sjj169's review against another edition
2.0
An okay book. I enjoyed some parts of it but some dragged pretty badly.
sarahc_98's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
cjdawn236's review against another edition
3.0
This book started out really slow, but by the end I was really enjoying it and it became hard to put down. I still didn't love it, but I definitely enjoyed reading it.
cozylittlebrownhouse's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like this book took awhile to find its footing and I had a difficult time relating to and understanding the characters until about 100 pages into the book, but then it just took off for me. The weaving of the lives of all of these interesting people into a tale that mimic's one once told my the main character's mother is really something special and something that was difficult to put down once I hit "the spot." Now I plan on going back to read The Lace Reader, the first book by the author.
brynebo's review against another edition
3.0
I think I would have liked this a little better had I read it rather than listened to it - though not to the tune of five stars. I lost the thread too many times when my mind wandered to various things on my to do list or what was awaiting me at work. Still, it was a good dramatic read. Solid characters.
dreamofbookspines's review
3.5
2023 review: I liked it better the second time around, but also haven't read The Fifth Petal in a while. Perhaps if I read the next one in the series first again, then went back to this one, it would be different. Some of the action felt forced, but the rating went up from 3 to 3.5.
2020 review: Zee is supposed to grow throughout this novel, but I don't really see it. Yes, she learns more about managing her trauma, but it's disappointing how much she changed from this to the next book in the "series". In The Fifth Petal she seems far more "together" than she is here. Maybe it's because she's not a main character in that one? Unclear. Overall this was interesting, but I felt like Barry was a little heavyhanded with the foreshadowing and misdirection in ways that don't do her beautiful writing justice. I liked The Lace Reader FAR more than this book or The Fifth Petal.
2020 review: Zee is supposed to grow throughout this novel, but I don't really see it. Yes, she learns more about managing her trauma, but it's disappointing how much she changed from this to the next book in the "series". In The Fifth Petal she seems far more "together" than she is here. Maybe it's because she's not a main character in that one? Unclear. Overall this was interesting, but I felt like Barry was a little heavyhanded with the foreshadowing and misdirection in ways that don't do her beautiful writing justice. I liked The Lace Reader FAR more than this book or The Fifth Petal.
kdf_333's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0