Scan barcode
A review by _isabel_
Cherryvine by Marina Vivancos
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
5.0
"Cherryvine" is SUCH a gem of a book. So sweet your heart will literally melt all over the floor; so gut-wrenching you'll want to scream; so, so lovely and precious and tough and ROMANTIC you'll want to go and find the author and build an altar in her name. It was also so completely and utterly addicting I managed to finish it in one setting: a delicious morsel of a book, one I never wanted to finish.
I loved the other novel set in this omegaverse universe: "Honeythorn" was so angsty and lovely that I still think about it, months and months later, but "Cherryvine"? It was love at first sight.
I absolutely loved it, start to finish; and I also absolutely loved both MCs. I've grown obsessed with the omegaverse genre, but the books I've read, while I absolutely loving them, where more of the wolf-shifter type and had more action/plot and less character development. I liked them nevertheless, but I absolutely LOVE it when a book is more character-centric, when both MCs have time to grow and get to know each other and slowly trust one another. "Cherryvine" was a masterclass in character development, and, although I would have loved a tiny bit more plot (yes, I'm still a plot kind of gal) and maybe a bit of outside drama (SUE ME, I love me some drama), I adored the fact that the author took the time to really explore, really delve into both of our MCs minds and especially into the ramifications of domestic abuse. This was a really tough book, so heart-breaking at times it felt like a punch to the gut, but I believe that it dealt with this kind of theme with such care and thoroughness. Marina Vivancos took the time to actually deal with and SHOW how Isak's past marriage, the physical and mental abuse he was subjected to by that utter bastard of his previous husband, influenced his emotions and his thought-process, how all that abuse took a toll on the way he would have normally reacted to kindness and gentleness and simple affection if he had not been married to a monster. I loved Isak to bits: he was such a lovely and sweet protagonist and I adored seeing him slowly bloom, seeing him finally flourish in a safe space. And Emil? God, that man. He was like a giant puppy, excitable and lovable and endearing, but also so careful, so thoughtful, so *sighs* perfect. I loved how he took care of Isak, how he showed him with words and actions that he'd never purposely harm him, and how utterly and helplessly (and also cheerfully) wrapped around Isak's finger he was. I found myself swooning for the whole damn book and I (literally) cried at one point from the sheer amount of care and love and affection these two felt for one another.
GAH, it was such a lovely, lovely book. The prose was wonderful, the world-building made me want to go and live near a beach (even though I live in sunny, beachy Italy, but still!), and the side characters were an utter delight. AND THAT (KIND OF) EPILOGUE? Oh my God, I shrieked. I'm pretty sure there's going to be a third book in this alt-regency omegaverse world (at least, I hope so!) and I cannot literally wait to get my greedy, grabby hands on it.
I loved the other novel set in this omegaverse universe: "Honeythorn" was so angsty and lovely that I still think about it, months and months later, but "Cherryvine"? It was love at first sight.
I absolutely loved it, start to finish; and I also absolutely loved both MCs. I've grown obsessed with the omegaverse genre, but the books I've read, while I absolutely loving them, where more of the wolf-shifter type and had more action/plot and less character development. I liked them nevertheless, but I absolutely LOVE it when a book is more character-centric, when both MCs have time to grow and get to know each other and slowly trust one another. "Cherryvine" was a masterclass in character development, and, although I would have loved a tiny bit more plot (yes, I'm still a plot kind of gal) and maybe a bit of outside drama (SUE ME, I love me some drama), I adored the fact that the author took the time to really explore, really delve into both of our MCs minds and especially into the ramifications of domestic abuse. This was a really tough book, so heart-breaking at times it felt like a punch to the gut, but I believe that it dealt with this kind of theme with such care and thoroughness. Marina Vivancos took the time to actually deal with and SHOW how Isak's past marriage, the physical and mental abuse he was subjected to by that utter bastard of his previous husband, influenced his emotions and his thought-process, how all that abuse took a toll on the way he would have normally reacted to kindness and gentleness and simple affection if he had not been married to a monster. I loved Isak to bits: he was such a lovely and sweet protagonist and I adored seeing him slowly bloom, seeing him finally flourish in a safe space. And Emil? God, that man. He was like a giant puppy, excitable and lovable and endearing, but also so careful, so thoughtful, so *sighs* perfect. I loved how he took care of Isak, how he showed him with words and actions that he'd never purposely harm him, and how utterly and helplessly (and also cheerfully) wrapped around Isak's finger he was. I found myself swooning for the whole damn book and I (literally) cried at one point from the sheer amount of care and love and affection these two felt for one another.
GAH, it was such a lovely, lovely book. The prose was wonderful, the world-building made me want to go and live near a beach (even though I live in sunny, beachy Italy, but still!), and the side characters were an utter delight. AND THAT (KIND OF) EPILOGUE? Oh my God, I shrieked. I'm pretty sure there's going to be a third book in this alt-regency omegaverse world (at least, I hope so!) and I cannot literally wait to get my greedy, grabby hands on it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse