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what_ella_reads's review against another edition
4.0
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
I have not read much of the historical fantasy subgenre. In fact I think that this is only the third historical fantasy novel I have read. Out of the three I have read I think that I like this one best!
This book has so many positives. My favorite thing about this book has to be the female relationships. There are so many positive female friendships and familial relationships in this book, which can be hard to find YA. The friendship between Marit, the main character, and her best friend Liljan was so sweet. They loved to tease and make fun of each other, but if someone else came for them, they better watch out! I also loved the familial relationship between Marit and Eve. Marit put Eve's needs above her own so many times, while Eve was always willing to stick up for and to use her new status to protect Marit.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this story was the magic system. The author did a great job of describing the magical powers and The Firn. Though the plot twist about the firn was shocking and fantastical, it also was logical. Considering that this is the author's first fantasy book, I have to give her props for creating a logical magic system!
The last thing I really enjoyed in this story was the mystery. I truly did not guess the ending at all! Pretty much all of the revelations surprised me, especially the ones involving the deaths of certain characters (who I will not name because spoilers).
Though there are many positives about this book, there is one thing about this book that I didn't always love and that was the prose. While I love thought provoking metaphor and lavish descriptions, I have to admit that I am just not personally a fan of very descriptive, flowery prose. That type of prose style usually take me out of the story and tempts me to skip ahead. Since there are A LOT of flowery prose in this story I felt myself getting a little bored at times.
There were some metaphors and descriptions that I really enjoyed in this, especially towards the end, but I just did not enjoy the prose as a whole, unfortunately.
I am hope to give Ms. Murphy's other books a go in the future!
I have not read much of the historical fantasy subgenre. In fact I think that this is only the third historical fantasy novel I have read. Out of the three I have read I think that I like this one best!
This book has so many positives. My favorite thing about this book has to be the female relationships. There are so many positive female friendships and familial relationships in this book, which can be hard to find YA. The friendship between Marit, the main character, and her best friend Liljan was so sweet. They loved to tease and make fun of each other, but if someone else came for them, they better watch out! I also loved the familial relationship between Marit and Eve. Marit put Eve's needs above her own so many times, while Eve was always willing to stick up for and to use her new status to protect Marit.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this story was the magic system. The author did a great job of describing the magical powers and The Firn. Though the plot twist about the firn was shocking and fantastical, it also was logical. Considering that this is the author's first fantasy book, I have to give her props for creating a logical magic system!
The last thing I really enjoyed in this story was the mystery. I truly did not guess the ending at all! Pretty much all of the revelations surprised me, especially the ones involving the deaths of certain characters (who I will not name because spoilers).
Though there are many positives about this book, there is one thing about this book that I didn't always love and that was the prose. While I love thought provoking metaphor and lavish descriptions, I have to admit that I am just not personally a fan of very descriptive, flowery prose. That type of prose style usually take me out of the story and tempts me to skip ahead. Since there are A LOT of flowery prose in this story I felt myself getting a little bored at times.
There were some metaphors and descriptions that I really enjoyed in this, especially towards the end, but I just did not enjoy the prose as a whole, unfortunately.
I am hope to give Ms. Murphy's other books a go in the future!
faith_treadwell's review against another edition
5.0
This book absolutely BLEW me away. I often go into stories expecting that they’re not gonna be quite to my taste, but I was so wrong!
I was shocked by my immediate love for each and every character. I wanted to fight alongside each one of them, dreaming with them as they went about life. I wanted to be a ballerina, a seamstress, and a doctor alongside Eve, Marit, and Jacob.
The mystery drew me in till the last page! I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see how everything would unfold, who I could trust, and who would survive.
The world building was absolutely beautiful. Murphy expertly captured the spirit of 1866 Denmark and the magic was spectacular, breathtaking, and terrifying. I want to reread this again and again and again. It’s a beautiful story of standing up for what is right and fighting to survive.
I was shocked by my immediate love for each and every character. I wanted to fight alongside each one of them, dreaming with them as they went about life. I wanted to be a ballerina, a seamstress, and a doctor alongside Eve, Marit, and Jacob.
The mystery drew me in till the last page! I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see how everything would unfold, who I could trust, and who would survive.
The world building was absolutely beautiful. Murphy expertly captured the spirit of 1866 Denmark and the magic was spectacular, breathtaking, and terrifying. I want to reread this again and again and again. It’s a beautiful story of standing up for what is right and fighting to survive.
jenniferreads2's review against another edition
4.0
After reading The Disappearances I was eagerly waiting for more work from this author after reading splinters of Scarlet she will now be an auto buy author for me. Her writing is effortless and her storytelling is engaging. And most importantly if you ask me she writes relatable characters.
void_faerie's review against another edition
4.0
Really really enjoyed this one. Beautiful story and magic system.
ryner's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
3.0
Though Marit herself has aged out of the Danish orphanage system, her almost-little sister Eve has caught the eye of a former ballerina who wishes to adopt her, and Marit is also asked to join the household as a seamstress. The two girls are delighted and relieved at the possibility of staying together. However, Marit is also keeping a few secrets: She has never revealed to Eve her magical abilities for fear of frightening her, and their new family, the Vestergaards, own the mines where her her father's mysterious death occurred, and Marit wants answers.
This standalone teen novel was an entertaining palate cleanser, and I liked the writing style, though it wasn't as much of a page turner as I was maybe expecting. It has lovely cover art, and I love the idea that someone may have embroidered the design just for this book. One area in which I feel the author stumbled was in being uncommitted to the language the characters spoke (Danish or English?). Danish terms are sprinkled throughout the text, which is fun, but then in one scene Marit fondly recalls the way in which Eve used to mispronounce "upside down." The singling out of this very non-Danish phrase felt a little odd. Recommended overall, possibly enjoyed more by readers who can keep themselves from overanalyzing. :)
This standalone teen novel was an entertaining palate cleanser, and I liked the writing style, though it wasn't as much of a page turner as I was maybe expecting. It has lovely cover art, and I love the idea that someone may have embroidered the design just for this book. One area in which I feel the author stumbled was in being uncommitted to the language the characters spoke (Danish or English?). Danish terms are sprinkled throughout the text, which is fun, but then in one scene Marit fondly recalls the way in which Eve used to mispronounce "upside down." The singling out of this very non-Danish phrase felt a little odd. Recommended overall, possibly enjoyed more by readers who can keep themselves from overanalyzing. :)
faoduoni's review against another edition
5.0
Wowwww
I haven’t read in like three weeks because I’ve had sat but this was a great way to go back in
Firstly I didn’t know this was historical fiction and neither did I know it was fantasy as well
It was unexpected but very very welcome!
This book is very well paced and I like that the author didn’t do any filler chapters, because in a setting such as this I would have gotten very bored
While I really like the characters I was more compelled by the plot of uncovering all those mysteries because mysteries confuse me
The whole concept of different people having different forms of magic was unique, in most books with magic, people have fire water earth mind and blah blah, there’s nothing like this were every one had a unique ability completely. Some of the powers were very cool actually, jakobs in particular
They’re powers weren’t exactly fighting powers even, in fact, they reminded me of fairies
Also the big reveal of the mystery was very unexpected like I never would have guessed it till Amrit was discovering it as well
I really enjoyed Emily’s writing in the disappearances and she’s shown it only gets better, I look foreword to her next book
I haven’t read in like three weeks because I’ve had sat but this was a great way to go back in
Firstly I didn’t know this was historical fiction and neither did I know it was fantasy as well
It was unexpected but very very welcome!
This book is very well paced and I like that the author didn’t do any filler chapters, because in a setting such as this I would have gotten very bored
While I really like the characters I was more compelled by the plot of uncovering all those mysteries because mysteries confuse me
The whole concept of different people having different forms of magic was unique, in most books with magic, people have fire water earth mind and blah blah, there’s nothing like this were every one had a unique ability completely. Some of the powers were very cool actually, jakobs in particular
They’re powers weren’t exactly fighting powers even, in fact, they reminded me of fairies
Also the big reveal of the mystery was very unexpected like I never would have guessed it till Amrit was discovering it as well
I really enjoyed Emily’s writing in the disappearances and she’s shown it only gets better, I look foreword to her next book
rally_reviews's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
5.0
YA
piendorabox's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. I picked this book because of the cover (it's so pretty and I'm a sucker of needlework on book covers) and for the first time in forever I didn't regret getting cover-baited. Splinters of Scarlet is a story that gets "bigger" the further you read, if that makes any sense. Solid 4 stars.
therobinwrites's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thindbooks's review against another edition
4.0
*This book was given to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*
This book was an enjoyable read that involved magic which if you use it too much you can die from it. The main character, Marit, and her orphan sister Eve move to the Vestergaard household when Eve gets adopted. In the Vestergaard household magic is used but how long can Marit keep her secrets from Eve before she finds out and can she discover Vestergaard's secrets?
I enjoyed this historical, fantasy book that takes place in Denmark. The author's writing was beautiful and I loved the way she described the clothes that Marit made for Eve. I loved the magic system that the author created in this book which was easy and quick to understand. Seeing the story of how if you use too much of the magic, it can bring consequences. It's a fresh and unique twist to the story that you don't see in all books.
The characters in this book were easy to connect with and there were two POVs in this book that made it more interesting. I loved the main character, Marit, because she was such a strong, fierce character that would do anything to stay with Eve and protect her even if she might die. I also loved Helene Vestergaard at the ending ( can't spoil why) and I think you would too if you read this book.
This book was not only about the mystery but also about family relationships which were the theme to this book. Seeing how Marit would do anything to Eve and having that relationship develop. Though you are probably wondering if there is romance in this book. There is but it's not the key factor to the story. There is romance development with Marit and someone but the relationship theme in this book is more family vs romance.
The reason I gave this book 4 stars was because of the mystery. Somehow I felt like it should have been a mystery where you find the villain at the end of the story and not in the middle. That was my only problem but other than that this book was amazing. I totally recommend this book. Perfect for fans who love fantasy and historical fiction combined.
Visit my Thindbooks Blog from July 20-24 to see my Splinters of Scarlet mini blog tour. There will be my review, author's interview and more!
This book was an enjoyable read that involved magic which if you use it too much you can die from it. The main character, Marit, and her orphan sister Eve move to the Vestergaard household when Eve gets adopted. In the Vestergaard household magic is used but how long can Marit keep her secrets from Eve before she finds out and can she discover Vestergaard's secrets?
I enjoyed this historical, fantasy book that takes place in Denmark. The author's writing was beautiful and I loved the way she described the clothes that Marit made for Eve. I loved the magic system that the author created in this book which was easy and quick to understand. Seeing the story of how if you use too much of the magic, it can bring consequences. It's a fresh and unique twist to the story that you don't see in all books.
The characters in this book were easy to connect with and there were two POVs in this book that made it more interesting. I loved the main character, Marit, because she was such a strong, fierce character that would do anything to stay with Eve and protect her even if she might die. I also loved Helene Vestergaard at the ending ( can't spoil why) and I think you would too if you read this book.
This book was not only about the mystery but also about family relationships which were the theme to this book. Seeing how Marit would do anything to Eve and having that relationship develop. Though you are probably wondering if there is romance in this book. There is but it's not the key factor to the story. There is romance development with Marit and someone but the relationship theme in this book is more family vs romance.
The reason I gave this book 4 stars was because of the mystery. Somehow I felt like it should have been a mystery where you find the villain at the end of the story and not in the middle. That was my only problem but other than that this book was amazing. I totally recommend this book. Perfect for fans who love fantasy and historical fiction combined.
Visit my Thindbooks Blog from July 20-24 to see my Splinters of Scarlet mini blog tour. There will be my review, author's interview and more!