Jessica Rich

I have no idea what I just read. It was good but also ... Not so good. Whatever you think this book is about, it isn't. It isn't for the faint of heart and could use a good trigger warning for sexual abuse and general sexual themes.

Nostalgia had me seek this out - this was the book that started me on a life long love of fantasy. Now, more years later than I care to admit, this book brought the same spark of excitement to my imagination as it did then.

I read this in one sitting. It took a bit to get into, about 50-80 pages but once I was in I was hooked.

I'm not crying, you are.

Mundanely tropetastic - for all its 544 pages I can't tell you much about the characters, world, magic, culture or politics. I obviously enjoyed it enough to read it through but I am on the fence about the follow up book.

The premise has so much promise. And while I enjoyed the book, it is not one that I will go back to read.

There are 3.5 main characters:

Caroline: the typical “I was perfectly perfect and happy until I wasn't” mid 30s woman

James: (the .5) the shitty husband of Caroline

Nella: the apothecary turned poisoner which SOUNDS like a complex plot but it isn't

Eliza: the 12 year old girl who probably ended up with a ton of trauma from all of this but seems to have turned out perfect.

The plot had interesting moments - mostly with Nella and Eliza. I could have done without the Caroline/James story arc (or lack thereof). There was zero growth or interest there for me.

This ended up being a quick read, predictable, unrelatable and unremarkable.

Just read it and think.

It felt like reading an illustration. Very beautiful and rich. There were certainly some aspects of the writing that could have been improved but I am glad to have read it.

It isn't a bad read - you will need to keep in mind the author and the time period when reading. I had a hard time connecting with the elements of what was being told but I am happy that this person's experience was recorded and can be remembered and experienced by others.

It is worth the investment to read all three. I laughed, cried, sighed, nearly threw the book in frustration, and smiled.

I almost didn't finish this but I am glad I did. This book starts slow but halfway through it picks up and doesn't slow down.

This wasn't great. I got the ending it wanted, sort of, but none of the answers I was hoping for. This book is absolutely saturated in imagery that it is hard to process at times. It is rushed and unrealistic but that part I was expecting, it always has been unrealistic. I really enjoyed the slavixlc folklore aspect but I wish ... I wish it had been done a bit better.

That being said, the trilogy is consistent and this sort of wraps things up nicely and sort of leaves several open ends for additional books. I feel very meh about it.

I won't lie, the drama around the author has colored my opinion of the book but I wanted to review this on the merits of the book only.

I had to force myself to finish. It felt like there was a lot of potential in here but it also felt like i blinked and somehow the story progressed and i have no idea how. I did not connect with any of the characters or the landscape. A very solid “meh” from me.

Lyrically odd and engaging. This was a quick read but the story is one that will stick in my mind.

When they got to the point about killing the cat, i said fuck it and closed the book.

This could have been so good. The ending did throw me for a loop but I ended up skimming the last bit. The world building and imagery was beautiful but it felt like the plot couldn't decide what it wanted to be.

This was a nice story. It wasn't the story I wanted though. I had wanted a story of Marcus and Phoebe so the separate approach left that to be desired. I also wasn't overly fond of Diana and Matthew's appearance in the novel, they were just a bit too central for my taste. I am still interested in these characters so if a new novel came out I would read it. This just didn't wow me.

The story idea was very interesting but it just seemed too muddled, as though there were so many ideas that just burst out onto the page. I had trouble following the plot but, the biggest downfall was that I did not connect with any of the characters. 3 stars because it was a good theory but it just didn't grab my attention.

I don't generally care for a collection of short stories but I enjoyed how each of these had a common thread to them. Sometimes I had a bit of trouble keeping the connections straight but it still felt like a story in itself rather than a collection.

This book is so fantastic that it hurt. I wanted to find a way to absorb all of it at once. If you like Russian fairy tales, lyrical prose and beautiful imagery that will make your soul ache then pick this up.

This is a very lyrically written book, it J
just flowed in a way I loved from start to finish. It isn't incredibly in depth but I didn't want it to be and I think that is part of its appeal. And even though it isn't in depth, I felt that the characters were well explored and explained, I was able to connect with them and understand them. I would recommend this as a quick read with beautiful language and imagery.

This book has fantastic ideas. It was the premise of them that had me pick it up in the first place. However, the writing and overall story just didn't grab or hold my interest. I was looking for something more fast paced and a more expanded storyline. I don't doubt this is a good book, but it just isn't for me.