lisajuliareads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
The last few months I have been struggling with reading, it kept giving me headaches or pain in my eyes. Most books I started I was unable to finish because I just couldn't read and eventually lost interest or hope. I managed to read a graphic novel and 2 very short books the last few months, but that was about it. Then this book came (along with a new pair of glasses to try) and I ~finally~ was able to finish it!
This book was an easy and quick read - if I had my pre-2022 reading abilities, I would've devoured this book in 2 or less days. The chapters were a perfect mix of medium or short, the occasional longer chapter didn't feel too long. It was easy to follow the switches between POVs, even if there was still some mystery around some characters.
The plot was interesting. When I read the summary, I knew I wanted to read this book. It did not disappoint.
However, at some point not getting answers to the dozen questions I had got a bit annoying. The whole time you're aware you don't know the full story, and I know that's on purpose because the characters suffer from magical amnesia, but it gets frustrating. Even by the end it still feels like there are questions unanswered.
Speaking of the end, it felt kind of rushed to me. The whole book is slow to medium paced, and then the last few pages are suddenly very fast. It didn't really give the ending the story deserved. It was over too fast.
I would still recommend this book. While it didn't become an all time favorite like I had expected, I still had fun reading it. I'll still cherish this book, think back to it with a smile.
My rating: 3.75☆
This book was an easy and quick read - if I had my pre-2022 reading abilities, I would've devoured this book in 2 or less days. The chapters were a perfect mix of medium or short, the occasional longer chapter didn't feel too long. It was easy to follow the switches between POVs, even if there was still some mystery around some characters.
The plot was interesting. When I read the summary, I knew I wanted to read this book. It did not disappoint.
However, at some point not getting answers to the dozen questions I had got a bit annoying. The whole time you're aware you don't know the full story, and I know that's on purpose because the characters suffer from magical amnesia, but it gets frustrating. Even by the end it still feels like there are questions unanswered.
Speaking of the end, it felt kind of rushed to me. The whole book is slow to medium paced, and then the last few pages are suddenly very fast. It didn't really give the ending the story deserved. It was over too fast.
I would still recommend this book. While it didn't become an all time favorite like I had expected, I still had fun reading it. I'll still cherish this book, think back to it with a smile.
My rating: 3.75☆
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Mental illness, Death of parent, Blood, Grief, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Minor: Animal death and Child death
xmurbef's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Christina Moore and it was absolutely perfect. I wouldn’t recommend consuming this book any other way. I loved how it was written, I loved how it almost felt like a children’s book but had the depth of an adult novel, and I loved the poetry of it all. An absolutely beautiful story.
Some content warnings for this book: child loss, animal cruelty
Some content warnings for this book: child loss, animal cruelty
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Animal death and Animal cruelty
bronzel's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
town_scar's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-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: Abandonment, Animal death, Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Death, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail
rachelditty's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
My co-worker handed this to me and told me to read it, and I'm so glad she did! What a lovely little book; this was such a great read. I was surprised to find myself almost tearing up at the end.
I think if anything, I wish we had gotten a little more about Fyrian's mother and the witch who stopped the volcano all those years ago. I know there's another short-story set in this universe, so maybe it goes into more of that aspect of the story. There was also a point where, when everything was getting revealed, that Antain kind of repeated everything that had already been said, and I didn't really understand why we got that information twice in such rapid succession. That happened another time too, with Luna re-explaining something, both times which I didn't really think were necessary. We also never really get into the more detailed history between Sister Ignatia ad Glerk, which I was VERY interested in.
But I loved these characters! I was really interested in seeing how Luna, our titular character, was going to end up being the center of everything happening. I loved all the little families we got to see, and even the side characters we only saw a few glimpses of. Ethyne was incredible, I'm so glad we got those scenes of her and the Grand Elder.
Some quotes I liked:
"Yes, child. This is a true story. What other kinds of stories are there?" (p. 58)
"'Death is always sudden... even when it isn't.'" (p. 80)
"'Curiosity is the curse of the Clever. Or perhaps cleverness is the curse of the Curious. In any case, I'm never lacking for either, I'm afraid, which does keep me rather busy.'" (p. 122).
"Anger buzzed through Luna's body, from the top of her head to the bottoms of her feet. This is how a tree must feel, she thought, as it is hit by lightning." (p. 231).
"The material is less consequential than the intention." (p. 372).
"And she drifted away, loving everything." (p. 379).
"The heart is built of starlight/ And time./ A pinprick of longing lost in the dark./ An unbroken chord linking the Infinite to the Infinite./ My heart wishes upon your heart and the wish is granted./ Meanwhile the world spins./ Meanwhile the universe expands./ Meanwhile the mystery of love reveals itself,/ again and again, in the mystery of you./ I have gone./ I will return." (p. 383).
"She belongs to us, but one day her magic will fade and she will wander back into the Bog and we won't have a witch anymore. Only stories. Perhaps she will find the Beast. Or become the Beast. Or become the Bog. Or become a Poem. Or become the world. They are all the same thing, you know." (p. 386).
Really great read from Barnhill! I will definitely be finding time for the sequel/prequel.
Spoiler
I was really interested in how all the different stories would come together at the end, and Barnhill did such a satisfying job of doing so. I really loved Antain and Ethyne, and I like that Luna and Adara ended up staying with them--I was hoping Luna and Antain would form some sort of familial bond. Fyrian absolutely stole my heart, was a kind dragon. Xan going into the bog with Glerk really had me at the end, and so did Luna releasing the poem into the world.I think if anything, I wish we had gotten a little more about Fyrian's mother and the witch who stopped the volcano all those years ago. I know there's another short-story set in this universe, so maybe it goes into more of that aspect of the story. There was also a point where, when everything was getting revealed, that Antain kind of repeated everything that had already been said, and I didn't really understand why we got that information twice in such rapid succession. That happened another time too, with Luna re-explaining something, both times which I didn't really think were necessary. We also never really get into the more detailed history between Sister Ignatia ad Glerk, which I was VERY interested in.
But I loved these characters! I was really interested in seeing how Luna, our titular character, was going to end up being the center of everything happening. I loved all the little families we got to see, and even the side characters we only saw a few glimpses of. Ethyne was incredible, I'm so glad we got those scenes of her and the Grand Elder.
Some quotes I liked:
"Yes, child. This is a true story. What other kinds of stories are there?" (p. 58)
"'Death is always sudden... even when it isn't.'" (p. 80)
"'Curiosity is the curse of the Clever. Or perhaps cleverness is the curse of the Curious. In any case, I'm never lacking for either, I'm afraid, which does keep me rather busy.'" (p. 122).
"Anger buzzed through Luna's body, from the top of her head to the bottoms of her feet. This is how a tree must feel, she thought, as it is hit by lightning." (p. 231).
"The material is less consequential than the intention." (p. 372).
"And she drifted away, loving everything." (p. 379).
"The heart is built of starlight/ And time./ A pinprick of longing lost in the dark./ An unbroken chord linking the Infinite to the Infinite./ My heart wishes upon your heart and the wish is granted./ Meanwhile the world spins./ Meanwhile the universe expands./ Meanwhile the mystery of love reveals itself,/ again and again, in the mystery of you./ I have gone./ I will return." (p. 383).
"She belongs to us, but one day her magic will fade and she will wander back into the Bog and we won't have a witch anymore. Only stories. Perhaps she will find the Beast. Or become the Beast. Or become the Bog. Or become a Poem. Or become the world. They are all the same thing, you know." (p. 386).
Really great read from Barnhill! I will definitely be finding time for the sequel/prequel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement and Abandonment
Minor: Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Animal death, Blood, Grief, and Kidnapping
penofpossibilities's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Gaslighting, Animal death, and Abandonment
Moderate: Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
Minor: Genocide, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Ableism, and Death
mengzhenreads'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was absolutely perfect in every way. I could reread it over and over again. It was whimsical, touching, adventurous, sorrowful, and just gorgeous. The writing was as lush and rich as the characters themselves and although this is marketed as a middle grade book, this truly is a book that is universal. Go read this if you haven't yet, it's well worth your time :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Confinement, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Death and Mental illness
Minor: Animal death
half_bloodreader's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Bilingual Review / Crítica Bilingue (🇬🇧 & 🇵🇹)
Children MG Fantasy /Fantasia Infantojuvenil
Has /Tem:
🧙♀️ Witches /Bruxas
🐲 Tiny Dragon /Pequeno Dragão
👾Poet Swamp Monster /Monstro do Pântano Poeta
🇬🇧 Written in 3rd person, past tense.
It demonstrates tools used by dictatorships & other institutions, groups or people with malicious intent to keep power in place and continue to exploit the people
- Distracting with fear, pain, worry, grief, suffering, and ridiculous rules prevents people from questioning power, social injustice & division of necessary goods, as well as their actions
- Hunger and malnutrition prevent both good reasoning and energy for revolt
- Propaganda. Inventing a common enemy increases worries, creates a false sense of camaraderie/patriotism (us against them), justifies unnecessary sacrifices, and increases the fear & anxieties that cloud the mind
- Coming up situations & flaws to belittle & attack the importance, competence, intelligence & lack of independence of the people. In addition to destroying self-confidence, it creates a feeling of dependency and inability to survive without these people
- Gaslighting, manipulating, censoring and gatekeeping knowledge. Stopping critical thinking skills
I also find it interesting to explore the escape from reality through repetitive lies we tell ourselves, especially for reasons of survival and maintaining the ability to move forward and do what is necessary. Forgetting is used to maintain some sanity, rather than letting ourselves be drowned in pain, pain to be, memories and anxieties. A character excels at this, and her long age is partly to blame when it comes to the distant past. However, it is often in the very recent past, and it is a defense mechanism initiated by her.
The fact is that it is not healthy to remain stuck in memory, but forgetting History means not being prepared to face problems when it repeats itself. It can even mean forgetting who we are, stumping growth & healing.
🇵🇹 Escrito na 3ª pessoa, passado.
Demonstra ferramentas usadas por ditaduras e outras instituições, grupos ou pessoas com intenções maliciosas, para manter o poder instalado e continuar a explorar o povo
- Distrair povo com medo, dor, preocupações, luto, sofrimento, censura e regras ridículas impede-os de questionar o poderio, injustiça social e divisão de bens necessários, assim como as suas acções
- Fome e desnutrição impede um bom raciocínio e energia para revolta
- Propaganda. Inventar um inimigo comum aumenta preocupações, cria uma falsa sensação de camaradagem/patriotismo (nós contra eles), justifica sacrifícios desnecessários e aumenta o medo e ansiedades que tornam a mente nebulosa
- Inventar situações e defeitos para menosprezar e atacar a importância, competência, inteligência e falta de independência do povo. Além de arrasar com a autoconfiança, cria uma sensação de dependência e incapacidade de sobreviver sem estas pessoas
- Gaslighting (fazer indivíduo questionar realidade, memória e percepções como fazem com a "louca"), manipulação, censura e barrar o conhecimento. Parando as habilidades de pensamento crítico
Também acho interessante a exploração do escapismo da realidade através de mentiras repetitivas que contamos a nós mesmos, especialmente por motivos de sobrevivência e manter a capacidade de seguir em frente e fazer o que é necessário. O esquecimento é usado para manter alguma sanidade, em vez de nos deixarmos afogar pela dor, prospectiva de dor, memórias e ansiedades. Uma personagem é exímia nisso, e a sua longa idade tem culpa em parte, no que toca a passado distante. Contudo, muitas vezes é no passado muito recente, e é uma mecanismo de defesa iniciado pela mesma.
Facto é que não é saudável permanecer preso na memória, mas esquecer História significa não estar preparado para enfrentar problemas, quando esta se repetir. Pode até significar esquecermos quem somos, impedir-nos de crescer e sarar.
Children MG Fantasy /Fantasia Infantojuvenil
Has /Tem:
🧙♀️ Witches /Bruxas
🐲 Tiny Dragon /Pequeno Dragão
👾Poet Swamp Monster /Monstro do Pântano Poeta
🇬🇧 Written in 3rd person, past tense.
It demonstrates tools used by dictatorships & other institutions, groups or people with malicious intent to keep power in place and continue to exploit the people
- Distracting with fear, pain, worry, grief, suffering, and ridiculous rules prevents people from questioning power, social injustice & division of necessary goods, as well as their actions
- Hunger and malnutrition prevent both good reasoning and energy for revolt
- Propaganda. Inventing a common enemy increases worries, creates a false sense of camaraderie/patriotism (us against them), justifies unnecessary sacrifices, and increases the fear & anxieties that cloud the mind
- Coming up situations & flaws to belittle & attack the importance, competence, intelligence & lack of independence of the people. In addition to destroying self-confidence, it creates a feeling of dependency and inability to survive without these people
- Gaslighting, manipulating, censoring and gatekeeping knowledge. Stopping critical thinking skills
I also find it interesting to explore the escape from reality through repetitive lies we tell ourselves, especially for reasons of survival and maintaining the ability to move forward and do what is necessary. Forgetting is used to maintain some sanity, rather than letting ourselves be drowned in pain, pain to be, memories and anxieties. A character excels at this, and her long age is partly to blame when it comes to the distant past. However, it is often in the very recent past, and it is a defense mechanism initiated by her.
The fact is that it is not healthy to remain stuck in memory, but forgetting History means not being prepared to face problems when it repeats itself. It can even mean forgetting who we are, stumping growth & healing.
🇵🇹 Escrito na 3ª pessoa, passado.
Demonstra ferramentas usadas por ditaduras e outras instituições, grupos ou pessoas com intenções maliciosas, para manter o poder instalado e continuar a explorar o povo
- Distrair povo com medo, dor, preocupações, luto, sofrimento, censura e regras ridículas impede-os de questionar o poderio, injustiça social e divisão de bens necessários, assim como as suas acções
- Fome e desnutrição impede um bom raciocínio e energia para revolta
- Propaganda. Inventar um inimigo comum aumenta preocupações, cria uma falsa sensação de camaradagem/patriotismo (nós contra eles), justifica sacrifícios desnecessários e aumenta o medo e ansiedades que tornam a mente nebulosa
- Inventar situações e defeitos para menosprezar e atacar a importância, competência, inteligência e falta de independência do povo. Além de arrasar com a autoconfiança, cria uma sensação de dependência e incapacidade de sobreviver sem estas pessoas
- Gaslighting (fazer indivíduo questionar realidade, memória e percepções como fazem com a "louca"), manipulação, censura e barrar o conhecimento. Parando as habilidades de pensamento crítico
Também acho interessante a exploração do escapismo da realidade através de mentiras repetitivas que contamos a nós mesmos, especialmente por motivos de sobrevivência e manter a capacidade de seguir em frente e fazer o que é necessário. O esquecimento é usado para manter alguma sanidade, em vez de nos deixarmos afogar pela dor, prospectiva de dor, memórias e ansiedades. Uma personagem é exímia nisso, e a sua longa idade tem culpa em parte, no que toca a passado distante. Contudo, muitas vezes é no passado muito recente, e é uma mecanismo de defesa iniciado pela mesma.
Facto é que não é saudável permanecer preso na memória, mas esquecer História significa não estar preparado para enfrentar problemas, quando esta se repetir. Pode até significar esquecermos quem somos, impedir-nos de crescer e sarar.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Abandonment and Death of parent
emakay's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
relaxing
fast-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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, and Emotional abuse
zombiezami's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Body horror, Mental illness, Confinement, and Ableism
Minor: Child death, Vomit, Death of parent, Animal death, and Sexism
saneism, incarceration
More...