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amre23's review against another edition
3.75
Re-read. Still a good story. Interesting quirky magic.
TW: harm to fetus/baby inutero - smoking and alcohol consumption.
TW: harm to fetus/baby inutero - smoking and alcohol consumption.
gauriraut's review against another edition
4.0
This was a cover read. I saw it on someone's shelf in an Instagram image and after some detective work found out the name and decided to read it. I am SO SO glad for my nosiness!
The start is extremely weird and it took time to get used to the writing style (translation more like), but after that I was into it for the most part.
Although even by 50% of the book I wasn't sure what was happening (if anything at all) or if I was even liking it, I stuck through and soon enough things started to make more sense and I fell in love with it all.
The world building is EXCELLENT. Some would argue that that's the only thing that is about this book, but we'll agree to disagree. I also loved the characters and the plot. Ophelia is not a typical fantasy heroine (without being 'not like other girls'). She's clumsy and shy and awkward and not very physically strong. But gosh is she smart and lovable! Thorn is stoic and cold and weird and kinda ugly but I like him a lot so far and I have a suspicion that he is falling for Ophelia (which is a bonus)!! I am also intrigued by the two aunts, the old butler, the gods, and the weird old lady who died. I loved the quirky but scary world and the descriptions of things and the sheer imagination! And as much as I dislike romance in fantasy books, I think I'm going to love it here because it's so subtle.
Conclusion: I liked this book so much I am waiting on getting the physical copies of the entire quartet before reading books 2 onwards.
The start is extremely weird and it took time to get used to the writing style (translation more like), but after that I was into it for the most part.
Although even by 50% of the book I wasn't sure what was happening (if anything at all) or if I was even liking it, I stuck through and soon enough things started to make more sense and I fell in love with it all.
The world building is EXCELLENT. Some would argue that that's the only thing that is about this book, but we'll agree to disagree. I also loved the characters and the plot. Ophelia is not a typical fantasy heroine (without being 'not like other girls'). She's clumsy and shy and awkward and not very physically strong. But gosh is she smart and lovable! Thorn is stoic and cold and weird and kinda ugly but I like him a lot so far and I have a suspicion that he is falling for Ophelia (which is a bonus)!! I am also intrigued by the two aunts, the old butler, the gods, and the weird old lady who died. I loved the quirky but scary world and the descriptions of things and the sheer imagination! And as much as I dislike romance in fantasy books, I think I'm going to love it here because it's so subtle.
Conclusion: I liked this book so much I am waiting on getting the physical copies of the entire quartet before reading books 2 onwards.
gspear's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
elisecelery's review against another edition
4.0
I want a Ghibli style anime of this book. That's it, that's the review.
juliamz's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
sydgraham's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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? No
5.0
nexisheartstone's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
shirad's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars.
Rounding up because the world-building was so beautiful. The world was magical and intriguing, but also had a more sinister dark side, that you see more as the book progresses. I love the world created in this book, with its Arks, magic, and the implication that the world in the book was once much like the world we live in.
But, with that being said, the plot development was pretty slow, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. I wish the story would have been a bit faster paced, especially in the first half, and
Basically, I liked the book, but I wish I liked it more.
Rounding up because the world-building was so beautiful. The world was magical and intriguing, but also had a more sinister dark side, that you see more as the book progresses. I love the world created in this book, with its Arks, magic, and the implication that the world in the book was once much like the world we live in.
But, with that being said, the plot development was pretty slow, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. I wish the story would have been a bit faster paced, especially in the first half, and
Spoiler
that we would have seen more development of Ophelia and Thorn's relationship by the end.Basically, I liked the book, but I wish I liked it more.