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spiralbound89's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Self harm, and Suicide
Minor: Racism
otterpop's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Minor: Child abuse and Child death
mandieroz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book was a good start to spooky season. The characters are well done and the tarot cards really bring the story together. I love the inclusion side of the book and will definitely be reading the second!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Self harm, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Toxic friendship
peppermintz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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? Yes
4.5
This is such a beautifully written book.
The main characters are violently Irish and act exactly Iike teenagers. It's perfect!
The main characters are violently Irish and act exactly Iike teenagers. It's perfect!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Self harm, Transphobia, Violence, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Biphobia
Minor: Deadnaming and Outing
lennybiird's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, and Transphobia
Moderate: Self harm
Minor: Suicide
miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
Hard to hear the last hour of the audiobook over how manically i was grinning
‘“The thing about being atheist is that i don’t have a problem with belief, I just don’t like religion”’
‘Anything people come together to believe in is real.’
‘Sometimes it isnt about getting people to forgive you… sometimes you have to do the best with whatever theyre prepared to let you have.’
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Homophobia, Self harm, Transphobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
sleepy_stardust's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book started out great. O'Donoghue's prose is magnetic, and it pulled me into reading around 160 pages in one sitting without boredom setting in. She includes a diverse cast of characters with different races, religions, gender identities, and sexualities.
But oh my god, does Maeve Chambers ruin it.
At first, a romance subplot began with one of the side characters, Roe. It's eased into, and I found myself enjoying their relationship. Then, out of nowhere, they share a passionate kiss. No build-up, nothing, nada. From then on, I found it difficult to empathize with the main character's love problems; it's difficult to be surprised that a relationship isn't going well when the couple doesn't know one another.
Maeve's also pretty unlikeable in general. In the beginning, she seemed realistically imperfect. Were her flaws difficult to tolerate? Yes. Could I understand where she was coming from? Also, yes. However, as the novel progresses, her perspective becomes increasingly infuriating. She invalidates her partner's insecurities about their unstable relationship (which started after his sister went missing, mind you, and partly because of Maeve). She's overly capricious and causes mini-conflicts in the novel that are entirely superfluous and unworthy of the reader's attention.
Besides Maeve's characterization problems, the novel's ending is incredibly cliché. It reads like the end of a pilot episode of a crime-fighting show, where the main characters have finally realized that they're meant to take on the mysteries of the world together. It's horrendously underwhelming; O'Donoghue would have been better off starting the second book and adding exposition throughout to explain the characters' backstories.
Roe and Fiona were enough to save this book from being a total drag for me, though.
2.5☆ / 5☆
But oh my god, does Maeve Chambers ruin it.
At first, a romance subplot began with one of the side characters, Roe. It's eased into, and I found myself enjoying their relationship. Then, out of nowhere, they share a passionate kiss. No build-up, nothing, nada. From then on, I found it difficult to empathize with the main character's love problems; it's difficult to be surprised that a relationship isn't going well when the couple doesn't know one another.
Maeve's also pretty unlikeable in general. In the beginning, she seemed realistically imperfect. Were her flaws difficult to tolerate? Yes. Could I understand where she was coming from? Also, yes. However, as the novel progresses, her perspective becomes increasingly infuriating. She invalidates her partner's insecurities about their unstable relationship (which started after his sister went missing, mind you, and partly because of Maeve). She's overly capricious and causes mini-conflicts in the novel that are entirely superfluous and unworthy of the reader's attention.
Besides Maeve's characterization problems, the novel's ending is incredibly cliché. It reads like the end of a pilot episode of a crime-fighting show, where the main characters have finally realized that they're meant to take on the mysteries of the world together. It's horrendously underwhelming; O'Donoghue would have been better off starting the second book and adding exposition throughout to explain the characters' backstories.
Roe and Fiona were enough to save this book from being a total drag for me, though.
2.5☆ / 5☆
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt
thequiltyreader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-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? Yes
2.0
I normally enjoy a YA book but this just felt slow and also a bit immature for the topic that happens at the end which I felt it just skirted over and didn't address properly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Outing
deliak03's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
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? Yes
4.5
This book was so interesting! I was really drawn towards the characters and learning more about them, as well as the mysterious magical elements of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime
Moderate: Self harm
Minor: Alcohol
eirelynbird's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt