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A review by perusing_pages
The Things We Water by Mariana Zapata
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
3.0
This story follows Nina, a thirty-year-old woman who finds herself a mom/guardian to a magical puppy who can't hide his differences—and that pulls her to a ranch in Colorado full of magical people, hidden danger, fantastical creatures, and her best friend's cousin, a grumpy, stoic love interest named Henri Blackrock.
I'm torn. This book is Mariana's first dip into fantasy instead of her usual contemporary works, and while there were definitely elements I enjoyed and that felt like quintessential Mariana, overall the essence of what usually makes one of her reads resonate with me on a deep level was missing. The connection I usually feel with/towards her characters and their relationships never fully formed as it has with previous books of hers, and I never reached the point of feeling fully connected to or immersed in the story.
Both Nina & Henri were interesting and likeable characters, and the story has a cosy urban fantasy setting, low stakes magic, supernatural/mythical beings, and a dash of mystery all woven together. But whatever it is that makes a MZ book a MZ book for me never materialized. The story overall was good, I liked it, but that bone deep connection and the feelings I get watching the main couple long and yearn for each other was missing.
I listened to this on Audiobook, and both narrators were new to me. I liked and enjoyed both of their performances, and I'm aware what I'm about to say is probably a me thing... but man, I missed Callie Dalton voicing the FMC in this one. Victoria Villarreal was great, absolutely nothing wrong with her performance at all, and I would definitely listen to more work by her... but I associate Callie with Mariana's audiobooks, and I feel the way Callie usually delivers the quirky/sassy humor MZs FMCs display works SO well that I genuinely missed it here. But like I said, that is probably just a me thing.
Overall this was a good read, I liked it, and I think it is definitely worth a read/listen if you are already a MZ fan, but it isn't the book I would recommend newbies to her work start with.
"Life had thrown enough wrenches at me, and I had dodged, ducked, dipped, and dived them all, time after time.
Maybe it was time to start throwing some wrenches back at it."
"I suddenly understood just how the universe could drop something into your existence that your soul recognized belonged there.
Sometimes you learned real quick how you could love something more than you loved yourself."
"Loyalty wasn't just a word you used to describe standing by someone during big, important moments. Loyalty was staying true to people even when they said dumb crap. You just waited until the right moment to tell them they'd lost their minds. That was loyalty."
"I never want anything. I never ask anyone for anything. My entire life has been in preparation for taking care of everything and every- one, and for the first time... for the first time, I've got someone around that feels more mine than anybody else I've ever met. For the first time, I've found some- thing I want."
"Everything you see here is mine. She is mine." His magic- bright and more intense than ever, like he'd had it hidden within him- carried through the night on swift wings, covering everything in its path with possession. "And I'll remove your bowels and shove them down your throat if you think you have any say in our future,' Henri snarled, the muscles of his back flexing visibly through his shirt. I had to throw my hand over my heart because had freaking known it! He would disembowel some- one for me! Iknew it, I knew it, I knew it!"
"The grass would always be green where you took care of it. I could love anything I watered. A person, a place, a plant, a life."
I'm torn. This book is Mariana's first dip into fantasy instead of her usual contemporary works, and while there were definitely elements I enjoyed and that felt like quintessential Mariana, overall the essence of what usually makes one of her reads resonate with me on a deep level was missing. The connection I usually feel with/towards her characters and their relationships never fully formed as it has with previous books of hers, and I never reached the point of feeling fully connected to or immersed in the story.
Both Nina & Henri were interesting and likeable characters, and the story has a cosy urban fantasy setting, low stakes magic, supernatural/mythical beings, and a dash of mystery all woven together. But whatever it is that makes a MZ book a MZ book for me never materialized. The story overall was good, I liked it, but that bone deep connection and the feelings I get watching the main couple long and yearn for each other was missing.
I listened to this on Audiobook, and both narrators were new to me. I liked and enjoyed both of their performances, and I'm aware what I'm about to say is probably a me thing... but man, I missed Callie Dalton voicing the FMC in this one. Victoria Villarreal was great, absolutely nothing wrong with her performance at all, and I would definitely listen to more work by her... but I associate Callie with Mariana's audiobooks, and I feel the way Callie usually delivers the quirky/sassy humor MZs FMCs display works SO well that I genuinely missed it here. But like I said, that is probably just a me thing.
Overall this was a good read, I liked it, and I think it is definitely worth a read/listen if you are already a MZ fan, but it isn't the book I would recommend newbies to her work start with.
"Life had thrown enough wrenches at me, and I had dodged, ducked, dipped, and dived them all, time after time.
Maybe it was time to start throwing some wrenches back at it."
"I suddenly understood just how the universe could drop something into your existence that your soul recognized belonged there.
Sometimes you learned real quick how you could love something more than you loved yourself."
"Loyalty wasn't just a word you used to describe standing by someone during big, important moments. Loyalty was staying true to people even when they said dumb crap. You just waited until the right moment to tell them they'd lost their minds. That was loyalty."
"I never want anything. I never ask anyone for anything. My entire life has been in preparation for taking care of everything and every- one, and for the first time... for the first time, I've got someone around that feels more mine than anybody else I've ever met. For the first time, I've found some- thing I want."
"Everything you see here is mine. She is mine." His magic- bright and more intense than ever, like he'd had it hidden within him- carried through the night on swift wings, covering everything in its path with possession. "And I'll remove your bowels and shove them down your throat if you think you have any say in our future,' Henri snarled, the muscles of his back flexing visibly through his shirt. I had to throw my hand over my heart because had freaking known it! He would disembowel some- one for me! Iknew it, I knew it, I knew it!"
"The grass would always be green where you took care of it. I could love anything I watered. A person, a place, a plant, a life."