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thekibbs101's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
3.0
I love the premise but I don’t think every page should be focused on the same tone/theme. Every page the characters are either sad, scared, dealing with grief or violence. I wish it were more lighthearted and in general I don’t think a book is great if it doesn’t have more balance. There are lighthearted touches of whimsy and magic but it’s 98% about a murder mystery and battling violent creatures. Starting on page 3 every scene talks about the murder, or Colin’s missing brother, or the evil creatures. It needs to be more balanced with lighthearted or just different scenes as well. And a magical inn is what made me want to read the book, that and it seemed perfect for Halloween time because of the book leading up to Halloween. I love the whimsical magical moments like, “The house brings us mugs of hot chocolate and maple sugar cookies while we work, and Max alternates between lying on out books and knocking our pens off the table. A fire springs up in the hearth to ward off the morning chill.” It just seems like such a cozy fun Halloween setting and I just wish it focused less on the murder. Those cozy moments are extremely brief and I just think there needs to be more.
I’m also just not a fan of books less than 300 pages because they usually wrap everything up at the end so quickly and I feel like there just needed to be more to the story I know figuring out how to stop the murderer is important and time sensitive but I don’t think it’s good for every single page of a book to focus on the same theme/conflict and talk about the same thing. I really like the house because it does cozy nice things. Also it surprises me how dark and violent middle grade books are, I would guess and want them to be more lighthearted and not as dark as young adult books. There are descriptions of violence multiple times in here that really surprise me. I don’t like reading violence so I wish that what looks like a nice cozy fall book would just be that. It’s also a strange mix to have cozy mixed with violence and death.
“The air grows crisper, the lawn blanketed with crunchy golden leaves. Wisps dance through the trees and crows gather in the grass and on the branches, scattering with angry caws when Max goes bounding through them.
We drink hot apple cider and sit wrapped in knitted blankets in the library as Roy regales us with stories from Ireland.” I loved parts like this but it would only ever be like 1 or 2 paragraphs or less of this type of writing, sometimes only one sentence and then it would change to the stress of dealing with the evil creatures for pages and pages.
The small instances where they were just sitting drinking cider and having cookies were written so nicely and it makes me want to read a cozy book with much more of that. I would want to read more from the author since she shows this type of writing but it would hopefully be less dark. It was still a good read for fall/spooky season and Halloween. I enjoyed reading the Halloween descriptions and vibes but just didn’t care for the fighting and violence. “The ballroom is in top form tonight. I've never seen Halloween decorations look so elegant. Orange paper lanterns hang from the ceiling among the teardrop lights, and the tables are draped with shimmering cloths. Jack-o'-lanterns with intricate designs sit next to autumn wreaths and red apples.”
I’m also just not a fan of books less than 300 pages because they usually wrap everything up at the end so quickly and I feel like there just needed to be more to the story I know figuring out how to stop the murderer is important and time sensitive but I don’t think it’s good for every single page of a book to focus on the same theme/conflict and talk about the same thing. I really like the house because it does cozy nice things. Also it surprises me how dark and violent middle grade books are, I would guess and want them to be more lighthearted and not as dark as young adult books. There are descriptions of violence multiple times in here that really surprise me. I don’t like reading violence so I wish that what looks like a nice cozy fall book would just be that. It’s also a strange mix to have cozy mixed with violence and death.
“The air grows crisper, the lawn blanketed with crunchy golden leaves. Wisps dance through the trees and crows gather in the grass and on the branches, scattering with angry caws when Max goes bounding through them.
We drink hot apple cider and sit wrapped in knitted blankets in the library as Roy regales us with stories from Ireland.” I loved parts like this but it would only ever be like 1 or 2 paragraphs or less of this type of writing, sometimes only one sentence and then it would change to the stress of dealing with the evil creatures for pages and pages.
The small instances where they were just sitting drinking cider and having cookies were written so nicely and it makes me want to read a cozy book with much more of that. I would want to read more from the author since she shows this type of writing but it would hopefully be less dark. It was still a good read for fall/spooky season and Halloween. I enjoyed reading the Halloween descriptions and vibes but just didn’t care for the fighting and violence. “The ballroom is in top form tonight. I've never seen Halloween decorations look so elegant. Orange paper lanterns hang from the ceiling among the teardrop lights, and the tables are draped with shimmering cloths. Jack-o'-lanterns with intricate designs sit next to autumn wreaths and red apples.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Murder
allisonsmith120's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
ceruleanshelves's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
When I touch someone who’s seen death, I get a vision of it through their eyes. And asking people, Hey, remember that time that person died? is not a fun party trick.
this was a super cute middle grade halloween read! halloweentown meets supernatural meets encanto with irish/celtic folklore (a touch of jewish folklore as well that's to be explored more in book 2!).
anna lives in the magical b&b ravenfall with the rest of her family. she struggles to find her place as a psychometrist - someone who sees visions of death.
colin has been on the run with his family for months up until the night his parents were murdered. now separated from his brother, he arrives at ravenfall for his first time. with anna's help, he looks for his brother and his parents' murderer.
“And you know what they say: what doesn’t kill you—”
“Usually tries again.”
this was a fast read, esp since the pacing always stayed consistent. i loved the whimsical feel of a magical town where paranormal creatures and humans both lived (though the humans were unaware!). it definitely hits on the nostalgia of halloweentown watchers like me and there were so many details that really helped make the town feel so special and unique even for a fantasy.
I wonder if holding everything in ever really made me strong, or if it just made me hurt all the more.
it was also cool to see a bit of the irish folklore utilized. there was a bit of action for a middle grade, so it's probably an upper level middle grade, but it never gets too heavy. it also gets a touch emotional and i found it very heartfelt and heartwarming. the overall message of family, love, and togetherness made for a very sweet spooky season read. i thought it was nice to see a male main character have emotional, vulnerable moments that wasn't just anger or fighting. i think it's good to see cathartic crying as a release, esp for younger readers.
there was some great rep as well - anna appears to be aro/ace, and there was a m/m and f/f side couple.
i'm definitely picking up the next book - it takes place around hanukkah and dives more into anna's jewish heritage and the magic it gives her!
“To the long and recently dead,” she says.
I grin. “May they stay that way for the days to come.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Death of parent
eadrianschmitz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
This is such a fantastic story. I love the characters and how quickly it jumps into the action. Excited for the next installment!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
thebookkeepers's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Knocking a half star for my heartache from a few scenes 🤣 . But in all seriousness, I loved this book! Sometimes I think MG books just aren’t for me anymore and I’m too old, then one like this comes along and I’m proved wrong. I loved how dark and twisty this got at times, the nefarious villains, the supernatural town amongst normal humans — all so clever and fun. It felt like Halloweentown meets Encanto.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Death of parent, and Murder
imaginingly's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
perfect book to keep me from going into a reading slump. not cringey like a typical middle grade and very easy to read while also being written gorgeously
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
patchthecat's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
I absolutely loved this book. The way it talks about death and death of parents is amazing. I love the development of the characters and the plot is brilliant. Both so fun and loveable yet just the perfect amount for Halloween. Glad I read this for Halloween, it was perfect for a fantasy lover!
I was so sad with the death of Max, I'm so glad he came back. Happy Colin didn't leave Ravenfall. I didn't expect Gran to have been possessedby a wraith. Love all the Irish references. Anna was great and I felt so sorry for her so much when she felt left out and jealous. Colin has such great development about once hiding all this emotions but then overcoming that and becoming more open about how he feels. Loved Elaine and Roy's sibling relationship, same with Anna and the twin's.
Absolutely loved this book, not my ultimate favourite but definitely fantastic! 100% recommend to fantasy lovers and people looking for something to read for Halloween.
Absolutely loved this book, not my ultimate favourite but definitely fantastic! 100% recommend to fantasy lovers and people looking for something to read for Halloween.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Animal death
barefootsong's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
3.5
This is a good Hallowe'eny tale. I love the sentient magical inn (the titular Ravenfall). On the darker side of middle-grade at times, but with a lovable cast of characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, Grief, and Murder
sab_rose's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, and Murder
nrogers_1030's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Really cute!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Animal death