Alejandra
sigh I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I really like the idea of “trans person rooming with their ex, but their ex not realizing because they dated pre-transition” but the plot surrounding it sort of floundered. It feels like these characters should have been aged up to college years, because it would make a lot more sense for someone to be broken up and have problems with love due to a highschool sweetheart rather than a crush from a middle school summer camp, and also for someone to fully transition including top surgery at 18 rather than 14. But then the rest of the plot of the gender segregated schools and elaborate schemes for the love letters wouldn't have worked.
It just sort of felt like the author had a good base premise and then struggled to build the rest of the plot around it.
sigh I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I really like the idea of “trans person rooming with their ex, but their ex not realizing because they dated pre-transition” but the plot surrounding it sort of floundered. It feels like these characters should have been aged up to college years, because it would make a lot more sense for someone to be broken up and have problems with love due to a highschool sweetheart rather than a crush from a middle school summer camp, and also for someone to fully transition including top surgery at 18 rather than 14. But then the rest of the plot of the gender segregated schools and elaborate schemes for the love letters wouldn't have worked.
It just sort of felt like the author had a good base premise and then struggled to build the rest of the plot around it.
This book was almost a 4 star for me. I loved the chemistry between the two leads, all the characters were enjoyable, and it was cozy without being boring. But the miscommunication genuinely pissed me off, it made me want to wring their necks. I literally almost DNFed 30% of the way through because the miscommunication was so bad. But I pushed through and at the very least it was an adorable HEA.
This book was almost a 4 star for me. I loved the chemistry between the two leads, all the characters were enjoyable, and it was cozy without being boring. But the miscommunication genuinely pissed me off, it made me want to wring their necks. I literally almost DNFed 30% of the way through because the miscommunication was so bad. But I pushed through and at the very least it was an adorable HEA.
Look I like the plot and some of the characters of this book but if it weren't for the fact my best friend loves these books I probably would have dropped it. You can tell this series was written by a white woman.
The whole romance subplot of Ash and Tanith made me want to barf. Like EXCUSE ME she called him a mongrel and is the equivalent of what seems like the Nazis of this world, and she hasn't been fully deprogrammed by the time they start to have feelings for each other. It's like the equivalent of making a mixed raced person fall in love with a white supermacist. I would have accepted friendship, or maybe MAYBE if Tanith had been introduced during book one and she was gradually shown changing and had fully broken off from her racist upbringing by the time she and Ash starting going goo-goo eyes, I would have accepted it.
Look I like the plot and some of the characters of this book but if it weren't for the fact my best friend loves these books I probably would have dropped it. You can tell this series was written by a white woman.
The whole romance subplot of Ash and Tanith made me want to barf. Like EXCUSE ME she called him a mongrel and is the equivalent of what seems like the Nazis of this world, and she hasn't been fully deprogrammed by the time they start to have feelings for each other. It's like the equivalent of making a mixed raced person fall in love with a white supermacist. I would have accepted friendship, or maybe MAYBE if Tanith had been introduced during book one and she was gradually shown changing and had fully broken off from her racist upbringing by the time she and Ash starting going goo-goo eyes, I would have accepted it.
Considering how much I loved The Society of Irregular Witches I wanted to love this book more than I did. I just didn't connect to the characters as well and also I was really thrown off because these witches seem to be completely different from Mandanna's first book (like in the first book witches are automatically orphans within a few years of being born, and witches are generally discouraged from congregating as it causes issues with magic, but in this book witches come from long family lines and have no issues in groups) but seem to have similar soft magic systems. I know this book is technically not a sequel but it just feels strange to have a book with big, plot relevant rules about witches then shifting gears in your next book also about witches that ignore those rules. Maybe they should have called them a different kind of magic user like sorcerers and that would have smoothed it over.
Considering how much I loved The Society of Irregular Witches I wanted to love this book more than I did. I just didn't connect to the characters as well and also I was really thrown off because these witches seem to be completely different from Mandanna's first book (like in the first book witches are automatically orphans within a few years of being born, and witches are generally discouraged from congregating as it causes issues with magic, but in this book witches come from long family lines and have no issues in groups) but seem to have similar soft magic systems. I know this book is technically not a sequel but it just feels strange to have a book with big, plot relevant rules about witches then shifting gears in your next book also about witches that ignore those rules. Maybe they should have called them a different kind of magic user like sorcerers and that would have smoothed it over.
Can't believe I saw a review complaining about the worldbuilding. Sir this is a Wendy's. This book is based off the premise that one of the MC's is cursed by the gods to be a bottom, I'm not here to learn the intricacies of the magic system.
Can't believe I saw a review complaining about the worldbuilding. Sir this is a Wendy's. This book is based off the premise that one of the MC's is cursed by the gods to be a bottom, I'm not here to learn the intricacies of the magic system.
