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lady_smith's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Child abuse and Death
Minor: Confinement, Death of parent, Alcohol, Racism, and Homophobia
loeckchen's review against another edition
4.5
Moderate: Death and Sexual content
sarahthescrivnr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, and Child abuse
Minor: Racism and Child abuse
moonytoast's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Minor: Grief, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Death, and Death of parent
teabrewer's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Emotional abuse
jadehusdanhicks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Found family is certainly at the heart of this, with nowhere house being a magnet for strays who need a family of sorts.
Although the general premise of the trying to break witchy societal norms was intriguing and engaging, for me it lacked wider plot and worldbuilding that would’ve helped me engage with the story more.
I will admit I would’ve never seen the plot twists and the links between Mikas lives coming but unfortunately this wasn’t enough to keep me engaged. This is a great shelf filler, and a great entryway to fantasy but just doesn’t meet my personal standards I prefer my witchy/fantasy books to stand up to.
Graphic: Death
peasandpancakes's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
The only thing I do not get [spoilers ahead]
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Cursing and Death
wardenred's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It’s a leap of faith to love people and let yourself be loved.
An absolutely lovely read. It reminded me strongly of The House in the Cerulean Sea without the certain problematic parts. I loved the found family dynamic, the kids with their different personalities, the inclusive and diverse world of this story, the magical house and the locations around it, the magic—really, just about everything! And the balance of sweet coziness and serious feelings was just right, too.
The absolute strength here is the assortment of relationships: all the connections inside the Nowhere House, the grumpy/sunshine romance between Mika and Jamie, Mika’s complex relationship with her mentor Primrose, and more. I loved seeing all of those connections develop and strengthen. There’s so much positivity here, but it never turns saccharine; on the contrary, the story very much affirms that good things can still be complicated. Being good for each other and hurting each other aren’t mutually exclusive; it’s what you choose to do with the results that matters.
I’ve definitely got a lot of snippets from this story stuck in my head now. The whole interginerational trauma plotline/arc. Small bits of conversations characters have had: good vs nice, living vs surviving, taking the risk to let yourself be loved, making the world just a little bit better even if it can’t be all fixed in one go. And that twist in the final act??? OMG, I was so lulled into the overall sense of security, I did not see that coming and I loved how it played out. Also, there’s something absolutely haunting about the image of
Very much recommended to anyone looking for some witchy coziness with lovable characters.
Graphic: Abandonment
Minor: Death
eitrlund's review
4.5
Graphic: Death and Abandonment
Minor: Racism
kds247's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Moderate: Death
Minor: Cursing and Child abuse