A review by kellysavagebooks
Lily by E.G. Creel

adventurous

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

2.0

All Dubans are born twins…except when they aren’t. And when they aren’t, the extra magic has to go somewhere. That somewhere is a shadow, uncontrollable and dangerous. 

At least, that’s what we’re told, but it doesn’t bear out—not in a fun subversion of what characters believe way, just in an author couldn’t commit way. Lily’s shadow does one nasty thing at the beginning, and then seems fully under her control and completely harmless. 

But I’m getting ahead of myself. This story has a fun premise and could have been a sweet fairytale-style story, but it falls incredibly flat. The writing itself is lackluster, clumsy, and littered with an unforgivable amount of typos in its 20 pages. There’s less plot than there is a series of happenings, and it doesn’t really say or do anything. Overall, it feels like Creel hasn’t found her voice as a writer (which I hate saying in reviews, it sounds so condescending, but in this case it’s the best way I can explain it), so this potentially charming and fun idea unfortunately got lost in the weeds.  

ARC provided by E.G. Creel and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.