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silver_ethereal's Reviews (205)
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This is a lovely read. It does require some suspension of disbelief in a couple areas, the largest of which is that half the characters don't realize Oliver is the same person depending on whether he is wearing a dress or trousers. At one point he even sees the same character twice in the same day, once presenting as himself and another time femme presenting and they don't realize.
Beyond that, while some details seem somewhat ahistorical, I can understand that these are largely artistic decisions to keep up a feeling of hope, acceptance, and lightheartedness. Especially because this is YA, it makes sense to me. The historical notes at the end of the book further provide clarity on the author's decisions and are very informative - so much so that I almost wish they were put at the beginning instead.
I didn't love the Whickam storyline(or how Mr Collins was involved with it) , but plot-wise this was basically my only complaint.
Overall, this is a wonderful, well-written story with an abundance of self discovery, gender euphoria, and embracing your identity. I truly enjoyed reading it! Oliver is a great character with a strong voice.
Beyond that, while some details seem somewhat ahistorical, I can understand that these are largely artistic decisions to keep up a feeling of hope, acceptance, and lightheartedness. Especially because this is YA, it makes sense to me. The historical notes at the end of the book further provide clarity on the author's decisions and are very informative - so much so that I almost wish they were put at the beginning instead.
I didn't love the Whickam storyline
Overall, this is a wonderful, well-written story with an abundance of self discovery, gender euphoria, and embracing your identity. I truly enjoyed reading it! Oliver is a great character with a strong voice.
I received an ARC of The Honey Witch from NetGalley and Orbit US in exchange for an honest review.
The Honey Witch will be released on May 14, 2024.
The concept of this book is wonderful! There are a lot of great things, but also some areas that fell short for my liking.
Pros:
× very interesting and unique magic system
× lovely LGBTQIA+ rep
× sweet, cozy vibes and some really beautiful prose and great quotations
× the relationship between Althea and Marigold is beautiful - I know it was personal to the author and this shines through
× interesting and whimsical world building
Cons:
× many places where more showing vs telling would have helped
× the pacing felt very strange and I went long stretches without feeling engaged in the story
× I felt there was a lack of character/relationship building
× the writing style/tense/POV felt a little clumsy and I was sometimes confused by the flow of things/events and actions felt unclear
Overall this is a good read for those interested in a soft cozy fantasy with queer rep and a unique magic system. I think the author has a lot of potential; I would have loved for her to lean a lot more into describing the whimsical world and engaging all of the readers' senses. She introduced a lot of cool things that I wish were fleshed out just a little bit more.
The Honey Witch will be released on May 14, 2024.
The concept of this book is wonderful! There are a lot of great things, but also some areas that fell short for my liking.
Pros:
× very interesting and unique magic system
× lovely LGBTQIA+ rep
× sweet, cozy vibes and some really beautiful prose and great quotations
× the relationship between Althea and Marigold is beautiful - I know it was personal to the author and this shines through
× interesting and whimsical world building
Cons:
× many places where more showing vs telling would have helped
× the pacing felt very strange and I went long stretches without feeling engaged in the story
× I felt there was a lack of character/relationship building
× the writing style/tense/POV felt a little clumsy and I was sometimes confused by the flow of things/events and actions felt unclear
Overall this is a good read for those interested in a soft cozy fantasy with queer rep and a unique magic system. I think the author has a lot of potential; I would have loved for her to lean a lot more into describing the whimsical world and engaging all of the readers' senses. She introduced a lot of cool things that I wish were fleshed out just a little bit more.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
Pros:
- interesting world building
- diverse, interesting, endearing characters
- sweet romance/spice
- good, clear, descriptive writing (I always had a clear understanding of what was happening and could picture it easily)
Cons:
- not the strongest plot, it didn't have me invested and by the end I didn't really care what was happening because it was sort of obvious what the outcome would be (I just stuck through everything because of the characters/romance)
- a verrrrrrry slow start and my mind wandered at some parts
Overall, just 3.25* but I will continue to read works by this author because I see a lot of potential and like their writing.
- interesting world building
- diverse, interesting, endearing characters
- sweet romance/spice
- good, clear, descriptive writing (I always had a clear understanding of what was happening and could picture it easily)
Cons:
- not the strongest plot, it didn't have me invested and by the end I didn't really care what was happening because it was sort of obvious what the outcome would be (I just stuck through everything because of the characters/romance)
- a verrrrrrry slow start and my mind wandered at some parts
Overall, just 3.25* but I will continue to read works by this author because I see a lot of potential and like their writing.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The characters are sooo endearing and refreshingly "normal". All of this is so charming and funny. This is quite an achievement considering how many beheadings there are.
I loveee all the insight about perfumes and their components and creation. This made for lovely and unique character building.
The only reason I didn't rate this higher is that the plot sort of felt like an afterthought. I was definitely reading this for the romance/characters/world building rather than the rest of the plot.Although the creature who can bite off an entire head and then occupies the victims body until it rots away and it needs to find a new body was very interesting and horrific.
I loveee all the insight about perfumes and their components and creation. This made for lovely and unique character building.
The only reason I didn't rate this higher is that the plot sort of felt like an afterthought. I was definitely reading this for the romance/characters/world building rather than the rest of the plot.