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badriyaishere's review against another edition
"There is a time and a place for reading a certain book" is the recurring thought I had when reading the first two chapters.
I first read this book back in 2020 (roughly). It stuck with me years later for its magic: the awe and wonder of a magical world slowly flourishing with the real world as more people believed in the beauty around them. As a child, it would have been a dream come true to experience that. However, as an adult having seen a lot in the four years since, the magic left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Dinsdale writes beautifully, let's get that out of the way. One thing I remember in particular was his vivid descriptions of Paris, the Flowers by Night, which bloomed with rich colours and vibrant fauna that lived among them. These descriptions were weaved in with the plot, following Isabelle closely at first, and caused a steady pace for the story to develop. It's a slow burner, so if you're not a fan of lengthy descriptions I believe this would not be a story for you. If you are a fan of slow burn, it will pay off during the climaxin which the Flowers by Night bloom lavishly alongside Paris and the world of the Old Country fully becomes alive .
Paris by Starlight has the overarching theme of displacement, and with it comes xenophobia. The main characters and love interests, Isobelle and Levon, navigate this as Levon and his family find a way to peacefully live in Paris after being forced out of their home and way of living by night. Again, I enjoyed this book when I read it for the first time, and picked it up to experience the magic again. However, given events in the UK and globally, I could not find myself escaping into the book, rather it felt too close to home to ignore. Dinsdale does a great job navigating many different perspectives through his characters, all brilliantly entwined with each other, yetthe resolution of these characters' arcs comes in the final chapter. All of them seemingly fitting but at the same time felt very rushed. (Please note that I skipped to the final chapter for a refresher on the resolution).
Overall, if you're looking to read this book I'd say be prepared to place the outside world out of your mind and be in it for the long haul, although the resolution may not be worth the time and energy spent when you get to the end.
I first read this book back in 2020 (roughly). It stuck with me years later for its magic: the awe and wonder of a magical world slowly flourishing with the real world as more people believed in the beauty around them. As a child, it would have been a dream come true to experience that. However, as an adult having seen a lot in the four years since, the magic left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Dinsdale writes beautifully, let's get that out of the way. One thing I remember in particular was his vivid descriptions of Paris, the Flowers by Night, which bloomed with rich colours and vibrant fauna that lived among them. These descriptions were weaved in with the plot, following Isabelle closely at first, and caused a steady pace for the story to develop. It's a slow burner, so if you're not a fan of lengthy descriptions I believe this would not be a story for you. If you are a fan of slow burn, it will pay off during the climax
Paris by Starlight has the overarching theme of displacement, and with it comes xenophobia. The main characters and love interests, Isobelle and Levon, navigate this as Levon and his family find a way to peacefully live in Paris after being forced out of their home and way of living by night. Again, I enjoyed this book when I read it for the first time, and picked it up to experience the magic again. However, given events in the UK and globally, I could not find myself escaping into the book, rather it felt too close to home to ignore. Dinsdale does a great job navigating many different perspectives through his characters, all brilliantly entwined with each other, yet
Overall, if you're looking to read this book I'd say be prepared to place the outside world out of your mind and be in it for the long haul, although the resolution may not be worth the time and energy spent when you get to the end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Xenophobia
uhtceara's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Violence
abibliofile's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
5.0
(It's currently 1am while I'm writing this, and I've been reading this book for the past 3 hours straight. I'm already not great at writing reviews and also I'm a bit of an emotional wreck so this is less of a review and more of just a random spewing of half-formed thoughts! Yay, let's go! 😅)
CW: This book contains quite a few possible triggers, but the majority of them are in the second half.
The first half of this book was beautiful, it was- for the most part, happy, sweet, and about family.
The second half was just as beautifully written but dealt with some more triggering topics. The entirety of the second half of the book just was constantly breaking my heart, repairing it a bit, and then breaking it again. That's not to say I don't recommend this book, I absolutely loved it, it's just a bit more of an emotional read.
CW: This book contains quite a few possible triggers, but the majority of them are in the second half.
The first half of this book was beautiful, it was- for the most part, happy, sweet, and about family.
The second half was just as beautifully written but dealt with some more triggering topics. The entirety of the second half of the book just was constantly breaking my heart, repairing it a bit, and then breaking it again. That's not to say I don't recommend this book, I absolutely loved it, it's just a bit more of an emotional read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime and Racism
Moderate: Bullying, Death, and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Gore, Homophobia, Medical content, Trafficking, and Grief
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