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A review by azdesert_bookworm
Garden of Thorns and Light by Shylah Addante
4.0
I’ve had this one sitting on my audible TBR shelf for a few months and finally decided to give it a go. I’ve seen that there is a book 2 in progress, and all I have to say is that there better be! She legit cannot just end it the way she did without there being a book 2.
A little synopsis: Ever since Amethyst was “almost stolen” when she was six, things haven’t been easy for her. Her mother went missing, presumed dead, at the same time as Amethyst’s “almost” disappearance and for the last ten years has been raised by a father who doesn’t know what to do with her perceived instability. So, she has a choice this summer - go to a residential treatment center or spend the summer with her estranged grandmother in the small rural town of Morgan Springs, Pennsylvania. She picks granny. Well, things continue to get stranger for Amethyst as she physically begins to have signs that she is not quite right.
Amethyst just wants to understand what is happening without people thinking she’s crazier than they already do. Her father already wants to send her to a treatment center. The heart of this story is a tale of acceptance, belonging, self-discovery, the pain of secrets and ultimately family. These thematic ideals are woven together from page one.
However, when Absynth comes into her life, Amethyst is so desperate for these things, that it’s not hard to understand why she believes what she’s told. Absynth is the first person to tell her anything, to help her with what she is going through! There is a predictability there that as a reader you can see right through all of it, so even though Amethyst was at times annoying, her behavior makes sense.
Will I read the sequel when it eventually comes out? Probably, I’m not a fan of cliffhangers, but they are successful as I do want to figure out what is happening with everything that went down. It’s a great little dark fantasy with fae that are more made from nightmares than Disney. If you have Audible, this is a free download. Go ahead and add it to your TBR.
Full Review: https://open.substack.com/pub/thebookshelf/p/book-review-garden-of-thorns-and?r=612jb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
A little synopsis: Ever since Amethyst was “almost stolen” when she was six, things haven’t been easy for her. Her mother went missing, presumed dead, at the same time as Amethyst’s “almost” disappearance and for the last ten years has been raised by a father who doesn’t know what to do with her perceived instability. So, she has a choice this summer - go to a residential treatment center or spend the summer with her estranged grandmother in the small rural town of Morgan Springs, Pennsylvania. She picks granny. Well, things continue to get stranger for Amethyst as she physically begins to have signs that she is not quite right.
Amethyst just wants to understand what is happening without people thinking she’s crazier than they already do. Her father already wants to send her to a treatment center. The heart of this story is a tale of acceptance, belonging, self-discovery, the pain of secrets and ultimately family. These thematic ideals are woven together from page one.
However, when Absynth comes into her life, Amethyst is so desperate for these things, that it’s not hard to understand why she believes what she’s told. Absynth is the first person to tell her anything, to help her with what she is going through! There is a predictability there that as a reader you can see right through all of it, so even though Amethyst was at times annoying, her behavior makes sense.
Will I read the sequel when it eventually comes out? Probably, I’m not a fan of cliffhangers, but they are successful as I do want to figure out what is happening with everything that went down. It’s a great little dark fantasy with fae that are more made from nightmares than Disney. If you have Audible, this is a free download. Go ahead and add it to your TBR.
Full Review: https://open.substack.com/pub/thebookshelf/p/book-review-garden-of-thorns-and?r=612jb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web