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thalymor's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, and Kidnapping
feyofbones's review
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
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
3.75
his book was pretty good all in all! Fairly slow start but about half way through I really started to enjoy my time with this book. I love the themes of magical realism and old familial tradition mixed with the expansion of the world around them.
Spoiler:
Also, damn, I would have been so weak for the huntress with the horns. That first deal would have been it for me 😂
Spoiler:
Also, damn, I would have been so weak for the huntress with the horns. That first deal would have been it for me 😂
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Classism, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Grief, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexism, and Animal death
Minor: Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Death of parent
jane_cs's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Domestic abuse
tiny_artificer's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
slow-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? No
3.0
Fairly average, but I can see it being right up someone's alley.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Kidnapping
aysha_blake's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Classism, Kidnapping, and Sexism
safiewafie's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I wasn't expecting to like this book nearly as much as I did, but I fell into the story the further I read.
The novel starts off rather slow, but I really enjoyed this early pacing. I felt I had time to get to know the characters; to understand their place in the world and their relationships to one another. I especially enjoyed the strong focus on the bond between Delphine and Alaine.
The sister's relationships with their loved ones was what really solidified this book for me. While the turn towards the fantastical realm of the fae felt abrupt, Delphine's drive to bring her family together created strong thematic throughline. I found this version of the fae realm to be especially interesting. The visual descriptions of the environment, as well as the unique magic that the fae utilize created strong imagery, which I imagine will stick with me for some time.
This wasn't quite a five star book for me, mainly due to the fact that in the earlier portions of the book, I often found I was more interested in one sister's POV over the other (in my case, I was more interested in Delphine). This made getting through some portions of the slow beginning a bit of a challenge.
While I think the exploration of feminism well crafted in this novel, I felt it lacked intersectionality. This is something I really look for in books, especially historical fiction, so the lack of POC really stood out to me. This didn't take away from the narrative itself, but did impact my personal enjoyment.
Overall, very strong! A great read.
(I think I might be a bit biased about the abrupt cut from real world to fantastical fae, because there was a two week gap between the first half and second half of the book for me due to finals season...)
The sister's relationships with their loved ones was what really solidified this book for me. While the turn towards the fantastical realm of the fae felt abrupt, Delphine's drive to bring her family together created strong thematic throughline. I found this version of the fae realm to be especially interesting. The visual descriptions of the environment, as well as the unique magic that the fae utilize created strong imagery, which I imagine will stick with me for some time.
This wasn't quite a five star book for me, mainly due to the fact that in the earlier portions of the book, I often found I was more interested in one sister's POV over the other (in my case, I was more interested in Delphine). This made getting through some portions of the slow beginning a bit of a challenge.
While I think the exploration of feminism well crafted in this novel, I felt it lacked intersectionality. This is something I really look for in books, especially historical fiction, so the lack of POC really stood out to me. This didn't take away from the narrative itself, but did impact my personal enjoyment.
Overall, very strong! A great read.
(I think I might be a bit biased about the abrupt cut from real world to fantastical fae, because there was a two week gap between the first half and second half of the book for me due to finals season...)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny
Moderate: Kidnapping
sarrie's review
emotional
lighthearted
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill had so much potential but for me ultimately missed the mark. This one is set in the early 1900’s and follows two sisters, one who marries out of her country home into the city to a husband who turns into someone she didn’t expect. The other is managing and thriving their family farm but also quickly falling into the power and lure of Fairy Bargains - for nearly everything.
If you’re looking for a slow paced fantasy with a slow build up of dread this could be a great pick for you. It’s a slow build. We see Delphine move away from her home and quickly realize that the marriage she hoped for is not the one she expected - and knowing how that will end adds to the dread. Meanwhile Alaine is back at home and we see her spiral deeper and deeper into Fairy Bargains, leaving trinkets and requests for the Fae that reside on the hill. The path of the story seems pretty obvious based on the two actions of the sisters, and it does indeed go where you’re worried it will.
The last third of this one is where I was truly lost. I really did love the slow pace and interesting dynamic and juxtaposition between the two sister’s stories. Unfortunately after the 3/4ths mark the story became intensely predictable. A bad choice, a bad bargain and something hinted at occurs. The story goes to another location and it felt… disappointing. Not to mention the way the chapters kept both PoVs and moved between them within paragraphs caused for a jarring reading experience.
Sadly this one just didn’t quite work for me. With a letdown of an ending and predictable twist I was left unhappy. The first half did have me! But after that I was lost and unhappy with the path of the story. If you don’t mind a bit of a predictable story with a slow, early 1900s feel - this could be a real good pick for you! Otherwise maybe a skip.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Child death
uncreativeoops's review
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Classism
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, and Gaslighting
Minor: Forced institutionalization
displacedcactus's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I really enjoyed the whole lore the author created around fairy bargaining, which really felt like it drew on traditional faerie lore and folk magic. I like seeing stories that lean more on the lore of my Irish and Welsh ancestors and less on the idea of faeries as the current sexy scary supernatural boyfriend material.
Unfortunately, this book was so. incredibly. slow. paced. Very little happens for the first 200 pages of what was a just-under-350 page book on my ereader. Then when the big incident finally happens, the lead up to the resolution feels super repetitive until suddenly, boom, it's solved.
I feel like if a good 75 or even 100 pages of this book had been trimmed away, it would have been great. But I didn't feel like the slow portions did enough to develop the characters or lay foundation for the later events of the story to justify how long and slow they were.
Unfortunately, this book was so. incredibly. slow. paced. Very little happens for the first 200 pages of what was a just-under-350 page book on my ereader. Then when the big incident finally happens, the lead up to the resolution feels super repetitive until suddenly, boom, it's solved.
I feel like if a good 75 or even 100 pages of this book had been trimmed away, it would have been great. But I didn't feel like the slow portions did enough to develop the characters or lay foundation for the later events of the story to justify how long and slow they were.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Blood, Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual content
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