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bohemianhermit04'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
Minor: Body horror, Drug use, Vomit, and Abandonment
kshertz's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Minor: Mental illness and Abandonment
smiti_nathan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I appreciated this as a quick low stakes listen. The flower descriptions were nice. The premise of the book was intriguing, but I felt like it lacked in tension. There was a build up to this big revelation and I was left feeling, “…and…”. I appreciated the seamless LGBTQIA+ representation and modeling of romantic consent; however, some of the characters felt quite one-dimensional. There was whimsy, which was nice. Other aspects were quite repetitive. Also, there was this whole aspect of the council, its shortcomings, and what it meant to be a part of it that was glossed over in my opinion.
Graphic: Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
sgenna's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Drug use and Mental illness
sab_rose's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Mental illness, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cursing and Blood
blacksphinx's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
This book has a strong "fanfic author's first original fic" vibe. There is very little world building in this novel, and things you might think warrant an explanation (like the magic system) are glossed over, like we're already supposed to know. It's partially centered around a variation on a fanfic trope - hanahaki disease - and there's a small scene lifted directly from Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle movie. In fact, our protagonist's two-syllable name, her light blue and light green dresses, her long hair plaited into a braid, and our wizard love interest's black hair kept me wondering... If this started life as a HMC's fanfic I would not be surprised.
Overall, this is a book that comfortably fits in the YA section and would probably be a delight in most middle school or high school libraries. (This book also needs an LGBT+ tag on here, it's a queernormative setting.)
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Medical content
Moderate: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Grief, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Mental illness and Fire/Fire injury
I want to list a brief content warning for an emotionally abusive relationship betweenjinjaritia'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
Moderate: Body horror, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gaslighting
alisylvi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Abandonment
Minor: Self harm
blewballoon'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
5.0
Moderate: Body horror and Abandonment
Minor: Emotional abuse and Mental illness
a_ab's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I don't think I could have suffered through the abuse of the main character's internal "magic" voice for all those 15 chapters. It was revolting and infuriating to me, but it would be extremely triggering for anyone who ever had to live through even a fraction of that kind of emotional abuse.
In that vein, I found the ending rather questionable in the proposed "happiness" of it. And there's no way I am going to revisit the chapters I skipped, - as far as I am concerned, nothing is worth putting up with the abusive BS, however internalized it is: get therapy or whatever it takes to weed it out until nothing but a detached clinical memory of it remains, and even that memory is there only so that it could be quickly recognized and weedkilled on sight if it ever sprouts again.
Graphic: Body horror, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Blood, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail