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mallorypen's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
God I love Holly Black books, especially her books about fairytales. What a fun, intense, and magical read!
What I like best about her style of writing is that even in modern settings, her stories feel timeless and ancient and contemporary all at once. Her characters are beautifully human (the human ones, at least) in that they have flaws (Ben can’t control his emotions, is hyper-jealous and down on himself; Hazel is afraid of intimacy, uses the false intimacy of making out with people to mask her problems) but are resilient and loving and their flaws don’t define them. I feel that Hazel and Ben’s parents being so neglectful in their childhood wasn’t fully addressed, but there is something interesting in how they aren’t branded as evil because they made bad choices as young parents.
I adore the idea of a town just existing with this ancient casket and sleeping fairy prince, throwing forest parties and dealing with tourists and having the Folk be part of their every day lives. I also love the idea of Hazel becoming a knight - women as knights just DOES it for me - and not remembering her double life while she sleeps. I also loved the concept of Jack and Carter’s mother being so fierce over keeping Jack and calling out Jack’s mother over her willingness to give up her child. And the Gordons saying the town could burn so long as Jack was safe made my whole heart happy.
My only wish in this book was that there was a little more development between Ben and Severin; I could believe that Severin loved Ben because of how he spoke to him while he slept, but as a reader I wanted to see more of their interactions hinting at a love between them that was built more on developing a relationship as equals (both awake, both able to engage with one another, etc) than on what Ben imagined Severin to be, and what Severin had heard when Ben didn’t realize he was listening.
Overall, a super fun read with lots of lovely details about the Folk that made this story fit into folklore with perfect ease.
What I like best about her style of writing is that even in modern settings, her stories feel timeless and ancient and contemporary all at once. Her characters are beautifully human (the human ones, at least) in that they have flaws (Ben can’t control his emotions, is hyper-jealous and down on himself; Hazel is afraid of intimacy, uses the false intimacy of making out with people to mask her problems) but are resilient and loving and their flaws don’t define them. I feel that Hazel and Ben’s parents being so neglectful in their childhood wasn’t fully addressed, but there is something interesting in how they aren’t branded as evil because they made bad choices as young parents.
I adore the idea of a town just existing with this ancient casket and sleeping fairy prince, throwing forest parties and dealing with tourists and having the Folk be part of their every day lives. I also love the idea of Hazel becoming a knight - women as knights just DOES it for me - and not remembering her double life while she sleeps. I also loved the concept of Jack and Carter’s mother being so fierce over keeping Jack and calling out Jack’s mother over her willingness to give up her child. And the Gordons saying the town could burn so long as Jack was safe made my whole heart happy.
My only wish in this book was that there was a little more development between Ben and Severin; I could believe that Severin loved Ben because of how he spoke to him while he slept, but as a reader I wanted to see more of their interactions hinting at a love between them that was built more on developing a relationship as equals (both awake, both able to engage with one another, etc) than on what Ben imagined Severin to be, and what Severin had heard when Ben didn’t realize he was listening.
Overall, a super fun read with lots of lovely details about the Folk that made this story fit into folklore with perfect ease.
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Animal death, Death, and Vomit
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