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lolajh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I don’t know the original story this was based off so I have nothing to compare it to but this was so beautiful 😫 Honestly such a tragic story that made me feel empty after reading it like all the best books do! Beautiful drawings (I’m in love with Moth) but I do think the story would have benefited from being a bit longer to really delve into it and sort out some of the rushed pacing. Loved the way the mysteries and plot twists were revealed, but definitely would have liked to get a bit more attached to the story by it being longer, this only took me like a day to get through!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, and Child death
Moderate: Drug use and Mental illness
ijustreallyliketrees's review
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Drug use, Suicide, and Mental illness
foxwish's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
3.0
A mother strives to bring her recently deceased daughter back to life by journeying to Death and singing him a ballad. This is a retelling of the Orpheus myth, I think this novella is weaker than previous works by Harris, I didn't fall in love with the story like I did with A Pocketful of Crows. The side characters felt pointless to me and the answers to the riddles didn't feel satisfying. However the emotional aspect of the mother's devotion to her daughter was beautiful, the reveal at the end was heartbreaking.
Harris also added in overt references to her previous work which took me out of the story, she references A Pocketful of Crows with "A named thing is a tamed thing." and multiple uses of the word "honeycomb" as reference to her short story collection Honeycomb. I don't know if all these stories are meant to be taking place in the same universe, but the references felt very out of place regardless.
Harris also added in overt references to her previous work which took me out of the story, she references A Pocketful of Crows with "A named thing is a tamed thing." and multiple uses of the word "honeycomb" as reference to her short story collection Honeycomb. I don't know if all these stories are meant to be taking place in the same universe, but the references felt very out of place regardless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Drug use, and Grief
Moderate: Suicide
katievh's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Mental illness, and Drug use
vigil's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
i picked this up on a whim because i liked the cover at the library, and ultimately i'm glad that i did.
i really enjoyed the prose and atmosphere of the book, so much so that despite my (currently in flux) feelings about the ending i'm totally interested in picking up another book from her. going into this, my only awareness of the story was the basic description on the backcover, (sidenote: this cover is absolutely stunning on both sides) a modern fairytale about a mother attempting to retrieve her daughter. as the narrative moved forward, it began to weave in other myths and folklore, to varying degrees of success, but in regards to its advertised and original intention, i think it did it very well.
i was almost immediately pulled in by the hazy atmosphere of the story, befitting both the fairytale aspect, and the character one, as fay is lost in her own grief. i would have liked to see more urgency regarding that in the story, as i don't know if i was feeling my own anticipation, or something actually being built into the story. considering the ending, i'm leaning towards the former. i enjoyed fay as a character, but the writing for her made her come across much younger than she actually was at times. unfortunately, i felt like she was the one character that was fleshed out the most, and everyone more or less existing as plot devicesor as the vehicle to provide the twist ending.
i think this idea and its execution was inventive and very intriguing, but is cramped by the lack of narrative space. personally speaking, i think making this book longer would've given it the room it needed to breathe. especially in regard to the twist ending, which in my opinion, is already somewhat odd, but bogged down by how vague, abrupt, short, and thus unsatisfying it is. if you can't figure out a way to properly justify and explain a twist, especially in an ending, its probably cheap, and better left behind. this ending especially did not seem to line up with the narrative or protagonist that we've been getting familiar with.i mean. if you establish a character willing to lose every aspect of herself for her daughter, why would you have her willing stay with the man who murdered her, with no established build up? i understood the thematic purpose of the final epilogue, but i think this book suffered from more symbolism than sense.
i really enjoyed the prose and atmosphere of the book, so much so that despite my (currently in flux) feelings about the ending i'm totally interested in picking up another book from her. going into this, my only awareness of the story was the basic description on the backcover, (sidenote: this cover is absolutely stunning on both sides) a modern fairytale about a mother attempting to retrieve her daughter. as the narrative moved forward, it began to weave in other myths and folklore, to varying degrees of success, but in regards to its advertised and original intention, i think it did it very well.
i was almost immediately pulled in by the hazy atmosphere of the story, befitting both the fairytale aspect, and the character one, as fay is lost in her own grief. i would have liked to see more urgency regarding that in the story, as i don't know if i was feeling my own anticipation, or something actually being built into the story. considering the ending, i'm leaning towards the former. i enjoyed fay as a character, but the writing for her made her come across much younger than she actually was at times. unfortunately, i felt like she was the one character that was fleshed out the most, and everyone more or less existing as plot devices
i think this idea and its execution was inventive and very intriguing, but is cramped by the lack of narrative space. personally speaking, i think making this book longer would've given it the room it needed to breathe. especially in regard to the twist ending, which in my opinion, is already somewhat odd, but bogged down by how vague, abrupt, short, and thus unsatisfying it is. if you can't figure out a way to properly justify and explain a twist, especially in an ending, its probably cheap, and better left behind. this ending especially did not seem to line up with the narrative or protagonist that we've been getting familiar with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Suicide, and Mental illness
katievallin's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide
nicoleceballos's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A beautifully written book
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Suicide
Illustrationskatypicken's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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? No
5.0
"A modern fairy tale" it says on the cover, and that is accurate.
Fay Orr is lost in modern London, cut off from her life by the death of her only daughter. Running through London late at night, she is drawn into the fantastic world of London Beyond, from where she sets out on a dangerous, puzzling and terrifying quest to find and restore her lost daughter.
Joanne Harris weaves song and myth into her story, always keeping at the centre a devastated mother who has lost her child.
Beautifully illustrated by Bonnie Helen Hawkins (although for someone like me, with a phobia of butterflies and moths, some pictures are disturbing!)
Fay Orr is lost in modern London, cut off from her life by the death of her only daughter. Running through London late at night, she is drawn into the fantastic world of London Beyond, from where she sets out on a dangerous, puzzling and terrifying quest to find and restore her lost daughter.
Joanne Harris weaves song and myth into her story, always keeping at the centre a devastated mother who has lost her child.
Beautifully illustrated by Bonnie Helen Hawkins (although for someone like me, with a phobia of butterflies and moths, some pictures are disturbing!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Suicide
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