Reviews

This book is peak whiteness and seems like no one local to the area had a hand in its creation. Saoirse Island sounds like it's meant to be a fictional (Irish??) addition to the San Juans, and the whole plot centers around these deep generational ties and witchy magic (and many mentions of the Puget Sound like it's the most Properest of Nouns), but everyone is white. Everyone. And there isn't even an allusion to the existence of the Coast Salish people.

Pacing is fairly even, and I appreciated that the many flashbacks were time-stamped at the start of every chapter. Same with the POV character, because omg are there a lot of POVs in this book, and they're all in 1st POV. I thought some of the "suspense/who done it" felt manufactured, especially toward the end when we start getting answers. The reveal of who one of the baddies is felt a bit rushed. Their reasoning is a perennial trope and I wanted to be more on board with it, but too much of the evidence/description came too late.

This book felt like it wanted to be more YA/NA than fully in the adult demographic.

I wish we could've gotten more background on August's mom and her relationships with people on the island. It's alluded to more than really seen, and the scene of her burial felt like it could've been more raw if the emotion had gone there.

This is nitpicking and I know it's fiction, but there's a difference between an arrest and conviction, and the characters don't think critically about this at all.

readwithmeg93's review against another edition

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5.0

The earthy, ethereal, feminine, Practical Magic-esque witchy vibes in this book were immaculate. It was the perfect combination of love story and mystery. The pacing was exactly what I want in a mystery, it kept me guessing until the very end but it also didn’t just throw some random twist in the last 30 pages just for the shock factor. If you’re looking for something with spooky season vibes but not too much actual spookiness, this book is for you!

Tiny hang ups: there were a lot of characters and connections between characters thrown at you quickly in the beginning of this book. By the end there was still 1 or 2 that I was like “wait who is that?” I would have also loved more of August and Emery’s backstory as a couple!

carnimdream's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

nextfavoritebook's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

jiji_reads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I enjoyed this one! I love books where the setting feels like a character and that was definitely the case here. That being said, the pace dragged a bit at times and I wish the “magic” elements played a larger role. The ending felt a bit rushed.

frodobutnotbaggins's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

caitlinanncran's review against another edition

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3.0

One for the fall girlies for sure - very nice atmospheric autumn vibes, and many other things I know readers love, but I just never quite jived with the characters and felt sort of indifferent about the whole thing?? I think I just wanted more mystery than it gave. Quality audiobook though! Love to see (hear) multiple narrators

kelseyreads17's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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