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everayla's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
mellyqueen's review against another edition
Really wanted to enjoy the story but it wasn't pulling me in. Not sure if the world building was lacking or if it was the pacing. Might return to it later.
toffiladyreader's review against another edition
4.0
thank you so much to the author for gifting me an early copy in exchange for an honest review! all thoughts are my own
this review is kinda conflicting because i have absolutely nothing bad to say about the book, but at the same time it felt kinda weird. the conflicts for each character were amazing and felt real, this is what we want as readers, to have characters conflicted, with desires and things that slow them down, and for that the author deserves a hug. i loooooved the diversity in this book, it felt normal, even when people told their pronouns while presenting themselves, it was my first time reading about a non-binary character and i loved them so much.
i believe my only issue was the pacing. but maybe that's just me that i haven't read any cozy fantasy. which that was true: it felt cozy and like the book was giving you a warm hug all the time. the tarot aspect was that made me feel that way as well, it was also my first time reading about a book that gave it an important place and i loved the description of the cards and its meaning, the MC is super smart in that aspect. i wanted to comfort her so badly when things started to change for her and couldn't cope with it.
overall, it was a really solid book, with good developed characters and a great world-building. don't read it if you want something fast-paced because that doesn't exist here, is entirely cozy and super necesary <3
this review is kinda conflicting because i have absolutely nothing bad to say about the book, but at the same time it felt kinda weird. the conflicts for each character were amazing and felt real, this is what we want as readers, to have characters conflicted, with desires and things that slow them down, and for that the author deserves a hug. i loooooved the diversity in this book, it felt normal, even when people told their pronouns while presenting themselves, it was my first time reading about a non-binary character and i loved them so much.
i believe my only issue was the pacing. but maybe that's just me that i haven't read any cozy fantasy. which that was true: it felt cozy and like the book was giving you a warm hug all the time. the tarot aspect was that made me feel that way as well, it was also my first time reading about a book that gave it an important place and i loved the description of the cards and its meaning, the MC is super smart in that aspect. i wanted to comfort her so badly when things started to change for her and couldn't cope with it.
overall, it was a really solid book, with good developed characters and a great world-building. don't read it if you want something fast-paced because that doesn't exist here, is entirely cozy and super necesary <3
visceralreads's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Tell Me How It Ends follows Iris Galacia, resident tarot reader in the Galacia Gambling House, who escapes from home to earn enough for her mother as she helps a stranger rescue a friend in the kingdom of Excava. The book includes queer characters (+ aroace rep too!!!), neurodivergent characters (adhd, autism), magical species, lots of interesting worldbuilding/spirits lore, tarot cards, the foundest found family ever, and sneaking into a castle and other sneaky shenanigans.
I'm so grateful to have a physical copy gifted to me by Quinton themself as part of a giveaway! Although I took like 3?? months to read it due to this year being my senior year and being busy for weeks on end to prepare for uni,, I FINISHED IT!! AND I LOVED IT!! (i apologize for some incorrect info in the review; i read the first half of the book months ago </3)
Honestly, I thought the story was slow, especially when the ship ride took a long time to complete reading when I was more interested in what Iris and Marin would do once they arrived at Excava. However, in that time, Iris really went deep into tarot reading and explained every part of the card and how it affects the meanings of the cards and I think that's pretty cool^^
As I said, this is the foundest found family ever. I love the different dynamics between each character and Iris and Marin are the cutest platonic relationshippers I've read about in a long time!! I also love the inclusion of spirits in nature and how they mingle with caemi (the magical species in this book), and the spirits scenes were written so vividly! especially with the water spirits when Iris and Marin were on the ship.
Some parts of the writing could be refined more, as they seemed quite hard to read/digest and awkward sometimes, but as a debut novel, this is a really good effort and I'll 100% read the next one!! I can't wait to see what Iris and the gang are up to the Chaos in the Cards #2!
I'm so grateful to have a physical copy gifted to me by Quinton themself as part of a giveaway! Although I took like 3?? months to read it due to this year being my senior year and being busy for weeks on end to prepare for uni,, I FINISHED IT!! AND I LOVED IT!! (i apologize for some incorrect info in the review; i read the first half of the book months ago </3)
Honestly, I thought the story was slow, especially when the ship ride took a long time to complete reading when I was more interested in what Iris and Marin would do once they arrived at Excava. However, in that time, Iris really went deep into tarot reading and explained every part of the card and how it affects the meanings of the cards and I think that's pretty cool^^
As I said, this is the foundest found family ever. I love the different dynamics between each character and Iris and Marin are the cutest platonic relationshippers I've read about in a long time!! I also love the inclusion of spirits in nature and how they mingle with caemi (the magical species in this book), and the spirits scenes were written so vividly! especially with the water spirits when Iris and Marin were on the ship.
Some parts of the writing could be refined more, as they seemed quite hard to read/digest and awkward sometimes, but as a debut novel, this is a really good effort and I'll 100% read the next one!! I can't wait to see what Iris and the gang are up to the Chaos in the Cards #2!
literatiglitterati's review against another edition
DNF - weird slow style, not really working for me
thesingingbook's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
kindakatha's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nightjar656's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this! I thought the tarot was interesting and Iris was a really good main character. I liked her arc but kind of wish we’d seen more depth from Marin- while they were the driving force of the story, their character felt kind of shallow? Similarly, I wish we’d seen more between Iris and Taelyn. The writing wasn’t perfect (occasionally repetitive sentence structure and spelling mistakes stood out to me) but I liked the style. The plot was fun, I liked seeing the world itself and the magic system was near! I also like the group dynamic (although I felt like it was a little overexplained at times) and I’m excited to read more in the next one!
I’d recommend this to people who enjoy tarot, people who are interested in a lighter fantasy book, fans of Tangled, and people who like developing friendship dynamics.
I’d recommend this to people who enjoy tarot, people who are interested in a lighter fantasy book, fans of Tangled, and people who like developing friendship dynamics.