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norwegianforestreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
kirstym25's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence
queerreaderchaos's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
It is normal to find this book a bit confusing at first: you're dropped right into the action, with very little info as to how we got there. But don't worry, it's coming. The story is riddled with action, mixed with a lot of explanation and backstories because, like Susan, we know only a fraction of this world. Some readers might finds some parts repetitive (aka the kidnappings, even I thought it started to get off hand) , or slowed by the ever-coming flow of trivia, but it reads well and we are rewarded with a story rich of folklore, history, and magic. I loved the character of Merlin, with his non-gender conforming sense of fashion and his very peculiar personality (balanced by his sister Vivien)! Susan was interesting, although she took in too well what was happening to her. Don't get me wrong, she responded in her own fashion and had a believable learning trajectory, but I would have freaked out if I was in her place (but that's just me :P ). All in all, I really loved the book, and will definetly talk about it to anyone who wants to hear (or not).
Moderate: Death, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit
fantasycat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
mandkips's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Animal death
charlottebreads's review against another edition
4.75
Age Rating: 13+
- Susan was a nice main character. She made good life decisions.
- Vivien was also good, but I think she needed a few more things to separate her from Merlin. Her and Merlin's sibling relationship was fantastic though. I also kept calling her Viven for some reason.
- I though the romance was sidelined too much. It was brought up a few times via some half-hearted flirting/pining, but not enough for an actual relationship. It could have been improved with more pining, more angst, and more cute moments together.
- The magic system was really interesting. I liked that the left-handed and right-handed had different abilities, and that they used modern things as well as magical. There were also lots of interesting mythical creatures that I hadn't read about before. However, I thought that they could have used the hatpins more, because they were cool.
- I thought the villain twist was pretty good, however, I thought they needed a bit more motivation. We may find out more later (*hint hint, nudge nudge*), or maybe I missed something while reading.
- Obviously this book includes booksellers who love books, and books about books/booksellers/bookshops are always good.
- They mentioned lots of songs and story titles, so that was nice.
- Overall, I loved it. Nice balance of chaotic shenanigans and important stuff.
Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Cursing
maregred's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Minor: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Blood, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
claudiamacpherson's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use and Self harm
jenny_librarian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I always love books set in London, because of the memories that of my time there. So I obviously wasn’t going to hate that book. However, it felt a bit muted and I didn’t connect all that much with the characters. I mostly kept reading for the plot.
I liked Susan, as well as Merlin. They were interesting as separate characters, but I didn’t see the chemistry between the two.
This story is well set in the 80s. I suspect this is mostly because none of what happened would fly today. Interestingly, Merlin’s gender-bending didn’t raise eyebrows because of the era. I would have liked to get more on how he identifies, but the vocabulary wasn’t exactly how it is today, back then. I appreciate that Nix didn’t try to force a label deemed offensive by today’s standards.
It was a good book, but I wasn’t blown away by it.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Blood, and Murder
bookspaperink's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Kidnapping
Minor: Cursing, Gun violence, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail