annieb123's review
3.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Weeping Books Of Blinney Lane is the first book in a cross realms fantasy/cozy/light romance series by Drea Damara. Released 27th Sept 2018 by BHC, it's 400 pages and available in hardback, paperback, ebook, and audio formats.
I absolutely love the genre. The world building and setup are intriguing and this could be a solid start to a wonderful series. For me it failed to live up to the premise. The characters are two dimensional and especially in the case of Ricky (the annoyingly surly teen-aged nephew) ridiculously vexing. The characters refuse to communicate with one another in any meaningful way and just stampede from one crisis to the next.
The language is a little rough (mostly to show how nasty the curse they're living under can be). When they use bad language, the curse causes physical manifestations like burning and blistering and welts to appear on their bodies. I found myself wishing that main character Sarah was a lot less damsel in distress and didn't need to be saved by muscular attractive men quite so often. She's apparently been living under this curse for more than a decade and never questioned that her ancestors (and she herself) could literally write other realms into existence. The blacksmith can create magic swords willy-nilly. The author has a lot of fun creating fauna in the fantasy realm such as stroomphblutels, wickrits, roomples, tierumpts, and mucka amongst others. TWBoBL is written in an alternating third person omniscient point of view which works well for the constantly shifting primary PoV. The changes are clearly delineated and don't cause any confusion, however.....
There were so many instances in the book where new information was just tossed in deus-ex-machina style. There was a fair bit of narrative padding; scenes are developed without ever being mentioned again and I spent most of the book with reader's whiplash. The prose is often so very purple that it was somewhat painful to read. Happily, the later eARC and release versions of the book have apparently been well edited because my version did not contain most of the 'creepy' issues mentioned by other reviewers.
There is a lot of potential here. The author is clearly very creative and the worlds and premises in the book are imaginative and intriguing. I really wish I could've liked the characters more.
Three stars. Would probably work best for YA/NA fantasy readers. There are some potential trigger issues (wrist injuries and skin cuts/welts are one of the manifestations of the curse in the book, as well as near death experiences by drowning being the method to cross back into the 'real' world).
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Weeping Books Of Blinney Lane is the first book in a cross realms fantasy/cozy/light romance series by Drea Damara. Released 27th Sept 2018 by BHC, it's 400 pages and available in hardback, paperback, ebook, and audio formats.
I absolutely love the genre. The world building and setup are intriguing and this could be a solid start to a wonderful series. For me it failed to live up to the premise. The characters are two dimensional and especially in the case of Ricky (the annoyingly surly teen-aged nephew) ridiculously vexing. The characters refuse to communicate with one another in any meaningful way and just stampede from one crisis to the next.
The language is a little rough (mostly to show how nasty the curse they're living under can be). When they use bad language, the curse causes physical manifestations like burning and blistering and welts to appear on their bodies. I found myself wishing that main character Sarah was a lot less damsel in distress and didn't need to be saved by muscular attractive men quite so often. She's apparently been living under this curse for more than a decade and never questioned that her ancestors (and she herself) could literally write other realms into existence. The blacksmith can create magic swords willy-nilly. The author has a lot of fun creating fauna in the fantasy realm such as stroomphblutels, wickrits, roomples, tierumpts, and mucka amongst others. TWBoBL is written in an alternating third person omniscient point of view which works well for the constantly shifting primary PoV. The changes are clearly delineated and don't cause any confusion, however.....
There were so many instances in the book where new information was just tossed in deus-ex-machina style. There was a fair bit of narrative padding; scenes are developed without ever being mentioned again and I spent most of the book with reader's whiplash. The prose is often so very purple that it was somewhat painful to read. Happily, the later eARC and release versions of the book have apparently been well edited because my version did not contain most of the 'creepy' issues mentioned by other reviewers.
There is a lot of potential here. The author is clearly very creative and the worlds and premises in the book are imaginative and intriguing. I really wish I could've liked the characters more.
Three stars. Would probably work best for YA/NA fantasy readers. There are some potential trigger issues (wrist injuries and skin cuts/welts are one of the manifestations of the curse in the book, as well as near death experiences by drowning being the method to cross back into the 'real' world).
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
mallorykjorgensen's review
3.0
I struggled with the narrator on this one..in the end I liked it, but it took me over 5 hours of listening to get into this book.
gschuffert's review
4.0
I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really loved the world that Drea Damara built in her book "The Weeping Books of Blinney Lane". The idea and concept of being able to enter the books that we love and interact with the characters and setting within them is something that every book lover dream of. I could predict what would happen in the story based off of clues the author left and really enjoyed reading about Sarah's adventures in childhood and the growth she experiences in adulthood.
At times it felt like we were getting too many character perspectives. The narrator would jump between characters, sometimes mid-scene, in order to give the reader the full advantage of what each person was thinking and feeling but there is something to be said about being left in the dark at times. I didn't feel that we needed the perspective of anyone other than Ricky or Sarah. And while I liked the idea of the curse binding families to Blinney Lane it felt that the author left it undone. Would the characters try to break the curse? Is it possible to break in the first place? Are they just going to continue being bound to it and letting future generations stay bound to it? The ending felt incomplete without answering these questions although maybe Damara is planning a sequel that will answer these questions.
Overall 4/5 as I still had lingering questions and sometimes felt overwhelmed with both the curse and the idea of world traveling.
I really loved the world that Drea Damara built in her book "The Weeping Books of Blinney Lane". The idea and concept of being able to enter the books that we love and interact with the characters and setting within them is something that every book lover dream of. I could predict what would happen in the story based off of clues the author left and really enjoyed reading about Sarah's adventures in childhood and the growth she experiences in adulthood.
At times it felt like we were getting too many character perspectives. The narrator would jump between characters, sometimes mid-scene, in order to give the reader the full advantage of what each person was thinking and feeling but there is something to be said about being left in the dark at times. I didn't feel that we needed the perspective of anyone other than Ricky or Sarah. And while I liked the idea of the curse binding families to Blinney Lane it felt that the author left it undone. Would the characters try to break the curse? Is it possible to break in the first place? Are they just going to continue being bound to it and letting future generations stay bound to it? The ending felt incomplete without answering these questions although maybe Damara is planning a sequel that will answer these questions.
Overall 4/5 as I still had lingering questions and sometimes felt overwhelmed with both the curse and the idea of world traveling.
darquedreamer's review
5.0
The Weeping Books of Blinney Lane was wondrous and magical. It reminded me of The Princess Bride and The Neverending Story with the nostalgia it made me feel. It was enchanting and entertaining, and such an easy read!
I loved how drawn in to the story I was. I loved that it felt like a story within a story. And, I loved how everything just flowed and made me feel like I was in a dream.
This book honestly fit the definition of fantasy. It had a little realism to it, but the rest was pure imagination and creativity. It was spellbinding and vivid and felt like a faerie tale!
I enjoyed the history of the witch’s curse in the story. I loved the uniqueness behind the story of the weeping books, and the magic involved in being sent to the story lands within them. And I enjoyed all the humor and charm sprinkled throughout.
Damara did a beautiful job with blending the real with the make believe. She put so much detail in to the world of Blinney Lane, and Farwin Woods. Both worlds came to life right on the pages. She also did an incredible job with creating entertaining, realistically flawed characters that drove the story home.
This one was such a delightful read. I don’t even feel that my review has done it justice. I couldn’t put it down. Books like this one are the reason I read. I truly became lost in the story and thoroughly enjoyed it!
Thank you to Shalini at Digital Reads and the author for providing me with this free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review, and as part of the tour.
I loved how drawn in to the story I was. I loved that it felt like a story within a story. And, I loved how everything just flowed and made me feel like I was in a dream.
This book honestly fit the definition of fantasy. It had a little realism to it, but the rest was pure imagination and creativity. It was spellbinding and vivid and felt like a faerie tale!
I enjoyed the history of the witch’s curse in the story. I loved the uniqueness behind the story of the weeping books, and the magic involved in being sent to the story lands within them. And I enjoyed all the humor and charm sprinkled throughout.
Damara did a beautiful job with blending the real with the make believe. She put so much detail in to the world of Blinney Lane, and Farwin Woods. Both worlds came to life right on the pages. She also did an incredible job with creating entertaining, realistically flawed characters that drove the story home.
This one was such a delightful read. I don’t even feel that my review has done it justice. I couldn’t put it down. Books like this one are the reason I read. I truly became lost in the story and thoroughly enjoyed it!
Thank you to Shalini at Digital Reads and the author for providing me with this free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review, and as part of the tour.
jaane's review
5.0
Full review https://yellowmajesty.com/the-weeping-books-of-blinney-lane-drea-damara-book-review/
When I happened to see this book on netgalley I was really attracted to the title and the layout of the book cover. I didn't really think that a fantasy book can become one of my favorites since I like mystery/thriller genre the most. This book changed my perspective.
It would be an understatement to say that the author has done a really good job with the book. The story is narrated from a third person's point of view which is quite effective since the book has a lot of characters. A third person's view on all the characters makes it easy to follow the story. Every subsequent chapter alters between past and present and is written quite fluently. The lay out of the chapters is like that of the "Bird Box" book.
When I happened to see this book on netgalley I was really attracted to the title and the layout of the book cover. I didn't really think that a fantasy book can become one of my favorites since I like mystery/thriller genre the most. This book changed my perspective.
It would be an understatement to say that the author has done a really good job with the book. The story is narrated from a third person's point of view which is quite effective since the book has a lot of characters. A third person's view on all the characters makes it easy to follow the story. Every subsequent chapter alters between past and present and is written quite fluently. The lay out of the chapters is like that of the "Bird Box" book.
nfangelelli's review
3.0
3.5 stars. I liked it but it was a little predictable and cheesy. I'm not sure that I'll continue the series.
annarella's review against another edition
4.0
This is a good book, entertaining and well written.
At the beginning i had some problems in understanding the world building as it gives you just some hints of what is going on and I was a bit slow.
Once you start to understand the plot and the world building it's a pleasant and engaging book that never bores.
i appreciated the cast of characters and the world building.
Unfortunately I wasn't in the mood to appreciate it as it is due but I will surely re-read it and look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this arc, all opinions are mine.
At the beginning i had some problems in understanding the world building as it gives you just some hints of what is going on and I was a bit slow.
Once you start to understand the plot and the world building it's a pleasant and engaging book that never bores.
i appreciated the cast of characters and the world building.
Unfortunately I wasn't in the mood to appreciate it as it is due but I will surely re-read it and look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this arc, all opinions are mine.
sanadw's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Weeping Books of Blinney Lane. I loved this book - couldn't put it down! There is so much to like on many levels. There's an ancient curse, traveling to a different fictional world through a book...This is also a gentle story about young romance giving way to a more mature love.
I can't wait to see more of Blinney Lane. And travel into more weeping books. I recommend this to everyone who loves to read!
I can't wait to see more of Blinney Lane. And travel into more weeping books. I recommend this to everyone who loves to read!
madmadammim's review
3.0
The setting was really cool, the premise very interesting, and the characters were fun to get to know...so why did it feel like there wasn't actually a plot, just a series of romantic relationships. =|