plantbot's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-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? Yes
3.75
fictionalcass's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.5
This was such a cute read! I loved the vibes of this book and I will now be dreaming about magic being real for the foreseeable future. Nowhere House was the perfect setting, not only for its atmosphere, but also for the people who made it a home. The girls, Jamie, Ian, Ken, and Lucie were such rich characters and I adored all of them in their own ways. I loved the overall arc of the story and where things ended up.
My biggest gripe with this book is the main conflict towards the end of the book and how it wraps up. Based on Mika’s history and the big lie that basically confirms her biggest fear, I was shocked that all was forgiven so quickly. I couldn’t enjoy some of the events at the end because I was so distracted that she forgave things so easily!! There wasn’t quite enough time around it for me to feel good about the resolution. Especially with all the things Mika shared about her past, it just didn’t sit right with me.
Overall, some events were a bit predictable but for the most part the characters made it worthwhile to me. Rosetta, Terracotta, and Altamira had me cracking up and I loved getting to see them learn and grow.
I really enjoyed the first parts, but I couldn’t get past the quick path to forgiveness, and it soured the experience for me, so this one is a 3.5⭐️ read for me.
_skyler's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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? No
5.0
This was such a good book. The characters were lovely. The magic was fun and not too complicated. The story was well written. The romance was believable. If you liked House in the Cerulean Sea then you will probably like this.
amandalorianxo's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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? No
4.5
4.5 ish stars but this is definitely worth all the praise and love that's been given since it's conception. I don't really see that much of a comparison between House in the Cerulean Sea and this novel except for the kids aspect but I think that's where the similarities end. While I love the entire cast that make up this book and the bipoc / lgbtq representation, I think the only reason why I gave this 4/4.5 stars is because I wanted more from the children and the elderly men that were in charge of them. But Mika & Jamie were a slow burn couple that I loved because Sangu Mandanna actually showed us, not told us about their growing affecction in addition to making them not an insta love type of couple. I am looking forward to more books by this author in the near future :3
iris456's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
3.75
island3211234's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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? N/A
5.0
saschasreads's review against another edition
4.0
4,5 stars!! This was so adorable and I loved the cozy witchy vibes so much, also the audiobook!!! So good!!
mkdxo's review against another edition
3.0
This book could’ve been really good but I just didn’t enjoy it all that much. It felt like a watered-down version of The House in the Cerulean Sea. I think the characters were all really good, with Altamira, Terracotta and Rosetta as well as Primrose. The only issue is the plot just wasn’t that interesting. I didn’t really care about the whole issue with Edward because it didn’t feel tense, and I didn’t care for the twist where they’d lied to Mika because I knew she’d go back to them by the end. The main storyline I did enjoy was the Primrose/Mika one, but other than that, I think this was a really average book.
aclopez6's review against another edition
4.0
I fully expected to fall in love with this book as it has many of my favorite tropes and themes: grumpy/sunshine romance, finding one’s community after trauma, found family, etc. This was a great read, but I simply didn’t connect with the characters much. I would still recommend this to folks looking for a fun read, especially during spooky season.