Scan barcode
onetwomanybooks's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
foxglove0703's review against another edition
Realised I didn’t care about anything that was happening. This and other recent dnfs have made me realise that ‘Woman wanders around mysterious and atmospheric old house’ is not an interesting enough plot to keep me engaged.
heaven_li's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
ceeej56's review against another edition
hopeful
tense
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? No
3.5
pagesofash's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ruekeyronay's review against another edition
3.0
The writing is beautiful but I had a big issue with the development of the characters and the romance. It made no sense. The pay off wasn't satisfying because there wasn't any proper development. Raphael and Liddie fell in love but they never even had one proper conversation.
madamelacy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I enjoyed reading this book overall, but I found aspects of it frustrating. I’ll start with what I did like: the setting for the bulk of the story was really interesting, I loved the aspects of magical realism and I really enjoyed the stories within the stories.
What I didn’t like: it felt very predictable and contrived rather than a story that unfurled organically. The romance between Liddy and the Keymaker just wasn’t credible as they’d barely interacted and it felt so twee. The story took ages to get going, so I nearly abandoned it a third of the way through. The answer to all questions was ‘the sorrowing stars’. The descriptions were a bit lacking at times, so I just couldn’t picture what was being described. The relationship between Vivienne and the shopkeeper was under-developed. Finally Rosa… who? She was obviously mentioned early on but was very unmemorable.
What I didn’t like: it felt very predictable and contrived rather than a story that unfurled organically. The romance between Liddy and the Keymaker just wasn’t credible as they’d barely interacted and it felt so twee. The story took ages to get going, so I nearly abandoned it a third of the way through. The answer to all questions was ‘the sorrowing stars’. The descriptions were a bit lacking at times, so I just couldn’t picture what was being described. The relationship between Vivienne and the shopkeeper was under-developed. Finally Rosa… who? She was obviously mentioned early on but was very unmemorable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, and Death of parent
Minor: Blood
iladevlin28's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
riaz's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0