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1453 reviews
Ain't It Funny by Margaret Gurevich
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book is most notable for its handling of OCD and anxiety. Maya is growing up, and she deals with a lot of challenges. Some of these she can explain, and some she can only refer to with language like “hot hot hot” because she doesn’t know that there’s a name for what she’s dealing with. Throughout the book, she learns how to handle the difficult things in her life.
Some of the elements were a little too convenient. Her teacher just happens to have OCD and a panic attack in Maya’s family deli, and that’s why Maya is able to identify some of the patterns of her own OCD. Sure, it could happen, but the chances of that happening seem very small to me.
I liked how the comedy show and learning to be a comedian reflected different things Maya was learning. Preparing for the show helps her understand herself and her parents in sweet ways.
Overall, this book made me want to visit a Russian deli, and I looked up some information about OCD afterward because Maya’s journey made me curious about some of the symptoms. This book may be helpful for kids who are dealing with OCD, anxiety, or their parents’ separation.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review. The opinions are my own and were not influenced by receiving a copy.
Some of the elements were a little too convenient. Her teacher just happens to have OCD and a panic attack in Maya’s family deli, and that’s why Maya is able to identify some of the patterns of her own OCD. Sure, it could happen, but the chances of that happening seem very small to me.
I liked how the comedy show and learning to be a comedian reflected different things Maya was learning. Preparing for the show helps her understand herself and her parents in sweet ways.
Overall, this book made me want to visit a Russian deli, and I looked up some information about OCD afterward because Maya’s journey made me curious about some of the symptoms. This book may be helpful for kids who are dealing with OCD, anxiety, or their parents’ separation.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review. The opinions are my own and were not influenced by receiving a copy.
Never Thirteen by Stacy McAnulty
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Never Thirteen is a fast-paced, intriguing follow-up to Forever Twelve. Sequels generally have a lot to live up to, and this one didn’t disappoint. It brings the same characters and intrigue from the first one and continues on the lore and mystery. Although not everything is as good in this one as in the first, I thought the expanded world and interesting conclusion made it a worthy follow-up.
The character relationships in this series continue to evolve, and we learn more about the mysterious characters we started to get to know in the first book. I liked the slow romance development that’s age-appropriate for the characters, and how we learn more about the other character’s backstories was done well. Even though it’s a larger cast of main characters than some, all the characters had their own personality and had reasons for being in the book.
The world-building expands in this book. It takes the rules that we’ve established in the first book and expands what we know about the Evers, how they’re made, and what kinds of enemies they have in the world. Not everything about the enemies of the Evers made complete sense (like why would the Enders be so determined to hunt the Evers? That isn’t clear.), but overall, it added some interesting color to the established world. The way the world works also brings up intriguing questions for the audience, including how a balance of power should work and what kind of sacrifices are worth being alive. Some of the questions it brings up are reminiscent of Tuck Everlasting.
Overall, this continues a fun middle-grade series with an intriguing premise and interesting, well-rounded characters.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review. The opinions are my own and were not influenced by receiving a copy.
The character relationships in this series continue to evolve, and we learn more about the mysterious characters we started to get to know in the first book. I liked the slow romance development that’s age-appropriate for the characters, and how we learn more about the other character’s backstories was done well. Even though it’s a larger cast of main characters than some, all the characters had their own personality and had reasons for being in the book.
The world-building expands in this book. It takes the rules that we’ve established in the first book and expands what we know about the Evers, how they’re made, and what kinds of enemies they have in the world. Not everything about the enemies of the Evers made complete sense (like why would the Enders be so determined to hunt the Evers? That isn’t clear.), but overall, it added some interesting color to the established world. The way the world works also brings up intriguing questions for the audience, including how a balance of power should work and what kind of sacrifices are worth being alive. Some of the questions it brings up are reminiscent of Tuck Everlasting.
Overall, this continues a fun middle-grade series with an intriguing premise and interesting, well-rounded characters.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review. The opinions are my own and were not influenced by receiving a copy.
Keeper Chance and the Conundrum of Chaos by Alex Evanovich
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
First, I am not the target audience. Although my favorite book genre is middle grade and I read it widely, sometimes a book doesn’t work for me as a reader when I think the target audience wouldn’t have a problem with it. I think this may be one of those books.
I was bored reading a lot of this book. It wasn’t necessary because things weren’t happening. It just seemed like it was trying so hard to be quirky, fun, and adventurous that I was annoyed. Again, there’s a decent amount that I could attribute to not being the target audience. But I love the Percy Jackson books and others that this book has been compared to, and I thought those books did it well without being annoying.
The adult characters all seemed like over-the-top Batman villains. The kid characters don’t make sense to me. They’re just too old to be acting the way they are, and why are high school characters the main characters in an obviously middle grade book? The age mismatch with the story makes it hard to figure out the best audience. Middle school boys? Or high school boys who want easier reads? It doesn’t perfectly fit any group.
I also just didn’t understand a lot of the motivations. Why is Keeper so important? Why is stealing cookies the mission? How, exactly, is this organization supposed to be evil when it just seems like they’re low-effort troublemakers at best? EVIL seemed like the equivalent of Dr Doofenshmirtz trying desperately to be the evilest villain of all but being terrible about it, except it worked for Doofenshmirtz and just annoyed me here. Why is the group against EVIL (so… theoretically good guys?) actually the most villainous people in the book? Maybe the point is that what is good and evil might be complicated sometimes, but if so, why is EVIL so determined to say it’s an evil villain organization while, again, not really doing much worse than stealing cookies and causing light mischief? Maybe some of those questions were even answered and I was just trying so hard to finish the book I accidentally skipped over them.
To summarize, while this book wasn’t for me, I do think there is an audience that will love it. I don’t think it should be compared to Percy Jackson, and I wouldn’t recommend it to the young readers in my life, but I hope it finds the people who will enjoy it most.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review. The opinions are my own and were not influenced by receiving a copy.
I was bored reading a lot of this book. It wasn’t necessary because things weren’t happening. It just seemed like it was trying so hard to be quirky, fun, and adventurous that I was annoyed. Again, there’s a decent amount that I could attribute to not being the target audience. But I love the Percy Jackson books and others that this book has been compared to, and I thought those books did it well without being annoying.
The adult characters all seemed like over-the-top Batman villains. The kid characters don’t make sense to me. They’re just too old to be acting the way they are, and why are high school characters the main characters in an obviously middle grade book? The age mismatch with the story makes it hard to figure out the best audience. Middle school boys? Or high school boys who want easier reads? It doesn’t perfectly fit any group.
I also just didn’t understand a lot of the motivations. Why is Keeper so important? Why is stealing cookies the mission? How, exactly, is this organization supposed to be evil when it just seems like they’re low-effort troublemakers at best? EVIL seemed like the equivalent of Dr Doofenshmirtz trying desperately to be the evilest villain of all but being terrible about it, except it worked for Doofenshmirtz and just annoyed me here. Why is the group against EVIL (so… theoretically good guys?) actually the most villainous people in the book? Maybe the point is that what is good and evil might be complicated sometimes, but if so, why is EVIL so determined to say it’s an evil villain organization while, again, not really doing much worse than stealing cookies and causing light mischief? Maybe some of those questions were even answered and I was just trying so hard to finish the book I accidentally skipped over them.
To summarize, while this book wasn’t for me, I do think there is an audience that will love it. I don’t think it should be compared to Percy Jackson, and I wouldn’t recommend it to the young readers in my life, but I hope it finds the people who will enjoy it most.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review. The opinions are my own and were not influenced by receiving a copy.
A Deathly Compendium of Poisonous Plants: Wicked Weeds and Sinister Seeds by Rebecca E. Hirsch
informative
4.75
This book is gorgeous. The bright-colored illustrations and photographs are enhanced by the beautiful typography. It’s the kind of book that you can sit out and let people get sucked into because it’s just so pretty. I’d strongly consider getting a coffee table version to show off.
Each plant had a variety of interesting things about it, from the gory details of how the plant’s poison worked to information about how these poisons were used historically or in specific true crime cases. The sections cover mythology when relevant and other interesting tidbits about how this plant has been important.
It was such a delight to read and look at that I really wanted it to be longer. I also wish the sections had been a little more organized, and I would have loved for more details on some of the information.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review. The opinions are my own and were not influenced by receiving a copy.
The Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents by Nicki Pau Preto
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Oh, I loved this!
I wish this book had been around when I was about 12, waiting for the next Harry Potter book and devouring every kind of magic, especially magic school, book I could get my hands on.
The book has a lot of cozy elements and things that are familiar yet entirely its own. It has elements of things I love from other books and some clear inspiration from things such as Harry Potter, Howl’s Moving Castle, X-Men, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and I’m sure others. The result is something that feels like a familiar hug but still brings its own charm to add to the mix.
The found family aspect is done well, with the cast of characters bringing color and interest to the world. The side characters have their own struggles and even different magical abilities, making nearly every moment an opportunity to discover something new about the world, the magic system or the characters. I particularly loved the fire sprite character, and fans of Calcifer will likely be as delighted as I was.
The world-building was well done. I loved the magic system and how it was divided into categories. The background of why the school exists and why it’s at the center of the current events makes a lot of sense. The school setting feels a little bit like Hogwarts, but the magic and the school itself is distinct enough that it feels like its own thing.
While the story was somewhat predictable, I didn’t think it was predictable to the point where it would ruin the enjoyment of the book (particularly for the target audience). Even with the predictability, there were some elements that surprised me. Overall, the plot was well thought through and engaging throughout.
This is the most fun I’ve had in reading for a while, and I hope there is a sequel soon. I wish I was a kid going to the Last Hope School For Magical Delinquents! The best I can do is recommend this to other people who would like to go to this school too.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review. The opinions are my own and were not influenced by receiving a copy.
I wish this book had been around when I was about 12, waiting for the next Harry Potter book and devouring every kind of magic, especially magic school, book I could get my hands on.
The book has a lot of cozy elements and things that are familiar yet entirely its own. It has elements of things I love from other books and some clear inspiration from things such as Harry Potter, Howl’s Moving Castle, X-Men, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and I’m sure others. The result is something that feels like a familiar hug but still brings its own charm to add to the mix.
The found family aspect is done well, with the cast of characters bringing color and interest to the world. The side characters have their own struggles and even different magical abilities, making nearly every moment an opportunity to discover something new about the world, the magic system or the characters. I particularly loved the fire sprite character, and fans of Calcifer will likely be as delighted as I was.
The world-building was well done. I loved the magic system and how it was divided into categories. The background of why the school exists and why it’s at the center of the current events makes a lot of sense. The school setting feels a little bit like Hogwarts, but the magic and the school itself is distinct enough that it feels like its own thing.
While the story was somewhat predictable, I didn’t think it was predictable to the point where it would ruin the enjoyment of the book (particularly for the target audience). Even with the predictability, there were some elements that surprised me. Overall, the plot was well thought through and engaging throughout.
This is the most fun I’ve had in reading for a while, and I hope there is a sequel soon. I wish I was a kid going to the Last Hope School For Magical Delinquents! The best I can do is recommend this to other people who would like to go to this school too.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review. The opinions are my own and were not influenced by receiving a copy.
Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Mulan but make it steampunk (actually silkpunk)… but without too much Mulan or too much steampunk.
I can’t go into detail about my favorite part of this book without spoiling it. I’ll just say… the ending is wonderful. It’s not where you think it will go, but it makes sense. As I was reading, I kept thinking, “There’s not very much of this left! How on earth is it going to get resolved?” I was so excited by how the ending handled things that I had to tell my husband about the book in detail so I could geek out over it. I know a lot of people won't like the ending, but I did.
There was just a lot of showing rather than telling, and I felt that a lot in the characters and some of the plot.
A big part of the point is supposed to be that her actions are grieving her father’s death, but there isn’t that much focus on it overall. She seems generally unbothered by it for most of the story. She also seems mostly unbothered about the stresses of needing to disguise herself as a boy (why didn’t I feel stressed about her potentially getting caught?) or even about the culture shock she’d undoubtedly face as a village girl coming to a big city and the very intimidating guild. She also doesn’t use engineering as much as you’d think for someone who is supposed to be so smart and good at it. I also was a little annoyed that the trials were supposed to be such high stakes but I kept forgetting they existed because Ying barely seemed to care — even though being there should be everything!
It’s also a little frustrating sometimes that it seems like sexism should be a big part of it. She is disguised as a boy to be able to fight for a place in the Engineer’s Guild, but we never really see why women aren’t allowed or an inherent culture of sexism that would make that necessary. There’s even a confusing event later on in the book that made me wonder what the fuss of disguising herself as a boy was all about in the first place. There’s no reason for this level of sexism in the world we’re given.
I wish the cast of characters had been more developed. It felt like it was mostly an expressionless sea of names for a lot of it. None of the characters getting cut were people we knew well, so the trials didn’t seem as big of a deal to go through. Especially with the ending, I wish we’d gotten to know her competitors and the guild masters much better. The love interest was difficult to get to know, and their moments together seemed more based on tropes than uniqueness.
I also have a minor complaint about the title, though. If you promise me dragons… I’m going to expect dragons. A mechanical one with little time on the page is not enough!
Although I think it could have used a little more editing and development, I enjoyed the experience of reading it and look forward to reading the sequel.
I can’t go into detail about my favorite part of this book without spoiling it. I’ll just say… the ending is wonderful. It’s not where you think it will go, but it makes sense. As I was reading, I kept thinking, “There’s not very much of this left! How on earth is it going to get resolved?” I was so excited by how the ending handled things that I had to tell my husband about the book in detail so I could geek out over it. I know a lot of people won't like the ending, but I did.
There was just a lot of showing rather than telling, and I felt that a lot in the characters and some of the plot.
A big part of the point is supposed to be that her actions are grieving her father’s death, but there isn’t that much focus on it overall. She seems generally unbothered by it for most of the story. She also seems mostly unbothered about the stresses of needing to disguise herself as a boy (why didn’t I feel stressed about her potentially getting caught?) or even about the culture shock she’d undoubtedly face as a village girl coming to a big city and the very intimidating guild. She also doesn’t use engineering as much as you’d think for someone who is supposed to be so smart and good at it. I also was a little annoyed that the trials were supposed to be such high stakes but I kept forgetting they existed because Ying barely seemed to care — even though being there should be everything!
It’s also a little frustrating sometimes that it seems like sexism should be a big part of it. She is disguised as a boy to be able to fight for a place in the Engineer’s Guild, but we never really see why women aren’t allowed or an inherent culture of sexism that would make that necessary. There’s even a confusing event later on in the book that made me wonder what the fuss of disguising herself as a boy was all about in the first place. There’s no reason for this level of sexism in the world we’re given.
I wish the cast of characters had been more developed. It felt like it was mostly an expressionless sea of names for a lot of it. None of the characters getting cut were people we knew well, so the trials didn’t seem as big of a deal to go through. Especially with the ending, I wish we’d gotten to know her competitors and the guild masters much better. The love interest was difficult to get to know, and their moments together seemed more based on tropes than uniqueness.
I also have a minor complaint about the title, though. If you promise me dragons… I’m going to expect dragons. A mechanical one with little time on the page is not enough!
Although I think it could have used a little more editing and development, I enjoyed the experience of reading it and look forward to reading the sequel.
Not Another Banned Book by Dana Alison Levy
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I’ve read a few middle-grade books about banned books before this one. I wasn’t really sure why I read this one since I didn’t enjoy the others. I’m generally fascinated (and infuriated) by censorship and book banning, but I haven’t read many books about it for this audience that do a great job (in my opinion) of exploring those concepts. I did consider this one of the good ones.
One of the things that would annoy me about other middle-grade books about banned books is that it was almost too focused on book banning or a particular book and not enough on the character’s journey. So often the books on censorship have so much rage or frustration that it overshadows good storytelling or character development. In this case, the story shows why book banning affected these characters so strongly. I think that is the value of a book on the topic. Moving from rage to movement is reflected in how this book is written and Molly’s journey.
In this book, it’s clear why the main character, Molly, cares so much (even when she doesn't always understand herself). She needs the support of the book club in a time in her life when her world is changing and scary for her. Books and the club where she read books and engaged in discussions about the sometimes difficult topics in the books were a lifeline when her world was hard.
Molly’s reason for being so upset makes sense for the character. It’s not too broad or too overwhelming. I liked that Molly, in many ways, is a pretty ordinary, unassuming person to take objection to book bans. We also, fortunately, get perspectives on the banning from kids of different minorities as they share their opinions as part of their book club and friendship group.
Molly is an intriguing character. At some points, she’s a little clueless. She’s focused on figuring out who did it and why rather than trying to figure out how to move forward. The efforts to handle the book banning mirrors her efforts to handle the other difficult things in her life, and she grows and changes with her discussions with other people. She learns to be more empathetic and tackle challenges even when encountering roadblocks.
Not Another Banned Book is about more than a banned book. It’s about grief and change, friendship and relationships, and about how important feelings and personal experiences are to have and be able to reflect. By going into more detail about how book banning affects the kids who need these books, it presents how censorship is so much more complicated than whether a book is allowed to be on shelves. It’s about not being alone or feeling like there’s something wrong with you because books about people like you are banned.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an advanced copy to review in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
One of the things that would annoy me about other middle-grade books about banned books is that it was almost too focused on book banning or a particular book and not enough on the character’s journey. So often the books on censorship have so much rage or frustration that it overshadows good storytelling or character development. In this case, the story shows why book banning affected these characters so strongly. I think that is the value of a book on the topic. Moving from rage to movement is reflected in how this book is written and Molly’s journey.
In this book, it’s clear why the main character, Molly, cares so much (even when she doesn't always understand herself). She needs the support of the book club in a time in her life when her world is changing and scary for her. Books and the club where she read books and engaged in discussions about the sometimes difficult topics in the books were a lifeline when her world was hard.
Molly’s reason for being so upset makes sense for the character. It’s not too broad or too overwhelming. I liked that Molly, in many ways, is a pretty ordinary, unassuming person to take objection to book bans. We also, fortunately, get perspectives on the banning from kids of different minorities as they share their opinions as part of their book club and friendship group.
Molly is an intriguing character. At some points, she’s a little clueless. She’s focused on figuring out who did it and why rather than trying to figure out how to move forward. The efforts to handle the book banning mirrors her efforts to handle the other difficult things in her life, and she grows and changes with her discussions with other people. She learns to be more empathetic and tackle challenges even when encountering roadblocks.
Not Another Banned Book is about more than a banned book. It’s about grief and change, friendship and relationships, and about how important feelings and personal experiences are to have and be able to reflect. By going into more detail about how book banning affects the kids who need these books, it presents how censorship is so much more complicated than whether a book is allowed to be on shelves. It’s about not being alone or feeling like there’s something wrong with you because books about people like you are banned.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an advanced copy to review in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Westfallen by Ben Brashares, Ann Brashares
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
The number one rule with time travel or communicating through time is to make sure no one from the future does anything to affect the past. Apparently, the characters from this book aren’t aware of that, making them end up in a situation where Nazi Germany won the war.
I liked the gradual build the book had. At first, it seemed like it might just be about friends that grew apart. Then it’s about mysterious communication, and you slowly discover who they’re communicating with and why it’s remarkable. And then you end up in Nazi America. That gives the weightiness of some of the topics to build up without being overwhelming all at once. With a modern-day Nazi regime being a pretty heavy topic, especially for a middle-grade book, the intriguing build gives time and room to adjust to what’s happening. However, I could see the build being a drag for some readers if they aren’t as intrigued by the time travel experiments because it takes some time to get going.
A common trope in time travel media is how change in the past can affect the future, and this book has many interesting interpretations of that. The main characters actively do experiments to try to figure out how time travel works. The ways the kids could communicate through time and experiment were intriguing and unique.
I thought six characters was a lot for a book of this size. It’s hard to get to know each character and keep track of which kid is a part of which group. After reading the book, I don't think I could identify any of the characters with the correct names in a lineup. There are so few hints about the character’s families, how they might be related or who might influence things, making the characters hard to identify with or tell apart. I think some of the characters may specifically have been put in so that their identities in a world ruled by Nazis could be explored better, not because they were good stand-alone characters. We needed a Jewish kid and a Black kid, but it seems like maybe we didn’t need those kids to be that developed. I hope their personalities and backgrounds get a lot more expansion in future books.
The book ends in a cliffhanger. I usually hate that, but I didn’t mind it too much in this case. A lot of things felt wrapped up, so it felt like a natural hook for the next book rather than the kind of cliffhanger that is particularly annoying. I will likely pick up the next book not just because of the ending but because I’m curious about where it will go, and I enjoyed this book.
This is an intriguing book for people interested in history and time travel -- or for those who have morbid curiosity about a modern world under Nazi control.
I liked the gradual build the book had. At first, it seemed like it might just be about friends that grew apart. Then it’s about mysterious communication, and you slowly discover who they’re communicating with and why it’s remarkable. And then you end up in Nazi America. That gives the weightiness of some of the topics to build up without being overwhelming all at once. With a modern-day Nazi regime being a pretty heavy topic, especially for a middle-grade book, the intriguing build gives time and room to adjust to what’s happening. However, I could see the build being a drag for some readers if they aren’t as intrigued by the time travel experiments because it takes some time to get going.
A common trope in time travel media is how change in the past can affect the future, and this book has many interesting interpretations of that. The main characters actively do experiments to try to figure out how time travel works. The ways the kids could communicate through time and experiment were intriguing and unique.
I thought six characters was a lot for a book of this size. It’s hard to get to know each character and keep track of which kid is a part of which group. After reading the book, I don't think I could identify any of the characters with the correct names in a lineup. There are so few hints about the character’s families, how they might be related or who might influence things, making the characters hard to identify with or tell apart. I think some of the characters may specifically have been put in so that their identities in a world ruled by Nazis could be explored better, not because they were good stand-alone characters. We needed a Jewish kid and a Black kid, but it seems like maybe we didn’t need those kids to be that developed. I hope their personalities and backgrounds get a lot more expansion in future books.
The book ends in a cliffhanger. I usually hate that, but I didn’t mind it too much in this case. A lot of things felt wrapped up, so it felt like a natural hook for the next book rather than the kind of cliffhanger that is particularly annoying. I will likely pick up the next book not just because of the ending but because I’m curious about where it will go, and I enjoyed this book.
This is an intriguing book for people interested in history and time travel -- or for those who have morbid curiosity about a modern world under Nazi control.
The Lies We Conjure by Sarah Henning
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Clue. Knives Out. Inheritance Games. But with witches!
I think some of those comparisons make sense. If you’re looking for a Knives Out look at aspects of society, an Inheritance Games situation with love options, or Tim Curry, you won’t find that here. But if what you’re looking for is *vibes* based on those, then you’ve got the right book.
There are a lot of things I don’t love in this book. I don’t particularly like evil witches or zombies or any kind of blood magic. And yet… I was having such a fun time reading the book that none of those things bothered me. It's also never graphic or gory enough to disturb my scaredy-cat self.
I liked the magic system overall. I liked the way the lines of magic were separated. For the most part I had a good idea of what each line could do and what made them unique, although it could have been more clear. I personally don’t love it when media uses Salem witches as a base saying they were real witches. I think it is a little disrespectful to the very real women who were murdered because of false accusations. Despite that, I enjoyed the magic systems. I appreciate how the magic was revealed a little at a time so I never felt like there was an overall info dump to try to explain how it all worked.
I liked the characters overall. It was tricky at first to remember who was a part of what family or even which characters the male POV character was referring to since the sisters were also using false names. However, by the end of the book, I felt like almost all of the characters were distinct and interesting. I also understood why all of the characters acted the way they did by the end of the book.
I didn’t love Auden as a POV character. I think he was used more to explain the magic systems than because he’d be a good person to see the story from. I think he would have been a stronger character just from Ruby’s observations. Once the excuse is made that the sisters must have lost their memory, we could have had other characters explain how the magic worked (which had to happen most of the time anyway) instead of having his perspective. When he was depicted in Ruby’s POV, he was a lot more interesting and likable for me than when it was his own POV.
My biggest complaint about the characters is that it’s essentially insta-love for four characters. It’s bad enough when it’s the main character, but it’s both sisters! Sure, things develop a little over time, but it’s more assumed than giving us significant reasons to root for either relationship.
The mystery was a lot of fun. It kept me guessing about how it would end. It wasn’t entirely unpredictable, but I enjoyed the twists and turns.
Overall, this is a great read for a spooky season, or anytime you’re looking for something a little dark and mysterious.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
I think some of those comparisons make sense. If you’re looking for a Knives Out look at aspects of society, an Inheritance Games situation with love options, or Tim Curry, you won’t find that here. But if what you’re looking for is *vibes* based on those, then you’ve got the right book.
There are a lot of things I don’t love in this book. I don’t particularly like evil witches or zombies or any kind of blood magic. And yet… I was having such a fun time reading the book that none of those things bothered me. It's also never graphic or gory enough to disturb my scaredy-cat self.
I liked the magic system overall. I liked the way the lines of magic were separated. For the most part I had a good idea of what each line could do and what made them unique, although it could have been more clear. I personally don’t love it when media uses Salem witches as a base saying they were real witches. I think it is a little disrespectful to the very real women who were murdered because of false accusations. Despite that, I enjoyed the magic systems. I appreciate how the magic was revealed a little at a time so I never felt like there was an overall info dump to try to explain how it all worked.
I liked the characters overall. It was tricky at first to remember who was a part of what family or even which characters the male POV character was referring to since the sisters were also using false names. However, by the end of the book, I felt like almost all of the characters were distinct and interesting. I also understood why all of the characters acted the way they did by the end of the book.
I didn’t love Auden as a POV character. I think he was used more to explain the magic systems than because he’d be a good person to see the story from. I think he would have been a stronger character just from Ruby’s observations. Once the excuse is made that the sisters must have lost their memory, we could have had other characters explain how the magic worked (which had to happen most of the time anyway) instead of having his perspective. When he was depicted in Ruby’s POV, he was a lot more interesting and likable for me than when it was his own POV.
My biggest complaint about the characters is that it’s essentially insta-love for four characters. It’s bad enough when it’s the main character, but it’s both sisters! Sure, things develop a little over time, but it’s more assumed than giving us significant reasons to root for either relationship.
The mystery was a lot of fun. It kept me guessing about how it would end. It wasn’t entirely unpredictable, but I enjoyed the twists and turns.
Overall, this is a great read for a spooky season, or anytime you’re looking for something a little dark and mysterious.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.