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A review by xcrissy67x
Shadowstitch by Cari Thomas
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was one of my most highly anticipated books of the year. I thoroughly enjoyed Threadneedle and was so excited to continue to series after the cliffhanger at the end.
This book follows the events immediately after the first book. Anna has to move in with Selene, her twin sister, the man they both love. After the discovery of the curse, the last thing they need is more turmoil but that is exactly what happens. Magical hysteria seems to be running awry in the city of London and a company known as the WIPS are determined to put a stop to all magic and witches.
The first book in this series was a very bizarre mix of YA and Adult. This book still had YA elements, however it was much darker than the first book and I personally don't think it would be suitable for younger audiences. I feel as though some of the YA elements are holding the book back a little; I am mostly referring to the school scenes.
The characters are mostly lovable. There are certain aspects that did irritate me though, such as Anna’s ability to just ignore whatever manipulation Effie had done. However, I do like the growth of Anna’s character though it is a little cheesy closer to the end.
Effie’s character is a little less positive. I find her need for power and control to be a little irritating, though that does seem to be her character intentionally. There doesn't seem to be any growth in Effie's character and I find myself disliking her more and more due to her rash actions and manipulation.
The other characters tend to be swept under the rug a little bit and aren't mentioned quite as much. I do like the other characters despite the fact that I feel as though they were underutilized. One of my absolute favourite scenes in this book was the Christmas scene which included Bertie, Rowan's mother. Like in the first book, she didn't make many appearances, but any scenes with her carried an air of chaos around her that I absolutely adored. It's a shame the other characters aren't utilised much.
However, the world-building is amazing. You really get to learn about the magical world with the characters and in this book, we branch out from just one language of magic to many others. Though you learn about the other languages, you unfortunately don't get to see very much magic in action which was a similar criticism to the first book. The world building is great, we just don't get to see the actual magic much.
The plot was very gradual so if you're looking for a fast-paced book, this is the wrong book for you. I loved the steady build as I felt as though I was learning about magic alongside Anna, who is very new to the magical world.
I admit I found the first 50 or so pages to be a little dull. It portrayed trauma incredibly well, however, I do feel as though it dragged on a little too long for my liking; trauma in characters can still be portrayed whilst the plot continues.
As the plot (slowly) thickened, I found myself being drawn and hooked into the book much more. It was slow, however, I lived the steady flow of hints as it allowed me to figure out what was happening alongside the characters.
I felt as though the ending was slightly rushed. There could have been a lot more done there if some inconsequential scenes were taken out. However, the cliffhanger this book ends on is so heartwrenchingly suspenseful that I have to praise Thomas’ skill at writing a good cliffhanger. For some reason, I was under the impression that this was a duology, but I won't complain that another book should be coming out. The only thing I'll complain about it the wait.
Overall, I loved this book, potentially more than the first as it was slightly less YA. The world-building continued to build from the first book and the plot was gradual and allowed for the reader to grow and learn with the characters. I hope to see some more character growth in the next book and to see more of the ‘side characters’. I am so excited to see when the next book comes out and hopefully I'll finally get some answers that I've been waiting for since the first book.
This book follows the events immediately after the first book. Anna has to move in with Selene, her twin sister, the man they both love. After the discovery of the curse, the last thing they need is more turmoil but that is exactly what happens. Magical hysteria seems to be running awry in the city of London and a company known as the WIPS are determined to put a stop to all magic and witches.
The first book in this series was a very bizarre mix of YA and Adult. This book still had YA elements, however it was much darker than the first book and I personally don't think it would be suitable for younger audiences. I feel as though some of the YA elements are holding the book back a little; I am mostly referring to the school scenes.
The characters are mostly lovable. There are certain aspects that did irritate me though, such as Anna’s ability to just ignore whatever manipulation Effie had done. However, I do like the growth of Anna’s character though it is a little cheesy closer to the end.
Effie’s character is a little less positive. I find her need for power and control to be a little irritating, though that does seem to be her character intentionally. There doesn't seem to be any growth in Effie's character and I find myself disliking her more and more due to her rash actions and manipulation.
The other characters tend to be swept under the rug a little bit and aren't mentioned quite as much. I do like the other characters despite the fact that I feel as though they were underutilized. One of my absolute favourite scenes in this book was the Christmas scene which included Bertie, Rowan's mother. Like in the first book, she didn't make many appearances, but any scenes with her carried an air of chaos around her that I absolutely adored. It's a shame the other characters aren't utilised much.
However, the world-building is amazing. You really get to learn about the magical world with the characters and in this book, we branch out from just one language of magic to many others. Though you learn about the other languages, you unfortunately don't get to see very much magic in action which was a similar criticism to the first book. The world building is great, we just don't get to see the actual magic much.
The plot was very gradual so if you're looking for a fast-paced book, this is the wrong book for you. I loved the steady build as I felt as though I was learning about magic alongside Anna, who is very new to the magical world.
I admit I found the first 50 or so pages to be a little dull. It portrayed trauma incredibly well, however, I do feel as though it dragged on a little too long for my liking; trauma in characters can still be portrayed whilst the plot continues.
As the plot (slowly) thickened, I found myself being drawn and hooked into the book much more. It was slow, however, I lived the steady flow of hints as it allowed me to figure out what was happening alongside the characters.
I felt as though the ending was slightly rushed. There could have been a lot more done there if some inconsequential scenes were taken out. However, the cliffhanger this book ends on is so heartwrenchingly suspenseful that I have to praise Thomas’ skill at writing a good cliffhanger. For some reason, I was under the impression that this was a duology, but I won't complain that another book should be coming out. The only thing I'll complain about it the wait.
Overall, I loved this book, potentially more than the first as it was slightly less YA. The world-building continued to build from the first book and the plot was gradual and allowed for the reader to grow and learn with the characters. I hope to see some more character growth in the next book and to see more of the ‘side characters’. I am so excited to see when the next book comes out and hopefully I'll finally get some answers that I've been waiting for since the first book.