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cozywithraven's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
This book was a lot more than I was expecting. I was a little hesitant at the first chapter, but after I got deeper into it, I couldn't put it down. I wanted to stay in the book as long as possible, I wish I could just go into the world and stay there š
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Violence, Miscarriage, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
lucien_png's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The romance was pretty good but it felt like there were a bunch of different tropes that were just shoved together. True love, true love's curse, forbidden love, and one bed (for some reason).
I prefer a hard magic system and this felt more like a soft magic system.Like when we find out that she can influence the weather, it didn't feel like that would be something that would fit in her power set.
The death of Mr. Beny felt like the author just killed off a character for no good reasons. Im glad he got his happy ending. But other than his ending there didn't seem like he died for any good reason.
I prefer a hard magic system and this felt more like a soft magic system.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Sexual content
Moderate: Kidnapping
apandabearcub's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Gore
ana_the_frog's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Moderate: Blood, Miscarriage, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Infertility, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
mamaewalk's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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? No
4.5
Such a good read. Starts off cozy and sweet but definitely has high stakes in second half. What I love is the queer joy. Queer relationships are a normal thing that no one bats an eye at in this world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent, Miscarriage, Infertility, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abandonment, Abortion, Emotional abuse, and Violence
ninjamuse's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-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? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Violence, Death, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent and Torture
jadubug's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Iām getting back into reading fiction and really enjoyed this book as my re-entry! While the pace was pretty fast at first, it evened out and I had time to fall in love with the characters. I post it noted my favorite passages and everything, I donāt remember the last time I read a book so fast! The direction of the story isnāt as challenging to predict, but I think a read like that was suited to my needs. I really loved the characters, both main and background. Little moments made me so happy, and I love to see friendships and relationships form. I also love nature and connections to nature that are either spiritual or bigger than we are, so I was bound to enjoy this book.
As for the āitās complicatedā aspects of my ratings, I feel like it was a little hard to track character development because a lot of development happened off screen. I feel like itās a little understandable since thereās a lot to cover in the timeline, but Marigold got the hang of things pretty quickly, considering the speed of her circumstances changing. I also chose that ranking for the diversity category since most of the main characters are queer, but most of the characters are also white. I guess itās part of the setting (1800s Western Europe esque setting), but it would be nice to see more important characters of color like August.
Overall, I just had the best time reading this book!! Iām so glad I got a physical copy so it will always be on my shelf. I really want to draw the characters, now.
As for the āitās complicatedā aspects of my ratings, I feel like it was a little hard to track character development because a lot of development happened off screen. I feel like itās a little understandable since thereās a lot to cover in the timeline, but Marigold got the hang of things pretty quickly, considering the speed of her circumstances changing. I also chose that ranking for the diversity category since most of the main characters are queer, but most of the characters are also white. I guess itās part of the setting (1800s Western Europe esque setting), but it would be nice to see more important characters of color like August.
Overall, I just had the best time reading this book!! Iām so glad I got a physical copy so it will always be on my shelf. I really want to draw the characters, now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Grief, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
theneonvulture's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Violence
sweetxsage's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I would have loved to see more focus on the characters outside of Marigold and Lottie. It felt very troupe-focused and the characters felt like shells of who they could have been.
The narrator also made the beginning of the novel confusing. Being thrown into a dilemma with multiple people interjecting was difficult to follow when we barely learned the names or importance of the characters.
Mari reminds me a lot of Eloise from Bridgerton, and I wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't inspired by her. Definitely a fun little read if you don't take it too seriously. A solid debut novel.
The narrator also made the beginning of the novel confusing. Being thrown into a dilemma with multiple people interjecting was difficult to follow when we barely learned the names or importance of the characters.
Mari reminds me a lot of Eloise from Bridgerton, and I wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't inspired by her. Definitely a fun little read if you don't take it too seriously. A solid debut novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content
kimwritesstuff'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
First off, I love a gay witch story, give me more. The characters in this book were so lovable in that frustrating "just kiss" kind of way. When we first meet Marigold, she is convinced she'll be a spinster and she's fine with that. She wants to dance in the fields and scream at the moon, things a proper wife wouldn't do. When her estranged grandmother shows up and tells Marigold she's a honey witch, Marigold finally feels like she fits.
Of course, there is a curse, a curse that an ash witch placed on her family. No one can ever love a honey witch. At first, Marigold doesn't really care. She never thought she'd marry anyway, but when her grandmother passes and she must take care of their magical island herself, she realizes how lonely she is. When her childhood friend August comes to visit and brings the sullen Lottie, Marigold realizes how lonely she's been. When Lottie states she doesn't believe in magic, Marigold jumps at the chance to prove herself by helping August find true love. The process of making the spell reveals more to Marigold about what it means to love and the price magic can take.
The whole book takes place in an alternative England, where queer love in the 19th century is more accepted. August, Lottie, and Marigold are all queer characters, and even though this is more accepted, there is still a lot of societal pressure on women. Women are supposed to engage in womanly pursuits and marry. This part of the world building kind of stuck out to me. I get that the author was using this as an allegory to explore how repressed women are in society, but it just felt heavy-handed to me. It was the only part that really took me out of the story. Why would gay partnerships be okay, but women were still second-class citizens? I just felt like there could have been some loosening of society's corset when it came to the mobility of women.
Honestly, that was the only part of this book I didn't love. I thought it was fun; I loved the idea of honey and ash being opposing forces. The love story was angsty and sweet. I do wish the last chapter was a little longer; the ending felt rushed. I would definitely recommend this book; it's a fun Sapphic read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Redhook for the e-arc, all opinions are my own.
Of course, there is a curse, a curse that an ash witch placed on her family. No one can ever love a honey witch. At first, Marigold doesn't really care. She never thought she'd marry anyway, but when her grandmother passes and she must take care of their magical island herself, she realizes how lonely she is. When her childhood friend August comes to visit and brings the sullen Lottie, Marigold realizes how lonely she's been. When Lottie states she doesn't believe in magic, Marigold jumps at the chance to prove herself by helping August find true love. The process of making the spell reveals more to Marigold about what it means to love and the price magic can take.
The whole book takes place in an alternative England, where queer love in the 19th century is more accepted. August, Lottie, and Marigold are all queer characters, and even though this is more accepted, there is still a lot of societal pressure on women. Women are supposed to engage in womanly pursuits and marry. This part of the world building kind of stuck out to me. I get that the author was using this as an allegory to explore how repressed women are in society, but it just felt heavy-handed to me. It was the only part that really took me out of the story. Why would gay partnerships be okay, but women were still second-class citizens? I just felt like there could have been some loosening of society's corset when it came to the mobility of women.
Honestly, that was the only part of this book I didn't love. I thought it was fun; I loved the idea of honey and ash being opposing forces. The love story was angsty and sweet. I do wish the last chapter was a little longer; the ending felt rushed. I would definitely recommend this book; it's a fun Sapphic read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Redhook for the e-arc, all opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Sexual content and Grief