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karinlib's review against another edition
4.0
A wild ride of a book. Enjoyed the premise and magic system of this fantasy.
lynnr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
- 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
spetestar's review against another edition
3.0
Maine! There were so many "Maine" experiences in this book that made me laugh and roll my eyes, because I knew exactly what the author was talking about, having transplanted myself to the state a few years back. Also an interesting start to a trilogy :)
max_pink's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A slow, atmospheric contemporary fantasy about a traumatized magical princess running a carousel that doubles as a prison for magical convicts. That doesn't really get to the meat of this book—like, there's a love interest that is NOT accurately depicted on the cover, a snarky horse with batwings, and a cozy but also deeply threatening small town setting—but I think it sets up how unhinged the whole affair is.
My main issue is that this book is too slow. Sharon Lee will absolutely throw her readers in the deep end of lore and trust that they will stick around long enough to grow invested, gasp at the plot twists, and get anxious at the climax. And to be fair, I did, in fact, do all of that. But I would never give this to someone as their first book from this author. I'm a Liaden Universe stan, and therefore I knew the wait would be worth it. But BOY do you have to slog to get to the good stuff.
This sounds like I didn't like this, but I absolutely did. And I plan on reading the sequel. So...yeah. Heavily mixed feelings, but overall positive.
My main issue is that this book is too slow. Sharon Lee will absolutely throw her readers in the deep end of lore and trust that they will stick around long enough to grow invested, gasp at the plot twists, and get anxious at the climax. And to be fair, I did, in fact, do all of that. But I would never give this to someone as their first book from this author. I'm a Liaden Universe stan, and therefore I knew the wait would be worth it. But BOY do you have to slog to get to the good stuff.
This sounds like I didn't like this, but I absolutely did. And I plan on reading the sequel. So...yeah. Heavily mixed feelings, but overall positive.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Sexual assault and Violence
CONTENT NOTE:anzuk's review against another edition
4.0
I really loved it but the ending was too sudden. Will it have a sequel or am I supposed to imagine what happened with the rest of the characters?
Either way you guys should give this a try. Good stuff.
Song/video of choice: Nightwish - The Siren (Live End Of An Era 2005)
Either way you guys should give this a try. Good stuff.
Song/video of choice: Nightwish - The Siren (Live End Of An Era 2005)
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure it's urban fantasy if it is set on the coast of Maine. In any case, modern fantasy with various elements of high fantasy. Pieces of this were quite good and some of the time the characters were interesting. But it was also a bit confused and contrived. 3.5 of 5.
grayreader's review against another edition
2.0
A muddled first few chapters that may have been attempts at being mysterious, a main character that lacks personality, and a setting that the author smacks the reader in the face with at every opportunity [impression: We're being attacked! Run! But first, let me point out this authentic bit of Maine for no reason, like you haven't figured out where we are yet.] make for a rough start.
Once the story gets going, though, it is an engaging read and I am willing to try the second installment in hopes the series will overcome the aforementioned flaws and live up to the potential of the latter portions of this first book. Maybe I just really like carousels.
Once the story gets going, though, it is an engaging read and I am willing to try the second installment in hopes the series will overcome the aforementioned flaws and live up to the potential of the latter portions of this first book. Maybe I just really like carousels.
ptaradactyl's review against another edition
4.0
It took me a while to get into it, and I’m still left confused on a few points, but I really enjoyed the read.
kcollett75's review against another edition
4.0
Kate returns to a small coastal town in Maine when her grandmother, who runs a carousel at the summer fun park, disappears. The Land is happy to see her back.