A review by nerdysread
House of Frank by Kay Synclaire

emotional hopeful slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Where do I start? Oh yes, thank you, NetGalley and Bindery Books, for allowing me to read an e-ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

So, House of Frank… First, if a book makes me cry that much it will automatically be a five-star read. I cried because it was sad, I cried because it was beautiful, and I cried because of too many emotions at the same time. It was hard for me to get into it because I had so many things to do with uni, but oh my gosh I have read 70% of the book in one sitting bawling my eyes out on my couch.

I don’t think I didn’t love any of what was in the book. The writing is so beautiful, the author knows how to write grief, family, loss, found family, emotions, touching characters, great characters, and magic system,... Everything was perfect from the beginning to the end, even the pacing. This is a character-driven story, but there’s still a plot, so a cozy fantasy with something happening. Just so great.

Saika is such a good main character, she grows during the whole story, learns to open herself to others, learns to live without her sister, learns to find another family who accepts her for herself and learns to help herself too, not just the others. And honestly, all the characters are good characters, they all lost someone and learned, or are still learning, to live without them.

This is what the story is about: loss, grief, recovery, and finding new meaning in life. I know that I will buy a physical copy to annotate it and just read it again and again when I’m feeling down.