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A review by littlesmaug
The Magic Between by Stephanie Hoyt
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
4.25
Oh. My. Gosh.
For me, this was a wonderful read. I actually got all kinds of nervous when I clicked over to mark that I was reading this one and saw its relatively low ratings on Goodreads. But, I stuck to my guns, and didn't look at the reviews until going to post my own, because I really did enjoy this one.
What I found curious was the amount of people who DNFed so close to the beginning. Because I'll be the first to admit - that beginning <i>was</i> rough. It was incredibly info-heavy, with no real indication what the story would be. And then some people complained that the flashbacks provided a boring backstory, which I can see being the opinion <i>if</i> you only make it that far. Also, Gabby and AB aren't twins? They're just best friends whose moms are best friends and were raised <i>like</i> siblings. So also that was a weird criticism.
Reviews shouldn't be just trying to complain about other reviews, though. I know this. If you've made it this far into my review, you may be rolling your eyes. I apologize. So let me get into the actual review of the story itself.
The ebook was 428 pages and I agree that it could have been far shorter. I often complain that books don't give the various storylines enough time to breathe... in this case, I felt like there was perhaps <b>too</b> much breathing room. But I actually really liked the way the storylines were intertwined. I thought, at first, it was too much. There was hockey and pop-stardom and college. There was the hidden relationship trope, the soulmate plot, the coming out plot. But they actually <i>do</i> work incredibly well together.
The story itself was really unique, in part because of these intertwined plots but namely because of the magic system. It was a bit like playing a caster in Guild Wars 2, which is a niche reference. But in it, you have to pick a school of magic. Like in GW2, if you're an Elementalist, you can control the elements but can specialize in one. But it was definitely a more-intricate version of that. Yeah. I'm not doing my best to explain it. In summation, I love a unique magic system very deeply in books.
Also? I love sports gays. So much. So it was kind of a given that Matthew would be my favorite of the two MCs. I also love found family, which AB's band most definitely was.
Gosh, I'm rambling. This is clearly my bad attempt at explaining why such a trope-heavy and long book was something I loved a lot more than other people clearly did. It definitely wasn't one of my 5 star reads but it was a really fun one! I would love some novellas so we could see the story through Maddie or Gabby's eyes.
So yeah! If you're willing to wade through a <i>slightly</i> too-long story and really like sports gays like I do, you'll like this book. If you're looking for a unique magic system, you'll probably like this book. Maybe it takes a certain level of patience and love for this one to hit just right. But I do recommend it!
Sidebar for spoiler screaming:
OH MY GOD AB AND GABBY'S MOMS GETTING ENGAGED??? I kind of called it from the beginning, I was like... there's no dad's in this picture and those moms are so absorbed I CALL LESBIANS and I was RIGHT and it was delightful. Also Matthew's family being so accepting of him and supportive??? chef's fucking KISS
For me, this was a wonderful read. I actually got all kinds of nervous when I clicked over to mark that I was reading this one and saw its relatively low ratings on Goodreads. But, I stuck to my guns, and didn't look at the reviews until going to post my own, because I really did enjoy this one.
What I found curious was the amount of people who DNFed so close to the beginning. Because I'll be the first to admit - that beginning <i>was</i> rough. It was incredibly info-heavy, with no real indication what the story would be. And then some people complained that the flashbacks provided a boring backstory, which I can see being the opinion <i>if</i> you only make it that far. Also, Gabby and AB aren't twins? They're just best friends whose moms are best friends and were raised <i>like</i> siblings. So also that was a weird criticism.
Reviews shouldn't be just trying to complain about other reviews, though. I know this. If you've made it this far into my review, you may be rolling your eyes. I apologize. So let me get into the actual review of the story itself.
The ebook was 428 pages and I agree that it could have been far shorter. I often complain that books don't give the various storylines enough time to breathe... in this case, I felt like there was perhaps <b>too</b> much breathing room. But I actually really liked the way the storylines were intertwined. I thought, at first, it was too much. There was hockey and pop-stardom and college. There was the hidden relationship trope, the soulmate plot, the coming out plot. But they actually <i>do</i> work incredibly well together.
The story itself was really unique, in part because of these intertwined plots but namely because of the magic system. It was a bit like playing a caster in Guild Wars 2, which is a niche reference. But in it, you have to pick a school of magic. Like in GW2, if you're an Elementalist, you can control the elements but can specialize in one. But it was definitely a more-intricate version of that. Yeah. I'm not doing my best to explain it. In summation, I love a unique magic system very deeply in books.
Also? I love sports gays. So much. So it was kind of a given that Matthew would be my favorite of the two MCs. I also love found family, which AB's band most definitely was.
Gosh, I'm rambling. This is clearly my bad attempt at explaining why such a trope-heavy and long book was something I loved a lot more than other people clearly did. It definitely wasn't one of my 5 star reads but it was a really fun one! I would love some novellas so we could see the story through Maddie or Gabby's eyes.
So yeah! If you're willing to wade through a <i>slightly</i> too-long story and really like sports gays like I do, you'll like this book. If you're looking for a unique magic system, you'll probably like this book. Maybe it takes a certain level of patience and love for this one to hit just right. But I do recommend it!
Sidebar for spoiler screaming:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia
Moderate: Homophobia