, Child death, Religious bigotry, and Death
ciwanski's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book has been on my tbr for what feels like forever so I’m glad I finally got around to reading it!!
Slow burn enemies to lovers, and the writing of them falling in love with each other was so sweet it actually made my stomach hurt.
Unfortunately the third act fell a little flat to me. There was so much hype throughout the book about the hunt that when we actually got to that point it felt anticlimactic. I just wish there was more of a lesson learned instead of just a point reiterated? If that makes sense? Like I craved a moment of wonder and clarity for the characters, but instead it all felt a little rushed and vague and more focused on the romance than the plot of anything else to be honest.
I was also kind of confused on the world building? Very obvious Christian vs Jewish bigotry (just under different names) but then I was so confused on how modern of a world it was? Like there were cars and radios and 1920s style and ways of life but more modern language and behaviors? Definitely Irish/English vibes in there too. Interesting choices.
A fun and easy read though!
Slow burn enemies to lovers, and the writing of them falling in love with each other was so sweet it actually made my stomach hurt.
Unfortunately the third act fell a little flat to me. There was so much hype throughout the book about the hunt that when we actually got to that point it felt anticlimactic. I just wish there was more of a lesson learned instead of just a point reiterated? If that makes sense? Like I craved a moment of wonder and clarity for the characters, but instead it all felt a little rushed and vague and more focused on the romance than the plot of anything else to be honest.
I was also kind of confused on the world building? Very obvious Christian vs Jewish bigotry (just under different names) but then I was so confused on how modern of a world it was? Like there were cars and radios and 1920s style and ways of life but more modern language and behaviors? Definitely Irish/English vibes in there too. Interesting choices.
A fun and easy read though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Bullying, Abandonment, Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, and Classism
froggydanny's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Hate crime, Animal death, Religious bigotry, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Bullying
annasneddon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Antisemitism, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Cursing, and Emotional abuse
k0n0's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
New Albion is a Victorian magical England, the author should have called it England. Race and religion play a huge part in this book and as much as I loved the way the author explored these hard concepts in a YA novel the fantasy names could have been dropped. I think just calling the different religions in the book what they were based off would have been helpful. After reading about halfway through I finally pieced it together Yu'adir=Judaism, Sumic=Catholicism, and Katharism=Protestant. The romance was super cute, supportive, there's some spicy inner monolog and satisfying tidbits towards the end. You really root for Wes and Margaret to be happy, ditch her toxic AF mom and grow together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Self harm
Toxic parent and abandonment of teen child which obviously causes some trauma and a panic disorder. Lots and lots of religious bigotry and racism in this book.queenstaves's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Excellent slow burn romance. The only complaint is the sheer length of one of the internal monologues at the climax. Its is such a small complaint though.
Very engaging and well done.
Except... it's weird how much religious significance is emphasized, and the transgressive nature of certain things... to then not have ANY consequences is just bad? There should have been something addressing that, or leave it out, imo.
Very engaging and well done.
Except... it's weird how much religious significance is emphasized, and the transgressive nature of certain things... to then not have ANY consequences is just bad? There should have been something addressing that, or leave it out, imo.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Xenophobia, Abandonment, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Gaslighting and Hate crime
Parental narcissism is also a significant content warning. I did skim/skip some parts to get past it. But it's not done as a shock value thing. It works with the character's growth.moonytoast's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
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
4.75
atmospheric, full of yearning and magic…. definitely a top tier YA fantasy book ❤️
ALSO FUCK EVELYN WELTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ALSO FUCK EVELYN WELTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, and Gore