treasuressecret's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
annieb123's review against another edition
3.0
Sappy. Chaotic. Flat.
I am emphatically not the target audience, so I suspect if you're fond of the genre (light paranormal romance) and/or have low(ish) expectations in terms of grammar, plotting etc, or are in the mood for a very light beach read which you can read one sentence at a time between people watching, this might fill the bill and satisfy.
After reading it, I'm just left with a 'meh' feeling. The characters are one dimensional, the bad guy(s) are only bad... the quirky characters are more creepy than quirky and there's a 'pasted in' gay love interest to up the potential demographic. (/sigh)
The denoument was... ridiculous is the word that springs to mind, but it seems a bit harsh. It felt as though the author had gotten to that point in the book and simply wanted it to end (I did too, at that point).
The was no dramatic tension in this book for me. I found myself being annoyed, but not caring about the plot or characters much.
It's fairly short, and I borrowed it from the library, so I'm not as disappointed as I might otherwise have been. I just find myself wondering how many matchy-matchy everything works out in the end, everyone finds someone after all the drama-dust settles, paranormal, erotica x-tra-lite (gag) books come down the pike before the pump runs dry.
I sound like a curmudgeon and I'm really not one. There are enough people who do like happy happy cute paranormal romances who obviously disagree with me, so YMMV! :)
I am emphatically not the target audience, so I suspect if you're fond of the genre (light paranormal romance) and/or have low(ish) expectations in terms of grammar, plotting etc, or are in the mood for a very light beach read which you can read one sentence at a time between people watching, this might fill the bill and satisfy.
After reading it, I'm just left with a 'meh' feeling. The characters are one dimensional, the bad guy(s) are only bad... the quirky characters are more creepy than quirky and there's a 'pasted in' gay love interest to up the potential demographic. (/sigh)
The denoument was... ridiculous is the word that springs to mind, but it seems a bit harsh. It felt as though the author had gotten to that point in the book and simply wanted it to end (I did too, at that point).
The was no dramatic tension in this book for me. I found myself being annoyed, but not caring about the plot or characters much.
It's fairly short, and I borrowed it from the library, so I'm not as disappointed as I might otherwise have been. I just find myself wondering how many matchy-matchy everything works out in the end, everyone finds someone after all the drama-dust settles, paranormal, erotica x-tra-lite (gag) books come down the pike before the pump runs dry.
I sound like a curmudgeon and I'm really not one. There are enough people who do like happy happy cute paranormal romances who obviously disagree with me, so YMMV! :)
eap157's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A little predictable, but a delight to read. The magic of the apple tree and the flowers that grow nearby was charming.
rebbemcc's review against another edition
4.0
This was the first book by Sarah Addison Allen that I've read and I enjoyed it so much that I'll be picking up more of her books soon. It's not a complicated or "meaty" book, but sweet and loving. The main characters are well-written, but not over-explained and the book's pace is just fast enough to keep you interested. I love the "magical" elements and thought they were completely believable in the context of the story.
bowmanbooksta's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Favorite book of the yearÂ
nglofile's review against another edition
3.0
Charming. I will say I could read an entire book centering on Evanelle. Her character is adorably fascinating.
audiobook note: Narration was good, but 99 tracks per disc? That might seem like a good idea, but it isn't fun to skip to track 47 when you switch players or return after a break.
audiobook note: Narration was good, but 99 tracks per disc? That might seem like a good idea, but it isn't fun to skip to track 47 when you switch players or return after a break.
krissy_reads's review against another edition
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
katreadsalot's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. What a beautiful story! The story felt infused with magic, but not dominated by it. Real people were still living their real lives. Claire and Sydney were wonderfully complex characters, but what I loved most was the quirkyness of the town.