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kymreads33's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
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
3.75
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
● YA
● Fantasy romance
● Secret garden retelling
This was cute! Quill and Liam are adorable as they get to know each other. I thoroughly enjoyed the magic aspects and truly didn't see the twist coming.
Quill is the only male dryad to ever be born. With his bright green hair, he is definitely a little different. His mother keeps him inside at all times and all Quill wants is to be normal and go to school. Then Liam moved next door, a human. The two quickly become close and Quill trusts him with his family secret. But will Liam keep the secret?
I loved that there was a little mystery going on along with the boys' growing friendship.
It does read like a debut novel, but for its target audience I think it's terrific.
● YA
● Fantasy romance
● Secret garden retelling
This was cute! Quill and Liam are adorable as they get to know each other. I thoroughly enjoyed the magic aspects and truly didn't see the twist coming.
Quill is the only male dryad to ever be born. With his bright green hair, he is definitely a little different. His mother keeps him inside at all times and all Quill wants is to be normal and go to school. Then Liam moved next door, a human. The two quickly become close and Quill trusts him with his family secret. But will Liam keep the secret?
I loved that there was a little mystery going on along with the boys' growing friendship.
It does read like a debut novel, but for its target audience I think it's terrific.
sproutedpages's review
adventurous
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
2.0
Thank you to NetGalley, Entangled: Teen, and author Devin Greenlee for providing me with an advanced digital copy of this novel to review. All opinions within this review are voluntarily given and entirely my own.
Evergreen is a queer coming-of-age urban romantasy, told from the perspective of teenage dryad Quill, who is just beginning to extend his roots into the world of humans after a childhood of seclusion. Though advertised as a reimagining of The Secret Garden (and similarly described by the author as Rapunzel meets The Secret Garden), Evergreen’s primary parallel to the classic is that it also contains a garden that is kept secret— beyond that, shared plot and thematic components are minimal. That said, Evergreen has an interesting premise, but fails to elaborate sufficiently on what I feel are the most interesting elements of the story: the dryads and their garden. Because of this, it is difficult to grasp the scale of the stakes until very near the end of the novel, which makes the presence (and identity) of the antagonist feel out-of-place, and the ending rushed. There are also several plot and narrative inconsistencies, so perhaps Evergreen could have benefitted from more time spent on developmental editing and revisions. I do, however, feel that Evergreen will be better received by its (intended) YA audience.
Evergreen is a queer coming-of-age urban romantasy, told from the perspective of teenage dryad Quill, who is just beginning to extend his roots into the world of humans after a childhood of seclusion. Though advertised as a reimagining of The Secret Garden (and similarly described by the author as Rapunzel meets The Secret Garden), Evergreen’s primary parallel to the classic is that it also contains a garden that is kept secret— beyond that, shared plot and thematic components are minimal. That said, Evergreen has an interesting premise, but fails to elaborate sufficiently on what I feel are the most interesting elements of the story: the dryads and their garden. Because of this, it is difficult to grasp the scale of the stakes until very near the end of the novel, which makes the presence (and identity) of the antagonist feel out-of-place, and the ending rushed. There are also several plot and narrative inconsistencies, so perhaps Evergreen could have benefitted from more time spent on developmental editing and revisions. I do, however, feel that Evergreen will be better received by its (intended) YA audience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
green_ghost's review
2.5
Thanks to Netgalley and Devin Greenlee for approving this eARC in exchange for my honest review!
Dryads, a magical garden, a pretty cool premise - I did not know however, that this was marketed as a retelling of The Secret Garden, which is a book I dislike immensely.
This book, was significantly more enjoyable for me than The Secret Garden, but just didn't click with me. I found the dialogue to be a tad corny at times, albeit amusing in some instances. I do however think, that this was pretty good debut, for Devin Greenlee, I'm interested in checking out any future works of his!
If you're looking for a cute romantasy, are a fan of The Secret Garden, and like mythology mixed with an urban setting, you will most likely enjoy this story!
Dryads, a magical garden, a pretty cool premise - I did not know however, that this was marketed as a retelling of The Secret Garden, which is a book I dislike immensely.
This book, was significantly more enjoyable for me than The Secret Garden, but just didn't click with me. I found the dialogue to be a tad corny at times, albeit amusing in some instances. I do however think, that this was pretty good debut, for Devin Greenlee, I'm interested in checking out any future works of his!
If you're looking for a cute romantasy, are a fan of The Secret Garden, and like mythology mixed with an urban setting, you will most likely enjoy this story!
thebookishren's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
Wow. First, let me congratulate Devin Greenlee on a superb debut novel! I’ve never read anything like this and I was hooked from the first page. A true YA fantasy novel with vivid descriptions, simple (mostly) sentence structure, and so much imagination.
𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒚 𝒂 𝒅𝒓𝒚𝒂𝒅’𝒔 𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒏, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒄. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚. 𝑺𝒐, 𝒏𝒐 𝒃𝒊𝒈 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒍, 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚.
Quill is a seventeen year old who also happens to be the only male dryad ever born. He spends his days tending his family’s magical garden and he’s desperate to find freedom outside his life. Then one night he meets Liam, the new boy who moves in next door and things start to happen. Someone is breaking into the garden and Quill begins to fall in love, all while sneaking out and finding his freedom.
The suspense lasted until about 80% and then BAM, everything happens. I actually liked the pace because we got to watch the bond between Quill and Liam grow and develop. It was so innocent and sweet!
“𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒕. 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒖𝒑 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑰 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑. 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅.”
There were a handful of plot holes or mistakes. A time discrepancy once or twice and while I really enjoyed the ending, I wouldn’t have minded a few more chapters wrapping everything up a bit more solidly. Regardless, this was a fantastic debut and I can’t wait to see what Devin gives us in the future.
𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘦: January 16, 2024
𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚. 𝙈𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙞𝙨 𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮.
bookshelvesandtealeaves's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
michellefromsomewhere's review against another edition
2.0
This book had potential, especially as a debut, but ultimately I wish the author had asked himself "why?" more often while writing. I also really liked reading a cute, gay romance where being gay was not part of the conflict of the book! The concept of a dryad family running a flower shop was so cute and I wish we had gotten to see even more of them interacting with customers and running the shop.
The writing was young, but as it is a teen book that is not factored into my rating, just a heads up for other readers. My main issue with the story is that the first ~80% of the story is centered around Quill and Liam flirting and sneaking out on dates, and the major conflict of the book is entirely rushed in the last 20%. The emotional moments felt like rushed devices for dialogue and not for real character or story development.
Spoilers below:
There was more potential for a reconciliation with a parent/child relationship that could have resonated with a teenage audience, but the main conflict was never really between Quill and his mother. I liked the struggle with him not having his powers, and him not noticing the signs of his powers the whole book. But at the end, his powers come in suddenly in a BIG WAY, and he has complete control of them, and they just so happen to save the day! Also, if Azazel knew about Quill's powers, and was scared of them, wouldn't Quill be the first mind to take over? And if his mind was protected because of the phantom root (even though that's sort of disproved in the text), why wouldn't Azazel just kill him? If Azazel was already in Laurel's mind, why would she have given Quill the phantom root to begin with? And Azazel being in Laurel's mind at that point would be the only satisfying reason for why Laurel was adamant about not telling their mom, which had Quill done from the beginning, could have prevented the whole conflict. Overall, it was a very rushed and unsatisfying climax and resolution.
Lastly, the flower blooming in the presence of the true love between two seventeen year olds who have known each other for two weeks was so cringe.
TLDR; a lot of potential, needed better pacing and a better grasp of the stakes of the primary conflict.
Thank you Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book!
The writing was young, but as it is a teen book that is not factored into my rating, just a heads up for other readers. My main issue with the story is that the first ~80% of the story is centered around Quill and Liam flirting and sneaking out on dates, and the major conflict of the book is entirely rushed in the last 20%. The emotional moments felt like rushed devices for dialogue and not for real character or story development.
Spoilers below:
There was more potential for a reconciliation with a parent/child relationship that could have resonated with a teenage audience, but the main conflict was never really between Quill and his mother. I liked the struggle with him not having his powers, and him not noticing the signs of his powers the whole book. But at the end, his powers come in suddenly in a BIG WAY, and he has complete control of them, and they just so happen to save the day! Also, if Azazel knew about Quill's powers, and was scared of them, wouldn't Quill be the first mind to take over? And if his mind was protected because of the phantom root (even though that's sort of disproved in the text), why wouldn't Azazel just kill him? If Azazel was already in Laurel's mind, why would she have given Quill the phantom root to begin with? And Azazel being in Laurel's mind at that point would be the only satisfying reason for why Laurel was adamant about not telling their mom, which had Quill done from the beginning, could have prevented the whole conflict. Overall, it was a very rushed and unsatisfying climax and resolution.
Lastly, the flower blooming in the presence of the true love between two seventeen year olds who have known each other for two weeks was so cringe.
TLDR; a lot of potential, needed better pacing and a better grasp of the stakes of the primary conflict.
Thank you Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book!
wonkyjaw's review against another edition
fast-paced
2.5
Evergreen is only in the loosest sense a reimagining of The Secret Garden, which was the main point of interest for me personally going into it, but at this point I take most comps with a grain of salt anyway. (This book is also a lesson in not judging based solely off of covers because for some reason I went into this thinking it was sapphic??)
Honestly, though, Evergreen is an urban fantasy coming of age story that leans heavily into a romance between Quill, the first male druid and a bit of a Rapunzel character, and Liam, the boy next door. Quill is tasked with taking care of his family’s magical garden while he struggles to come to terms with the fact that he’s 17 and hasn’t shown any magical capabilities of his own.
Quill is stubborn and selfish, sarcastic and incredibly bitter, yet so fully naive at times. I tend to really enjoy unlikable narrators and he definitely fits the bill, though I can’t tell if it was intentional or not. For most of the book the fact that Quill was just a teenager who made stupid or silly decisions felt like a nice change, but there’s a point where you expect the main character to grow. With Quill that switch comes late and sudden when I’d have thoroughly enjoyed a slow build. Outside of that he was sometimes very inconsistent with his narration in a way that doesn’t feel intentional. Something about him stumbling his way through the human world was just so fun to read, though what he knew and didn’t know felt like this part of his character could have benefited from being a little more thought out.
There were also times when the information he was conveying was inconsistent as well. He’d wax poetic about how he knew every inch of the garden in one chapter, then the next introduce a room he’s never been allowed inside of, then the next reveal that he hardly ever strayed past the front of the garden actually, and a few chapters later complain that he’d walked every inch of it a hundred times over the years. That inconsistency existed in other areas of the writing too, creating plot holes and convenient excuses that were difficult to ignore. I found myself fact checking (tap water does have chlorine in it more often than not and like 90% of gummy worms aren’t vegan) and constantly flipping back and forth to make sure that I wasn’t actually crazy and that there were direct contradictions happening.
That said, getting to read a story based around a family of dryads was interesting and the fantasy elements built into the world were very soft and generally fun and easy to understand. I think the soft world building was the most developed part of the story and allowed for moments that genuinely shone in my opinion. It stayed consistent in ways the other parts of the writing just didn’t.
Honestly, this book just needed another round or two of edits and some more in-depth development. The idea is solid and there are parts that made me want to like the whole book far more than I did. For instance, the ‘big bad’ and the last quarter of the book? Imagining someone just walking into town and finding that situation? Fantastic creeping horror idea. It’s going to haunt me, genuinely. (I’m trying to avoid spoilers so bad, guys.)
There are scenes that shine and the bones to a really great story, but in the end there just wasn’t enough development. I think Greenlee could do some really cool things in the future, this debut was just a little too rushed. It would have benefited from some more eyes on it and another draft, but he’s an author I’ll be keeping an eye on for sure.
[I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Huge thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for this ARC.]
Honestly, though, Evergreen is an urban fantasy coming of age story that leans heavily into a romance between Quill, the first male druid and a bit of a Rapunzel character, and Liam, the boy next door. Quill is tasked with taking care of his family’s magical garden while he struggles to come to terms with the fact that he’s 17 and hasn’t shown any magical capabilities of his own.
Quill is stubborn and selfish, sarcastic and incredibly bitter, yet so fully naive at times. I tend to really enjoy unlikable narrators and he definitely fits the bill, though I can’t tell if it was intentional or not. For most of the book the fact that Quill was just a teenager who made stupid or silly decisions felt like a nice change, but there’s a point where you expect the main character to grow. With Quill that switch comes late and sudden when I’d have thoroughly enjoyed a slow build. Outside of that he was sometimes very inconsistent with his narration in a way that doesn’t feel intentional. Something about him stumbling his way through the human world was just so fun to read, though what he knew and didn’t know felt like this part of his character could have benefited from being a little more thought out.
There were also times when the information he was conveying was inconsistent as well. He’d wax poetic about how he knew every inch of the garden in one chapter, then the next introduce a room he’s never been allowed inside of, then the next reveal that he hardly ever strayed past the front of the garden actually, and a few chapters later complain that he’d walked every inch of it a hundred times over the years. That inconsistency existed in other areas of the writing too, creating plot holes and convenient excuses that were difficult to ignore. I found myself fact checking (tap water does have chlorine in it more often than not and like 90% of gummy worms aren’t vegan) and constantly flipping back and forth to make sure that I wasn’t actually crazy and that there were direct contradictions happening.
That said, getting to read a story based around a family of dryads was interesting and the fantasy elements built into the world were very soft and generally fun and easy to understand. I think the soft world building was the most developed part of the story and allowed for moments that genuinely shone in my opinion. It stayed consistent in ways the other parts of the writing just didn’t.
Honestly, this book just needed another round or two of edits and some more in-depth development. The idea is solid and there are parts that made me want to like the whole book far more than I did. For instance, the ‘big bad’ and the last quarter of the book? Imagining someone just walking into town and finding that situation? Fantastic creeping horror idea. It’s going to haunt me, genuinely. (I’m trying to avoid spoilers so bad, guys.)
There are scenes that shine and the bones to a really great story, but in the end there just wasn’t enough development. I think Greenlee could do some really cool things in the future, this debut was just a little too rushed. It would have benefited from some more eyes on it and another draft, but he’s an author I’ll be keeping an eye on for sure.
[I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Huge thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for this ARC.]
jes's review
lighthearted
mysterious
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? Yes
2.5
yvesreads's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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
4.75
M/M, YA fantasy romance. This book was honestly great! The flow and pacing of the story were also great. There was never a dull moment and I really love the progression of the relationship between Quill and Liam. I think the two characters are adorable and I wish the story was longer but anyway, it ended well and those plot twists were not forced; I like how they were gradually unraveled as I was reading through. I actually got a bit terrified when the mother revealed what might have caused all the trouble. Like...what the hell could it be then???
I don't know if this is a plot hole but Liam mentioned that he was allergic to flowers that he even closed Liam's windows because the scent reached his place but when Quill brought him to their garden, he seemed fine that's why I thought he was lying, contributing to the fact that he might be the bad guy. (Edit: this is not a plot hole. I forgot a part in the book and this was answered)
💎 Thank you Netgalley and Devin Greenlee for the eARC copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
anniekslibrary's review
4.0
This is a very solid debut, and one that I will be recommending to people. I think this did romance-heavy fantasy really well, making the fantasy element accessible and fun, and the romance super cute and heartfelt.
I do think there was a little bit of a tonal shift around the 80% mark. Up until then the book was mostly focused on the romance and on Quill wanting more freedom. Then around 80% the main mystery is solved and it sets a bunch of events in motion. This part of the story felt fresh and enjoyable, but it also felt rushed. I would have enjoyed the book even more if this last part of the book had been fleshed out a little more.
I do think there was a little bit of a tonal shift around the 80% mark. Up until then the book was mostly focused on the romance and on Quill wanting more freedom. Then around 80% the main mystery is solved and it sets a bunch of events in motion. This part of the story felt fresh and enjoyable, but it also felt rushed. I would have enjoyed the book even more if this last part of the book had been fleshed out a little more.