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rangerwing75's review
adventurous
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
If I had to describe this book in a word, that word would be ‘fine’.
Starting with our main characters:
Ivy is fine as a protagonist. I didn’t feel particularly strongly towards her, but she wasn’t unlikeable. She had a few good moments like when she was in the cave with Glitonea trying to learn how to turn into a cormorant and it doesn’t work but on the whole, she’s a bit on the less memorable side of protagonists.
Tom’s more up and down, which in a way makes him better I guess? Some of his jokes did make me laugh a bit, but he also had moments where I kinda wish I could slap him.
Ivy’s mom was my favourite even though, ultimately, she didn’t do much. After telling Ivy her backstory and other bits and pieces of information, she doesn’t have anything to do.
The sisters only show up in the last hundred pages so we get no time to really know any of them very well except for Thiten who was a bit of an asshole.
The plot mainly circles around themes of sexism and sexual harassment/assault. That’s the catalyst if you think about it because Moronoe wouldn’t have died and reincarnated as Ivy if Merlin hadn’t been so eager to possess her. Ivy’s creepy boss at the start is the big one, as well as small comments and moments here and there.
Hot Key Books labels this book’s themes as ‘magic’ ‘sisterhood’ ‘romance’. The only one I agree with is magic. The magical elements are introduced early on. The sisterhood comes in way later, and the romance just starts in the last few pages before Ivy leaves Tom on Earth so she can go to Avalon to join her sisters to find her mom
I do think the story was a fun take on Arthurian legend - at the very least it’s one I haven’t seen before.
The story drags a little at the start. It picks up after a while, but then the ending feels like it was sped through. The final ‘battle’ was very much ‘love conquers all’ to me which would have been fine if it had been developed a little more, but it wasn’t. All it needed was just a few more pages and maybe I would have felt less inclined to put the book down, but it could have been worse.
Uhhhh Merlin’s a dickhead end of review.
Starting with our main characters:
Ivy is fine as a protagonist. I didn’t feel particularly strongly towards her, but she wasn’t unlikeable. She had a few good moments like
Tom’s more up and down, which in a way makes him better I guess? Some of his jokes did make me laugh a bit, but he also had moments where I kinda wish I could slap him.
Ivy’s mom was my favourite even though, ultimately, she didn’t do much. After telling Ivy her backstory and other bits and pieces of information, she doesn’t have anything to do.
The sisters only show up in the last hundred pages so we get no time to really know any of them very well except for Thiten who was a bit of an asshole.
The plot mainly circles around themes of sexism and sexual harassment/assault. That’s the catalyst if you think about it because
Hot Key Books labels this book’s themes as ‘magic’ ‘sisterhood’ ‘romance’. The only one I agree with is magic. The magical elements are introduced early on. The sisterhood comes in way later, and the romance just starts in the last few pages
I do think the story was a fun take on Arthurian legend - at the very least it’s one I haven’t seen before.
The story drags a little at the start. It picks up after a while, but then the ending feels like it was sped through. The final ‘battle’ was very much ‘love conquers all’ to me which would have been fine if it had been developed a little more, but it wasn’t. All it needed was just a few more pages and maybe I would have felt less inclined to put the book down, but it could have been worse.
Uhhhh Merlin’s a dickhead end of review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Toxic friendship