A review by weraamanda
Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

"And Valentine wondered when he was going to get used to kissing. If it would ever feel like an ordinary thing, as it seemingly did, or could, to others. But he wasn't sure he wanted that either. There was too much magic here, and he had never allowed his life to admit the possibility of magic before."

Aaaaah this book! This book. Wow. Okay. Well. I sort of loved this book. It had its flaws, for sure, but overall this was an absolutely delightful read. As a non-native English speaker I did, in fact, struggle a little with the language at first. There were a lot of words I hadn't even heard of before, but I got the hang of it rather quickly.

About half-way through the book though, I almost lost my interest to continue anymore.
I'm specifically talking about when they met Miss Fairfax and Miss Evans during the storm. That whole sequence made me immensely uncomfortable. There was absolutely no reason to treat Valentine the way they did, given he had never shown even a sign of physical aggressiveness. Even Bonny just decided to abandon him for his god-awful sister. I hated it. I really did.
However, I pushed through and ended up really enjoying the book - so much that I finished it in two days. For a reference, I haven't read a whole book in months. So, that definitely says something.

I felt so much compassion for Valentine. He was trying to do the right thing, or what he believed was right, yet he kept being belittled and stomped over all the time. I'm not sure did Bonny deserve him, but I do think he got his act somewhat together the closer we got to the end. His sister, Belle, however, was the absolute worst, most awful person I've read about in a while. I hate that the otherwise nice plot was so centered around her and her childish behaviour. Didn't like it, but I endured it. She was truly a quite horrible person. All of this could've been solved with a simple conversation, but that was apparently too much to be asked, and she decided to run away. I mean, really? How old is she, twelve? Ugh.

Valentine's mom is absolutely lovely and I want to read more of her. I also grew to love Valentine - he was a bit awkward and sort of an idiot, but he was essentially just very kind. A man driven by a sense of duty he thought he had to fulfill, but who forgot to seek for things that made him happy. And then, we also have Bonny. He, well, also had his moments, for sure.

Overall I'd say that Alexis Hall has never, ever disappointed me, and that is the case with this book too. I got more than I expected, and that's well enough for me. I don't think I'll ever grow tired of the way Alexis writes - it's unquestionably captivating to me. The dialogue is also extremely entertaining to read.

Was this his best work? Probably not. Would I read it again? Yes, undoubtedly so. I will also very gladly read any other instalments this series might get.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings