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A review by jjh_doveandblackbird
Everyday Angel: Three Novels by V.E. Schwab
4.0
I am not the target audience for this book.
And while I realize this, my commitment to reading all of V.E. Schwab's works had me pick it up anyway.
At first, I wasn't sure I liked it. It's an abrupt shift in tone from what I'm used to reading from Schwab, and with it being released so much earlier in her career, I initially had the feeling that maybe instead of writing the book she wanted to write, she wrote what she thought young girls wanted to read, or worse - what a higher-up told her to write. I also wondered if maybe I was just being too critical in my comparison as Everyday Angel is its own entity and deserves to be read for its own sake...
But little by little, it grew on me. And my 12-year-old self really dug Aria Blue.
And then my adult self really started to dig Aria Blue.
And then I read book 3 and felt SEEN for the first time in any of my reading of Schwab's works.
And I started to realize my initial aversion was a Me issue, not a book issue.
And I realized that many of us would feel seen in any of those stories.
And I realized somehow Aria Blue manages to "help" the reader too.
And that helped me understand and appreciate the REAL magic of this book.
And THAT... is actually 100% on brand for V.E. Schwab.
4.5 stars
And while I realize this, my commitment to reading all of V.E. Schwab's works had me pick it up anyway.
At first, I wasn't sure I liked it. It's an abrupt shift in tone from what I'm used to reading from Schwab, and with it being released so much earlier in her career, I initially had the feeling that maybe instead of writing the book she wanted to write, she wrote what she thought young girls wanted to read, or worse - what a higher-up told her to write. I also wondered if maybe I was just being too critical in my comparison as Everyday Angel is its own entity and deserves to be read for its own sake...
But little by little, it grew on me. And my 12-year-old self really dug Aria Blue.
And then my adult self really started to dig Aria Blue.
And then I read book 3 and felt SEEN for the first time in any of my reading of Schwab's works.
And I started to realize my initial aversion was a Me issue, not a book issue.
And I realized that many of us would feel seen in any of those stories.
And I realized somehow Aria Blue manages to "help" the reader too.
And that helped me understand and appreciate the REAL magic of this book.
And THAT... is actually 100% on brand for V.E. Schwab.
4.5 stars