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jordi37's review
3.0
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
This was a delight. Miranda is a fun protagonist and the author does a great job of helping the reader feel the real vibrancy of New Orleans.
Miranda lives in a world where magic (or powers, or abilities, or SOMETHING) has suddenly come alive in the hands of young women. Miranda is one of those women and runs away from her religious family, not knowing if they will help her to try it out on her own in New Orleans. She quickly makes a handful of friends in Netta and Billie, who are fun and heartwarming conspirators even in a quick period of time. Miranda also meets two love interests, and her choice between them as a bisexual young woman is a fun background throughout the book.
Given her powers, her runaway status and her burgeoning queer love life the author does a good job of recreating that feeling of adolescence where EVERYTHING matters and its hard to figure out what is a good decision as you are weighing things against each other.
My major issue with the book is that I am not sure who the target demographic is which made it hard for me to fit some pieces together. The writing and characters felt too simplistic for a reader older than Miranda's sixteen years, but some of the topics felt like they would be hard to share with someone who was 12 or 13 - most pressingly the complicated issue of sex work as well as the lived reality of domestic violence.
However, I breezed through the book and after I finished, I am excited to see where the story goes in the second part as we definitely end on a strong (and intriguing) cliffhanger.
This was a delight. Miranda is a fun protagonist and the author does a great job of helping the reader feel the real vibrancy of New Orleans.
Miranda lives in a world where magic (or powers, or abilities, or SOMETHING) has suddenly come alive in the hands of young women. Miranda is one of those women and runs away from her religious family, not knowing if they will help her to try it out on her own in New Orleans. She quickly makes a handful of friends in Netta and Billie, who are fun and heartwarming conspirators even in a quick period of time. Miranda also meets two love interests, and her choice between them as a bisexual young woman is a fun background throughout the book.
Given her powers, her runaway status and her burgeoning queer love life the author does a good job of recreating that feeling of adolescence where EVERYTHING matters and its hard to figure out what is a good decision as you are weighing things against each other.
My major issue with the book is that I am not sure who the target demographic is which made it hard for me to fit some pieces together. The writing and characters felt too simplistic for a reader older than Miranda's sixteen years, but some of the topics felt like they would be hard to share with someone who was 12 or 13 - most pressingly the complicated issue of sex work as well as the lived reality of domestic violence.
Spoiler
As a smaller nit, given the serious weight of some of these issues I was slightly annoyed when our protagonist declares her love for someone after only a handful of encounters - it felt like a juvenile response in the midst of weight topics and added to my confusion about the target age.However, I breezed through the book and after I finished, I am excited to see where the story goes in the second part as we definitely end on a strong (and intriguing) cliffhanger.
reading_no_shelf_control's review
4.0
I really enjoyed the characters in this book. Miranda is a naive 16 year old that has lived a sheltered life. So when magic unexpectedly manifests she is not ready. Miranda does a lot of growing up in the short amount of time this story takes place. This was very much an intro with a promise of great things to come from our wonderful strong female characters.
heatherd43's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
5.0
This is the first book by A.D. Brazeau that I have read, and I was glad that I picked it up. If you are looking for an easy book to read, get this one. I am ready to keep reading this one to see where the story is going to go with Miranda and her friends are going to go. The author wrote a well, but I wish it had a little more action. The author did end the story in a good place to be able to continue with what is going on. I would read them in order to be able to keep up with it is going on. I will be on the look out for more by this author.
kayleewrites's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
4.0
Miranda Stone is a typical teen from a conservative family. She suddenly develops magical powers and believes her family wouldn't take it very well so she decides to run. She took what little money she had and ran to New Orleans. her plan was to become a singer and find a cheap motel to start her new life. She tries to be an opener for a drag club, thinking things will work out later.
Unfortunately, she soon realizes that won't be the case. Women all over the world develop the same powers she does and end up going missing. She starts to fear for her life while still trying to maintain a normal life. She even meets the one - the girl of her dreams. She realizes that it's probably a bad idea to try to have a relationship with everything going on, but the heart wants what it wants.
It's a good read. This is the first in a two book series. I'm intrigued as to how the next book is going to go. I enjoyed the entire story. The characters were amazing and the plot was entertaining. The pace was a bit slow, but it was such a great story.
Unfortunately, she soon realizes that won't be the case. Women all over the world develop the same powers she does and end up going missing. She starts to fear for her life while still trying to maintain a normal life. She even meets the one - the girl of her dreams. She realizes that it's probably a bad idea to try to have a relationship with everything going on, but the heart wants what it wants.
It's a good read. This is the first in a two book series. I'm intrigued as to how the next book is going to go. I enjoyed the entire story. The characters were amazing and the plot was entertaining. The pace was a bit slow, but it was such a great story.
ireadloudnmynook's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This author blew me away right away with this story. This is the first book I’ve ever read from the author and I couldn’t stop turning pages! I just had to know what would happen next. It does start off a bit slow but then it jumps right into a fantasy world. Miranda finds out that she has powers she is unable to handle and is trying her best to keep them hidden from others who will destroy her because she has them! Then she discovers that there are others like her and then her works shifts as they try to hide themselves from common people! Of course as a runaway, you know that Miranda will find herself getting into trouble at some point, but the best part is watching her life unfold worn every page! I’m looking forward to glow book two will fill in all the missing pieces. Amazing book!
debrobinson's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Thought Provoking, Enchanting characters, Strong Females, and the Discovery of Magic. What more could you want in a book?
This author never fails to bring out so many emotions out of me as I read. She has a way of tearing my heart apart one minute and making me laugh the next.
Miranda, Neeta, and Billie are a very unlikely trio, all with varied pasts. When these three come together, they finally find people they can trust and rely on. Miranda, being a 16 year old runaway, pretending to be 18 years old, finds herself in New Orleans after discovering she has magic powers. With the news showing many females are suddenly acquiring magic she is terrified to be caught. Women are disappearing and being reported to authorities. No one knows where they are going or what is happening. When a new character is introduced you are on the pins and needles wondering if something terrible is about to happen.
I was totally swept into the story as the characters and surroundings are so full of depth. When the author describes the rug in the motel room, my toes actually curled and I lifted them off the floor.
helendawkins1618's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
Wonderful book for a range of ages, teen to older adult. It is an interesting read, and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. The beginning of the book is a little slow, but once it gets going you won't want to put it down. The setting is in New Orleans, a place I absolutely love, and the author did an excellent job of making it such a magical place, like it is in reality. One of my favorite things about this book is how diverse the characters are. There is a little bit of everything, from a sheltered young teen to a prostitute, and I love that the author includes LGTBQ as well! This book is modern day Salem Witch Trials mixed with teenage runaway and an added flair of girl power. Miranda, a 16-year-old, starts noticing that she has magical powers, and decides to run away to New Orleans from her conservative family. Not only is she running away from her family, but she is terrified of what is happening across the United States to other women showing magical abilities, even young women who used their abilities against vicious male attackers. She has spectacular character growth from a naive teen to a power and confident young woman. I highly recommend this book!
cynsity25's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.0
Although it started off slow, I really enjoyed reading this. It's giving modern Salem witch trials and I love it. I'm a sucker for magic and I loved how realistic the magic felt in this, it felt more authentic than other stories. Also yay for queen romances!
This makes me wonder what I would do if I suddenly woke up with powers
This makes me wonder what I would do if I suddenly woke up with powers
rachelmoss2017's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
This was an interesting read! It was a little slow at the beginning but I'm glad I stuck it out because it ended up being really good! I'm very excited to see where the next installment goes. This is a fantasy story quite unlike any others I've read before. I really enjoyed this one and can't wait to read the next book!
mrscorbin89's review
adventurous
fast-paced
5.0
I really enjoyed this book, it was a fun mix of magic entering the real world and how it could affect different people. I have read several books by this author and this one is definitely one of my favorites. The characters were well developed, the plot was original and fun, and overall the story flowed perfectly. There is a second part to this story so don’t expect everything to be wrapped up in a little bow. Personally I can’t wait to read the next part.