likethepickle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
If you’ve been watching the fae male fantasy resurgence and thought “these aren’t the fae” this book is the cure.
A fae lord that acts like a fae lord, tricksy and dark and wild. David Bowie would be proud.
A girl who realizes too late she isn’t invincible and neither are her friends. Out tricking a trickster isn’t as simple as a little wordplay.
This was excruciating in the way you want things to work out and it’s an uphill battle for Moira Jean the whole time. Bless her heart.
A fae lord that acts like a fae lord, tricksy and dark and wild. David Bowie would be proud.
A girl who realizes too late she isn’t invincible and neither are her friends. Out tricking a trickster isn’t as simple as a little wordplay.
This was excruciating in the way you want things to work out and it’s an uphill battle for Moira Jean the whole time. Bless her heart.
shellbean's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
traceymc's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
analyssa2125's review against another edition
For me, I just did not get drawn into the book. It was like major events were happening and I didn’t even realize they were important.
kaio0127's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
krisleigh0630's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
3.75
lefay_'s review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. honestly this book kinda slapped (except the info dumping about the fate of moira jean’s friends at the end i kinda wanted better outcomes for them, or at least an explanation longer than one sentence). the way the book handled toxic relationships and grief was stellar and the growth that not just moira jean but other characters went through was very well done. the characterization for the dreamer was done the best imo, i was reading his lines and getting all flustered and shit lmao. i really enjoyed reading this book
leonor88's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
weeses's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
sorry but to quote the opening of the book "make it gayer. coward" all jokes aside i enjoyed this book, though it didnt fully grab me for some reason. there were multiple points throughout where i was very invested and an equal amount of times i was barely half paying attention. the themes of grief and recovering from/descovering abuse were well crafted. good book overal!
stormnatreadseverything's review against another edition
4.0
This was an overall pleasant read, perfect for those who love descriptive language, folklore, magick and fantasy.
We're introduced to a rural Scottish village after WW1 and the flu epidemic that followed, seeing the effects that losing half a generation of young people can have on the everyday running of a small, tight-knit community. Moira Jean is learning to cope with the loss of her fiancé when her friends are taken by a local Fae Lord for intruding on his sacred land. Bargaining for their return, we follow Moira as she completes her end of the deal - instead of the more recent tendencies to romanticise the Fae, this Fae-based story leans into more traditional folklore, with sometimes sinister and morally ambiguous Fae.
I initially devoured this book, as Harwood's writing style is generally easy to read, and easy to follow. Later on, I did find that the pacing of the story telling jumped between slow, descriptive, and sometimes repetitive to rushed, vague and overlooking important details. For the most part, however, Hardwood's world building is beautiful, detailed, and well worth the read.
Like some of the other reviews, I too did not massively click with Moira Jean as the main character. I found her a little difficult to relate too, but that's not a huge barrier for me within reading. I think part of this is I found it hard to place the ages of the main, young group - sometimes the language felt like the group were young teens, and other times like the group were in their mid twenties.
Overall, I would say if the description sounds interesting, give it a read. It was time well spent, and Harwood's writing is excellent.
I read this initially as an ARC via Net Galley, but will be purchasing the physical copies as soon as they're published - I cannot wait to re-read this in a physical form!
We're introduced to a rural Scottish village after WW1 and the flu epidemic that followed, seeing the effects that losing half a generation of young people can have on the everyday running of a small, tight-knit community. Moira Jean is learning to cope with the loss of her fiancé when her friends are taken by a local Fae Lord for intruding on his sacred land. Bargaining for their return, we follow Moira as she completes her end of the deal - instead of the more recent tendencies to romanticise the Fae, this Fae-based story leans into more traditional folklore, with sometimes sinister and morally ambiguous Fae.
I initially devoured this book, as Harwood's writing style is generally easy to read, and easy to follow. Later on, I did find that the pacing of the story telling jumped between slow, descriptive, and sometimes repetitive to rushed, vague and overlooking important details. For the most part, however, Hardwood's world building is beautiful, detailed, and well worth the read.
Like some of the other reviews, I too did not massively click with Moira Jean as the main character. I found her a little difficult to relate too, but that's not a huge barrier for me within reading. I think part of this is I found it hard to place the ages of the main, young group - sometimes the language felt like the group were young teens, and other times like the group were in their mid twenties.
Overall, I would say if the description sounds interesting, give it a read. It was time well spent, and Harwood's writing is excellent.
I read this initially as an ARC via Net Galley, but will be purchasing the physical copies as soon as they're published - I cannot wait to re-read this in a physical form!