A review by elenikin
Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I love Olivie Blake's writing style SO much! The banter and the snark is just phenomenal. The narrator was perfect
Lou was my favorite character, hands down. Chef's kiss for writing a great character, Olivie!
. Olivie said in her acknowledgements that she was inspired by Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums, and I can totally see that. There were so many fascinating characters that all seemed very implausible for them to have any connection, but they did and it was great. Even though the 3 siblings were unlikeable in different ways, I still enjoyed getting to know them and see their personal growth. Olivie has such a unique way of describing emotions and although it sometimes was confusing, I ultimately (I think) understood what she was getting at. I think my book rating was a little lower than I initially expected because 1. It dragged a bit in the middle, 2. I was confused about a lot of things for a while (but many did get cleared up)
particularly the whole Magic tech stuff not actually being "magic"
, and 3. I thought there would be more magic
and honestly, I feel like there was a lot left unexplained about the Wrens' magic. Maybe this is me not being a smart literary person and missing the deeper meaning of their magic, but I just still have questions.
. I realized that although there was magic, the focus of the story wasn't magic, but moreso the complex ty of emotions and relationships. Regardless of these (perceived) limitations, I still quite enjoyed the book and it just reiterated my love for Olivie Blake's books and writing style. 
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