A review by cityofstarlight_library
Once Upon a Time - Henry and Violet by Michelle Zink
3.0
As Once Upon A Time is my favourite TV show, I had to read one of these companion novels. This one seemed like the one I thought I'd like the most and, as it's officially classed as canon and set after season 6, I was excited to get into this.
Now, I won't say I'm disappointed because I didn't hate it but everyone seemed out of character. Particularly Henry and Violet.
And I knew that they'd break up considering season seven (a season I didn't enjoy and didn't finish) but the reasoning I wasn't overly fond of.
The book was a little bit of a downer because Violet spends so much of the book just complaining about Henry, even when he gets grounded for her, spends time and money on romantic gestures and goes out of his way to make her happy, for her to be like 'I don't want Henry saving me all the time ffs, I'm my own person who can make my own decisions'.
Violet, you don't have to tell him everything, y'know. If you want to pick something yourself and make decisions, just do it then instead of relying on him then blaming him for caring and wanting to help you. He loves you, he wants to help. Just effing talk to him, it's called ~communication~. But nah, she wants to get as much out of him as possible in New York for her own gain then dump him after the trip. I liked you, Violet... don't use my boy Henry like that and do him dirty.
Henry deserves better.
However, the plot was sweet (mostly at the start) but it wasn't enough, especially for the length of the book. It just needed more. Finding a notebook and trying to find a shop but getting lost was a little boing and it dragged a little. If this wasn't a OUAT novel, I would have DNF'd it.
And when we find out who eventually had the notebook...
I said to myself, if it's I'll be irritated but that's what we got. I was expecting Mr Gold to have bought it for his shop which would have been better.
But on a more positive note, it was cute and very atmospheric. And the best part? Emma and Killian.
They're my favourite characters and I ship them so I was thrilled to see them in this. Even, as I said, everyone wasn't hugely in character, I was still happy.
One question though: why were Emma and Killian chaperones on a school trip? Aren't they both Sheriffs of Storybrooke at this point? I mean, I was really happy they were there as they made the book so much better but I just didn't get why they were on this field trip. It didn't make much sense to me really. I thought it would work better if they went there for a weekend trip and they ditched them to find the notebook rather than this whole field trip thing.
I would have preferred a story set in Storybrooke. I need all the Storybrooke goodness! I hope the other books have more to them because this just wasn't enough. I hate to say this but Henry and Violet aren't strong enough protagonists to have a story of their own. I liked the story better when Emma, Killian and Mary Margaret were in it and telling them off because lol.
Now, I won't say I'm disappointed because I didn't hate it but everyone seemed out of character. Particularly Henry and Violet.
And I knew that they'd break up considering season seven (a season I didn't enjoy and didn't finish) but the reasoning I wasn't overly fond of.
The book was a little bit of a downer because Violet spends so much of the book just complaining about Henry, even when he gets grounded for her, spends time and money on romantic gestures and goes out of his way to make her happy, for her to be like 'I don't want Henry saving me all the time ffs, I'm my own person who can make my own decisions'.
Violet, you don't have to tell him everything, y'know. If you want to pick something yourself and make decisions, just do it then instead of relying on him then blaming him for caring and wanting to help you. He loves you, he wants to help. Just effing talk to him, it's called ~communication~. But nah, she wants to get as much out of him as possible in New York for her own gain then dump him after the trip. I liked you, Violet... don't use my boy Henry like that and do him dirty.
Henry deserves better.
However, the plot was sweet (mostly at the start) but it wasn't enough, especially for the length of the book. It just needed more. Finding a notebook and trying to find a shop but getting lost was a little boing and it dragged a little. If this wasn't a OUAT novel, I would have DNF'd it.
And when we find out who eventually had the notebook...
I said to myself, if it's
Spoiler
her father who had it the whole time,But on a more positive note, it was cute and very atmospheric. And the best part? Emma and Killian.
They're my favourite characters and I ship them so I was thrilled to see them in this. Even, as I said, everyone wasn't hugely in character, I was still happy.
One question though: why were Emma and Killian chaperones on a school trip? Aren't they both Sheriffs of Storybrooke at this point? I mean, I was really happy they were there as they made the book so much better but I just didn't get why they were on this field trip. It didn't make much sense to me really. I thought it would work better if they went there for a weekend trip and they ditched them to find the notebook rather than this whole field trip thing.
I would have preferred a story set in Storybrooke. I need all the Storybrooke goodness! I hope the other books have more to them because this just wasn't enough. I hate to say this but Henry and Violet aren't strong enough protagonists to have a story of their own. I liked the story better when Emma, Killian and Mary Margaret were in it and telling them off because lol.