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A review by bookish_bree7
Bewitched and Betrothed by Juliet Blackwell
5.0
I have to start at the end for this one, when Lily realizes it’s Aiden in the sacrificial circle my heart stopped beating. There’s something about a self serving character like Aiden, someone so ambitious and powerful and whose entire life seems to be about self preservation, sacrificing himself for someone he cares about or a cause more important than himself that just destroys me. I thought we were gonna lose him and I’m so glad that we didn’t.
That being said, this was incredible. Blackwell draws inspiration from real Alcatraz escape stories and it makes every moment so much fun. We get so much time with the characters in this book, especially with Maya and Carlos! We take the time to focus on Sailor and Lily’s relationship, Sailors past, Lily’s fears— it really is just a well rounded story all together. I also really appreciated the language around indigenous peoples, especially the focus on west coast natives like the Ohlone and the Mi-Wuk among others, it’s not often you see these tribes being represented even in stories taking place on their occupied land, it was such a breath of fresh air to read. Blackwell has a special sort of understanding when it comes to minority representation and with each passing book I think she becomes more worldly and it shines through the pages.
I can’t wait to read the next one, and I’m absolutely heart broken that the next one is the last released book. I’m ready to start begging for a new book soon
That being said, this was incredible. Blackwell draws inspiration from real Alcatraz escape stories and it makes every moment so much fun. We get so much time with the characters in this book, especially with Maya and Carlos! We take the time to focus on Sailor and Lily’s relationship, Sailors past, Lily’s fears— it really is just a well rounded story all together. I also really appreciated the language around indigenous peoples, especially the focus on west coast natives like the Ohlone and the Mi-Wuk among others, it’s not often you see these tribes being represented even in stories taking place on their occupied land, it was such a breath of fresh air to read. Blackwell has a special sort of understanding when it comes to minority representation and with each passing book I think she becomes more worldly and it shines through the pages.
I can’t wait to read the next one, and I’m absolutely heart broken that the next one is the last released book. I’m ready to start begging for a new book soon