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kathleenfairchild's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I liked how this story came together in the end, tying up the loose ends nicely. Some of it I guessed right, other things surprised me. This story deals with art and the question of what you're willing to sacrifice for your dreams, but also with memory and all that entails. There's also a creepy forest and its inhabitants and an overall nice blend of our world and the fantastical. The relationship between Emeline and her grandfather was really touching. It is revealed early on that he has dementia and we get a feeling how this affects everyone involved. So heart-breakingly and beautifully done. I also liked the romantic element, but can't delve too much into that because it would spoil quite a bit of the story.
The story felt a bit rushed at times. I wished we could have delved deeper into everything but that might just be a me problem. It's still a solid standalone that I would recommend to a friend. I would say this is leaning more towards an older YA audience.
Something that I think might be worth mentioning is that there is an aspect of discovering being the result of an abusive and non-consensual relationship.
The story felt a bit rushed at times. I wished we could have delved deeper into everything but that might just be a me problem. It's still a solid standalone that I would recommend to a friend. I would say this is leaning more towards an older YA audience.
Something that I think might be worth mentioning is that there is an aspect of discovering being the result of an abusive and non-consensual relationship.
cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
This a good story about folklore, the Fae, and a magical realm deep within the forest. I liked the slow-burn, enemies-to lovers aspect and I understood what Ciccarelli was trying to do with her story, just it was predicable. I enjoyed story of a girl going into the wood to save her family.
Cover is stunning and the plot was fun and engaging.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This a good story about folklore, the Fae, and a magical realm deep within the forest. I liked the slow-burn, enemies-to lovers aspect and I understood what Ciccarelli was trying to do with her story, just it was predicable. I enjoyed story of a girl going into the wood to save her family.
Cover is stunning and the plot was fun and engaging.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
bekahlou9's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
- I want to start by saying the premise of this story has such great potential. It’s romantic, fantastical, and borderline coming of age and being brave enough to be you in a world that wants clones who can be easily controlled.
- Unfortunately, it fell short in what it could have been. Her motivation doesn’t match her actions. She barely spends time with/ talks to/ sees/ or thinks about her grandpa…unless, of course, she has to bring up motive for why she’s doing this… even though 50% of the time she’s doing it so she’ll be able to get home.
- So much is happening, but also nothing? It’s not impactful, it’s just busy. We’re not seeing any of the actual plot progression, we’re seeing the time pass and irrelevant details are mentioned in place of the actual story, and it’s repetitive.
- The FMC is shallow, and literally her ONLY character trait is having a good singing voice. She is incapable of doing anything or having a logical mind. Of course it took her until the last second to find the missing music sheets because she got distracted and wasted all her time. Each important and tense moment was overshadowed by this weird and unnecessary sexual tension.
midnightmomreader's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
nobosmomma's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
mysticjarjar's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
kaeliwolf's review against another edition
4.0
I love the idea behind this novel, it is something that a lot of people should have some experience in. This was well written and definitely something I will recommend to my reader friends!
babs_reviews's review against another edition
4.0
EMELINE LARK ... that's her dream, to see her name - on a marquee, in a different city, over and over. She longs to be on the stage, to sing her songs and escape into her music. Sometimes what we wish for and what we get can look SO similar and be so different.
Things in Edgewood have always been unique, believing in creatures from the Woods and the King that rules them. Offering up tithes to the king every season, the village is used to a missing person or two. Shaking the cloak of fantasy Emeline left this all behind when she chose to chase her dreams, only, when she takes the stages and sings, the forest always finds her.
Living out a twisted view of her dream, singing someones else's songs but still singing, with a label contract just within reach, Emeline gets a phone call about her elderly grandfather, he is missing.
Emeline finds herself thrown into the thick of what she had convinced herself was a fairy tale. To save her Pa she is willing to do whatever it takes, even if that means making deals with a mad King.
This was a romantic, fantasy YA that was so sweet until the end. Likeable characters, a plot driven by love -in many forms, and an ending that -nearly- soothed all wounds.
Thank you so much to Wednesday Books and Kristen Ciccarelli for the gifted review copy.
Things in Edgewood have always been unique, believing in creatures from the Woods and the King that rules them. Offering up tithes to the king every season, the village is used to a missing person or two. Shaking the cloak of fantasy Emeline left this all behind when she chose to chase her dreams, only, when she takes the stages and sings, the forest always finds her.
Living out a twisted view of her dream, singing someones else's songs but still singing, with a label contract just within reach, Emeline gets a phone call about her elderly grandfather, he is missing.
Emeline finds herself thrown into the thick of what she had convinced herself was a fairy tale. To save her Pa she is willing to do whatever it takes, even if that means making deals with a mad King.
This was a romantic, fantasy YA that was so sweet until the end. Likeable characters, a plot driven by love -in many forms, and an ending that -nearly- soothed all wounds.
Thank you so much to Wednesday Books and Kristen Ciccarelli for the gifted review copy.
booktalkwithrae's review
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This is one of my favourite authors and for reason. However, this one was not for me. The characters and world building was interesting. The writing was lush and beautiful as always. But I felt like some of the magic system and some parts of the world building Were a little confusing for me and a hard grass. Which infected my enjoyment of the book overall because I could not understand certain motivations of characters.
This is an urban fantasy story with paranormal creatures. Humans have to provide tithes to the creatures in the forest in order to be left alone. When the main characters grandfather is taken, she is determined to get him back. With the help of an old friend, new friend and dark boy who seems familiar, they work together to release her grandfather.
The romance in this book was good, but it was not as exciting as I hoped it would be. The reveal at the end seemed quite obvious and by that point in the story, I was uninterested. I like how the plot ended and it was a well-rounded story but some parts felt inconsistent.
It’s really hard to put my finger on what exactly I didn’t love about the book because there were so many things that were interesting and well written. But as a whole, it just feels like it’s going to be a forgettable story for me.
I think there are many people who would love this story. there is magic, fantasy, mythical creatures, family, romance, and adventure. It’s also an urban fantasy story that is not a series, which is rare. No commitment needed!
This is an urban fantasy story with paranormal creatures. Humans have to provide tithes to the creatures in the forest in order to be left alone. When the main characters grandfather is taken, she is determined to get him back. With the help of an old friend, new friend and dark boy who seems familiar, they work together to release her grandfather.
The romance in this book was good, but it was not as exciting as I hoped it would be. The reveal at the end seemed quite obvious and by that point in the story, I was uninterested. I like how the plot ended and it was a well-rounded story but some parts felt inconsistent.
It’s really hard to put my finger on what exactly I didn’t love about the book because there were so many things that were interesting and well written. But as a whole, it just feels like it’s going to be a forgettable story for me.
I think there are many people who would love this story. there is magic, fantasy, mythical creatures, family, romance, and adventure. It’s also an urban fantasy story that is not a series, which is rare. No commitment needed!