Reviews

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

lovelyloro's review against another edition

5.0

If I could give this 6 stars I would! This was fantastic!

sarsarsarsarsar's review against another edition

3.0

This was strange and confusing

Perspectives switch with little warning/tell

I feel like I walked in to the middle of a story with there being nearly no introduction or conclusion

I can’t say I didn’t like it… but at times there was lots of description and internal monologue and at other times (where there were big events) there was next to none…

I also found it so weird that only sometimes facts would be repeated to keep the reader in loop with all the changing story lines and other times there was no added details to refresh the readers memory/keep them on track with the character’s POV

IM LIKE CONFUSED IDK - weird premise bc it felt like early 1900s but there are cell phones and iPods????

wanderingjedi's review against another edition

2.0

I read this because I really loved Sarah Addison Allen's other book, [b:The Peach Keeper|8546358|The Peach Keeper|Sarah Addison Allen|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320549305s/8546358.jpg|13414212], but this one was nowhere near as fantastic. It was well written, but I didn't really care about any of the characters. I didn't feel like any of them were believable, except maybe Adam.

This book left me with so many questions about the characters and the plot that I don't even know where to begin. Why would Josey still be hanging around taking care of her mother if her mother was so horrible to her (and how the heck had she never done anything for herself besides secretly hoarding food? And did Rawley seriously not talk directly to Margaret for forty years just because he made her a promise once when she was hopped up on pills? Apparently books just sort of follow Chloe around and pop up randomly when she supposedly needs them? All of these things just seem pretty ridiculous.

I'm all for some magical elements in a story, but being stalked by books was just too unbelievable, especially since there wasn't really any other magical/fantastic stuff going on (other than Della Lee). The whole story just seemed sort of far fetched.

Overall, the writing was good, and if you like books like this I can see where you might enjoy this one, but I just couldn't really get into the plot enough to actually enjoy it.

sarojaede's review

emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

krystalalmanza2014's review against another edition

4.0

I loved this book! Such a sweet and easy read. Blew through it in a day. It jumps right into the story from the first page and I was afraid there wouldn't be enough character development, but it turned out to be great! I look forward to reading more Sarah Addison Allen's books :)

laura_corsi's review

3.0

A fun magical adventure full of characters you will want to get to know.

desiree_boom's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

superdewa's review against another edition

2.0

Maybe I should have given it 3 stars, because it did keep me reading, but her books all look so appealing to me (Spells! Witches! Magic!), and I thought maybe she’d be like Alice Hoffman, whom I love, but it was a dull romance with poor character development, and the magic felt like a gimmick. For example, one of the characters gets followed around by books, which is a creative idea, but that IS her character. She shows no evidence of actually being a person who reads or any sort of person, really. I can see why this book could be a pleasant escape for some people, but it isn’t for me. These two stars are to remind me not to fall for this author again, despite the book descriptions.

tashaseegmiller's review against another edition

5.0

Magical

Sarah Addison Allen is one of my very favorite authors. This book is a great example of the way she blends the serious and the whimsical, creating characters and setting that elicit great magic. I love her work.

theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition

5.0

I read this book right after it came out. Loved it. I have read every book she has written ever since!