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seren'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
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
w0lfyfr3n's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed reading about the ever-evolving idea of what it means to create art through the eyes of the protagonist. I found it quite thought provoking, especially relevant during these times of writer's strikes, book censorship and AI art.
Graphic: Child abuse and Self harm
ghostlyprince's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Misogyny and Sexism
booksborrowed'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
4.5
But sixth days were special. Sixth days were for music."
Sofi is a 16 year old girl whose only dream is to become a Musik, like her father, Frederick Ollenholt. The only five people allowed to perform with an instrument in public were Musiks. Sofi's father played a bone lute, and Sofi is eager to earn it. She is forced to quickly learn more about herself and her father as things don't go quite as planned at the auditions.
I thought the magic system was portrayed uniquely. Magic is open for public to use, as long as civilians are able to aquire "Papers." The Papers have individual spells attached by witches, who have disappeared for many years, and once used the papers word would tattoo itself on to the user so everyone were to know of the spell. Musiks were expressly forbidden from using magic. Thus, Sofi loathed those who had used it.
The story is medium paced in the beginning through middle chapters. However, this changed, and the plot felt very rushed towards the end. The rushed resolution was a major reason this book didn't receive 5 stars, along with repetitious wording.
I would have asked for more relationship building with certain family members, and the resolution expanded on in the end, but overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's generally different than most other plots and easy to read. I will recommend listening to the Audiobook because the narrator does a devine job bringing a tonality to each character.
Minor: Child abuse
alishav's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The things you love shouldn’t hurt you… You don’t have to hurt yourself to be worthy of pursuing your dream. You don’t have to deny pieces of yourself in order to be good.
An easy-to-read, young adult fantasy with a rivals-to-lovers, grumpy-sunshine sapphic romance. But more than that, this book delves into what defines success and touched the heart of this forever recovering perfectionist, overachiever (and music lover). Sofi grapples with her future being upended time and time again as choices and discoveries challenge everything she knew about herself, her world, and her art. Lara and other lovable - and despicable - characters influence Sofi’s journey and help her uncover a new, healthier relationship with herself, her past, her music, and ultimately her future.
I really appreciated Tooley’s ability to weave a story together and immerse readers in an interesting world with a very cool magic system and fantastic characters.
I think there is a parallel that could be drawn between the themes in this book and the current dialogue about the use of AI in art… could be an interesting book club discussion.
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicide
emily_mh'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
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, and Death of parent
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Grief
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Drug use, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: imprisonment Minor: capital punishment, childbirth, self-injury, menstruation, theftgardens_and_dragons'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
I think the book is more strong in terms of Sofia’s growth , and how she is able to work through her past.
Graphic: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
trickphoenix's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I discovered while reading that I only like the enemies-to-lovers trope if BOTH characters dislike each other from the start. In this book the "enemies" part was very one-sided and it felt more like bullying than real rivalry or enmity. I didn't get very invested in the romance or the characters, just found them more vexing than lovable, and felt like their bonding was hard to believe. I also realized partway through that it hadn't given me any occasion to laugh, and I prefer a romance to involve some witty banter.
The plot didn't leave me guessing much, mostly as predicted with a slight twist at the end, so just a little too predictable for my tastes but not to an extent unusual for YA.
I enjoyed the world building, interesting setting, magic system, and culture built around music. The diversity of the characters was great, and there were some difficult topics handled quite tactfully. No complaints about the writing style itself either. Unfortunately just not to my taste.
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, and Classism
Minor: Bullying, Death, Death of parent, and Abandonment
a_ab's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It also suffers from "all fathers are monsters" syndrome - not a single father mentioned in the book (in their fatherly capacity), even in passing, could be described as even a half-decent person. It got a little weird there.
But otherwise this was an interesting young adult fantasy book with some thoughtful observations about talent, excellence and self-discovery.
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Suicide, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Toxic relationship
empng'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Death of parent