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kiriwho's review against another edition
2.0
Glad I listened to the audiobook for all the French pronunciations. But the male actor made Reed's voice so low and gravelly I worried for his vocal chords.
oonawoodbury's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Maybe this is a sign I need to get back into reading more fanfic, because this was basically that but worse because I was way less invested in the characters :( Also I feel a little bad bc the audio for the main male character made me REALLY not like him, it was horrible! He could not pick a reliable character voice and so would constantly be trying to get more and more dramatic and gravelly. Overall, a fun time, forced/arranged marriage is one of my favorite romance tropes (especially when I like the characters), the magic seemed cool though often it was pretty vague and didn't make much sense, and the ending was so cliche- dramatic line perfectly setting up a sequel ugh I don't have any interest in continuing in this series, I might try a book from the author in the future if she writes something in a different world? but maybe not
sunsetsky48's review against another edition
4.5
So good! I really did enjoy this story a lot, however I felt like it could’ve been shorter. I’m not usually one to complain about the length but by the time I got to the end it felt so dragged out. I think a lot of scenes in the first half could’ve been taken out or just sped up a little bit.
jacobt_3756'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? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
scdiallane's review against another edition
5.0
I’m upset I haven’t read this already!! It has very quickly taken place in my heart as my new favorite series. If you’re a jaded former Catholic that has a love for all things witchcraft and a fascination of the witch trials/hysteria of Europe READ THIS BOOK IMMEDIATELY.
loonatrum's review against another edition
5.0
definitely one of the best books i read this year!! the plot, the characters, everything is so well done. I LOVE IT
francisdee's review against another edition
4.0
This book is exactly what it says on the tin. It is a young adult fantasy book, perfect for fans of enemies-to-lovers and the old good-vs-evil in which evil is maybe not so evil and good is not that good either. Is this an amazing never before written story? Nope. But is it enjoyable? I think so.
I listened to the audiobook, so I am sorry if I mispell some names! The book had two narrators, a woman and a man: I really enjoyed her voice, but I think his was good mostly only as the main character (Reid? Reed?)'s.. He sounded very much with a pole stuck up his ass like I imagine the character does!
I don't know if I can write a coherent review, so I will just jot down things I've noticed and impressions about the various characters.
I have to say, something I've noticed especially in the first half of the book is that our main lady Lou falls on her bum quite a lot, and our main dude R clenches his teeth too much. No seriously! Try counting how many times she falls and how many times he grits his teeth: I bet you it is quite a lot!
Two of the side characters, Coco and Ancel (Ansel?) are adorable. Coco is funny, and smart, and confident and just a very enjoyable character, while our lil boi Ancel is such a sweetheart, a cinnamon roll, an unfortunate soul stuck in the middle of the plot. But I can see he has a brilliant future in front of him, so can't wait to read more about him!
Reed kept giving me the impression of being a religious nutter, pole up his bum version of Carrot from Discworld: tall, ginger, righteous, of royal blood, in love with a lady with a dangerous secret.. You know. I really like him. I like how honourable he is, how seriously he takes his vows, how tense he is when he has to battle against himself when one vow goes against the other. Also, one last comment about our boi: the amount of times he thinks/says "My Wife" reminded me of Try Guys Ned before the fuck-up you know? Better Ned. Be more like R, less like Ned.
Something interesting was how, although the book is set in a sort of.. I guess 16th-17th century France? They seem to have hot water and plumbing, eucalyptus and sugar! No beef here, it is a fantasy book after all. Just funny.
Ah, and the sex scene was very sweet! I really liked it!!
One last comment: the book starts with our girl dressed as a dude, since it was easier to go around undisturbed than waltzing on the street in a dress. She meets R dressed like a dude, in various moments throughout the book there are various instances of her and other characters dressing up/being magically altered to look like other people. Plus, since the beginning of the book we are told that there are no male witches in the wild (or domesticated!), that men cannot have magic etc, and yet! We discover our man R is a witch (yer a wizard haReed)! The witches around him, when discussing this revelation wonder if he is indeed the first of his kind or if there are more in hiding/going unnoticed both around at the time and in the past. All this to say... I feel like if this was another type of book there was potential to look into genderbending possibilities and just more general queerness. Although I have to say I did notice the little nods at the magical girls being into ladies as well as into dudes so yay Magic says lesbian rights!
Interested in reading more, curious to see where the story will go!
Hit scale: there.. is one? Sex scene? If I remember correctly. Very sweet.
I listened to the audiobook, so I am sorry if I mispell some names! The book had two narrators, a woman and a man: I really enjoyed her voice, but I think his was good mostly only as the main character (Reid? Reed?)'s.. He sounded very much with a pole stuck up his ass like I imagine the character does!
I don't know if I can write a coherent review, so I will just jot down things I've noticed and impressions about the various characters.
I have to say, something I've noticed especially in the first half of the book is that our main lady Lou falls on her bum quite a lot, and our main dude R clenches his teeth too much. No seriously! Try counting how many times she falls and how many times he grits his teeth: I bet you it is quite a lot!
Two of the side characters, Coco and Ancel (Ansel?) are adorable. Coco is funny, and smart, and confident and just a very enjoyable character, while our lil boi Ancel is such a sweetheart, a cinnamon roll, an unfortunate soul stuck in the middle of the plot. But I can see he has a brilliant future in front of him, so can't wait to read more about him!
Reed kept giving me the impression of being a religious nutter, pole up his bum version of Carrot from Discworld: tall, ginger, righteous, of royal blood, in love with a lady with a dangerous secret.. You know. I really like him. I like how honourable he is, how seriously he takes his vows, how tense he is when he has to battle against himself when one vow goes against the other. Also, one last comment about our boi: the amount of times he thinks/says "My Wife" reminded me of Try Guys Ned before the fuck-up you know? Better Ned. Be more like R, less like Ned.
Something interesting was how, although the book is set in a sort of.. I guess 16th-17th century France? They seem to have hot water and plumbing, eucalyptus and sugar! No beef here, it is a fantasy book after all. Just funny.
Ah, and the sex scene was very sweet! I really liked it!!
One last comment: the book starts with our girl dressed as a dude, since it was easier to go around undisturbed than waltzing on the street in a dress. She meets R dressed like a dude, in various moments throughout the book there are various instances of her and other characters dressing up/being magically altered to look like other people. Plus, since the beginning of the book we are told that there are no male witches in the wild (or domesticated!), that men cannot have magic etc, and yet! We discover our man R is a witch (yer a wizard haReed)! The witches around him, when discussing this revelation wonder if he is indeed the first of his kind or if there are more in hiding/going unnoticed both around at the time and in the past. All this to say... I feel like if this was another type of book there was potential to look into genderbending possibilities and just more general queerness. Although I have to say I did notice the little nods at the magical girls being into ladies as well as into dudes so yay Magic says lesbian rights!
Interested in reading more, curious to see where the story will go!
Hit scale: there.. is one? Sex scene? If I remember correctly. Very sweet.