Scan barcode
katiejohns's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Kidnapping, Grief, and War
ivi_reads_books's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and War
sassylassie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
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? No
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. It was fantastic. I think the only thing I had a problem with was Hazel kept stringing Barnaby along.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Child death and War
ali_james's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and War
Moderate: Child death and Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse
kmetzing's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and War
tfischbach's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
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? No
3.75
This is a book about following your intuition about the things you hold most dear. I loved the parallels between this book and Patti Callahan Henry's book Once Upon a Wardrobe. I think I finished it because I liked Wardrobe so much. I kept waiting for that heart-felt story energy to emerge in this story. Unfortunately, I didn't feel it in this book as much. There is a lot of internal, emotional wrangling that felt a bit overly dramatic. I did enjoy the discussions of rare books fascinating.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping and War
Minor: Death of parent
This is not a graphic book at all, but there are themes that a sensitive reader may find concerning especially around the treatment of children.bree_of_the_woods's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Kidnapping
Moderate: Child death and War
Minor: Death of parent
kalagrace's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
Sweet, sad, heartwarming, and hopeful. The ending was a bit too rom-com-neat-bow for my tastes, but the pacing was great and the story and characters were compelling. Cynthia Erivo’s narration was perfection.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and War
bookish_leslie's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
3.75
Overall, I’m glad I read this book, but it confused me because I should have liked it more than I did. It had many of the story elements that I love:
- An interesting premise
- A mystery
- Beautiful descriptions of atmosphere/place
- A hint of fairytale magic
But sadly, for me, it fell a bit flat.
Pacing: First of all, the pacing was off. It was soooo slow through most of the book, and then the ending was quite rushed. I could only read small sections of this book at a time before wanting to put it down, and then it was often difficult to pick back up again.
Characters: I also couldn't connect emotionally with the characters. They were all just a bit stiff and flat, and it was hard to care about any of them or what they were going through.
Writing: I enjoyed the way the author described the different settings and also how she talked about stories and fairytales. I’m a sucker for words that flow in poetic ways.
“Not very long ago and not very far away, there once was and still is an invisible place right here with us. And if you are born knowing, you will find your way through the woodlands to the shimmering doors that lead to the land made just and exactly for you.”
With that being said, I occasionally had to re-read sentences. The dialogue felt stiff. Certain parts didn’t fit or flow together very well - to such an extent that I sometimes thought I’d accidentally skipped a page, but hadn’t. It was often repetitive, and the Peggy Andrews storyline was particularly awkward and under-developed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Grief, and War
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content
snailreads_'s review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Really delightful read, engaging and at times heart breaking story. Really enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Kidnapping