Wren
No matter how far you travel, you can always find a little piece of home inside a bookstore.
Such a sweet and comforting story, exactly what a cozy fantasy should be. It did take me a moment to warm up to Tandy, the MC, because at the very beginning she came across as a bit of a “woe is me” poor rich girl. But once I’ve got a clearer impression of what her royal lifestyle looked like, it became very easy to empathize. That amount of moving around, participating in ceremonies, and smiling at random strangers is truly no way to live for a bookish introvert. No wonder she was so happy to catch a break!
I loved Tandy’s stay in the bookshop and how it helped her progress, in small believable steps, from a people pleaser to someone willing to stand up for her boundaries. The sisterly bond she developed with Sasha was so sweet, easily my favorite part of the book. And then of course there was Bash the cleptomaniac cursed pirate. That romance was so cute. I kind of like how it started in this very on the nose, kinda stereotypical fashion, with Bash sauntering in like your bog-standard sexy, snarky bad boy, and Tandy being all appalled and attracted. But then they progressed from there into something much deeper and gentler, and the confession scene late in the book was made of feels. SO MANY FEELS. It’s my favorite. 🥰
The one thing I disliked about the book was how repetitive the storyline with the princes showing up to try and break Tandy’s curse got. There were seven of them, and they were certainly all unique characters. I actually liked a couple of the ones who showed up way later in the book the most. But because Tandy was confined to a single small bookstore, consistently interacted with a fairly small cast of characters, and her main storyline was rather introspective in nature, the further I got into the story the harder it was not to react to each prince appearing with an, “Oh great, another predictable disruption.” Especially given that it was pretty clear that none of their kisses would work to break the curse.
Oh, and one more gripe: the illusive cat! There wasn’t enough of the lovely illusive cat. You give me a magical cat with tentacles and you don’t have it actively present on at least every other page? SHAME. /hj
No matter how far you travel, you can always find a little piece of home inside a bookstore.
Such a sweet and comforting story, exactly what a cozy fantasy should be. It did take me a moment to warm up to Tandy, the MC, because at the very beginning she came across as a bit of a “woe is me” poor rich girl. But once I’ve got a clearer impression of what her royal lifestyle looked like, it became very easy to empathize. That amount of moving around, participating in ceremonies, and smiling at random strangers is truly no way to live for a bookish introvert. No wonder she was so happy to catch a break!
I loved Tandy’s stay in the bookshop and how it helped her progress, in small believable steps, from a people pleaser to someone willing to stand up for her boundaries. The sisterly bond she developed with Sasha was so sweet, easily my favorite part of the book. And then of course there was Bash the cleptomaniac cursed pirate. That romance was so cute. I kind of like how it started in this very on the nose, kinda stereotypical fashion, with Bash sauntering in like your bog-standard sexy, snarky bad boy, and Tandy being all appalled and attracted. But then they progressed from there into something much deeper and gentler, and the confession scene late in the book was made of feels. SO MANY FEELS. It’s my favorite. 🥰
The one thing I disliked about the book was how repetitive the storyline with the princes showing up to try and break Tandy’s curse got. There were seven of them, and they were certainly all unique characters. I actually liked a couple of the ones who showed up way later in the book the most. But because Tandy was confined to a single small bookstore, consistently interacted with a fairly small cast of characters, and her main storyline was rather introspective in nature, the further I got into the story the harder it was not to react to each prince appearing with an, “Oh great, another predictable disruption.” Especially given that it was pretty clear that none of their kisses would work to break the curse.
Oh, and one more gripe: the illusive cat! There wasn’t enough of the lovely illusive cat. You give me a magical cat with tentacles and you don’t have it actively present on at least every other page? SHAME. /hj
How could doing the right thing turn out so goddamn bad?
Another attempt to scratch the itch left by the Big Bad Wolf series by Charlie Adhara, and sadly a failed one despite some surface-level similarities. There’s far more action here than mystery, and the relationship progression between the MCs felt so rushed, except for those couple of moments where it randomly came to a halt. I did like the initial testosterone-fueled meet-not-quite-cute, and the initial animosity was interesting. But then I felt like Sloane began warming up to Dex too fast given his backstory. On one hand, it made for some fun moments because while he was warming up, he also so clearly didn’t want to, and I liked what it added to the dynamic. On the other hand, there was still that factor of things moving too fast for my tastes.
That factor affected other aspects of the book, too, not just the central relationship. Like the way Dex immediately psychoanalyzed everyone on the team after meeting them for the first time, or certain aspects of the external plot. At the same time, now and then the fast pacing got bogged down a bit by infodumps, especially in the first half of the story. The second half was a lot smoother, and I liked how the twists and reveals in it were set up. I also liked the villain, in the sense that their methods and goals were appropriately villainous, but at the same time I could empathize with their motivation.
Overall, this was a fun enough action flick with a cool cast of side characters, but I don’t know if I’ve been pulled in enough to want to continue the series.
How could doing the right thing turn out so goddamn bad?
Another attempt to scratch the itch left by the Big Bad Wolf series by Charlie Adhara, and sadly a failed one despite some surface-level similarities. There’s far more action here than mystery, and the relationship progression between the MCs felt so rushed, except for those couple of moments where it randomly came to a halt. I did like the initial testosterone-fueled meet-not-quite-cute, and the initial animosity was interesting. But then I felt like Sloane began warming up to Dex too fast given his backstory. On one hand, it made for some fun moments because while he was warming up, he also so clearly didn’t want to, and I liked what it added to the dynamic. On the other hand, there was still that factor of things moving too fast for my tastes.
That factor affected other aspects of the book, too, not just the central relationship. Like the way Dex immediately psychoanalyzed everyone on the team after meeting them for the first time, or certain aspects of the external plot. At the same time, now and then the fast pacing got bogged down a bit by infodumps, especially in the first half of the story. The second half was a lot smoother, and I liked how the twists and reveals in it were set up. I also liked the villain, in the sense that their methods and goals were appropriately villainous, but at the same time I could empathize with their motivation.
Overall, this was a fun enough action flick with a cool cast of side characters, but I don’t know if I’ve been pulled in enough to want to continue the series.
She hadn’t realized how deep that shadowy place had been until she found herself slowly emerging from it.
This book, in many ways, is such a comfort read. I ended up liking both romantic leads, but Sophie is the one who captured my heart the fastest, and I rooted for her every step of the way. Her entire arc of climbing out of her sadness and giving herself and others a chance made me empathize with her so much, and I absolutely loved her connection to music and everything it meant to her. She’s such a strong and relatable character.
The setting here is one of those cozy towns where everyone knows each other, and most people are kind, decent, and content to let each other be themselves even where it goes against societal norms. Almost too idyllic at times, but hey, it’s a healing place for a story about healing, being lovely and idyllic is kind of its job. I loved the place and a lot of the characters who populate it, especially Mr. Frampton, his own relationship with music, and the way he helped Sophie rediscover her love for the art and her confidence in it.
And then of course there was the heist part of the plot!. I enjoyed the “eat the rich” vibe and the whole thing with protecting the weavers community. The execution of the big plan was appropriately exciting, but weirdly enough, I liked the scenes focused on coming up with it even more, like Maddie’s conversation with Mrs. Money—there were some really cool moments of subtle character growth there.
The weakest thing about the whole book for me sadly was the romance. The whole “one character has just had her entire life ruined by a swindler; the other character *is* a swindler, but for a good cause” premise made me expect a slow burn story with perhaps some cat-and-mouse elements, with Sophie being determined to get proof of Maddie’s plans and stop her before learning more about both Maddie and the circumstances around the heist and changing her mind. And the bones of it are there, but everything’s super rushed. There’s no slow earning of trust, not much real clashing; it feels like they barely started getting to know each other, and Sophie’s magically on board with all Maddie’s plans and they’re in love. It didn’t really ring true to me. I get it that the author wants to make Maddie part of Sophie’s healing, but I think that what with the whole swindling thing, Sophie actually needed to do some healing on her own in order to start letting Maddie in.
Still, for the most part this was really a lovely, heartwarming read. I should really check out Olivia Waite’s other works now that I’m done with this trilogy!
She hadn’t realized how deep that shadowy place had been until she found herself slowly emerging from it.
This book, in many ways, is such a comfort read. I ended up liking both romantic leads, but Sophie is the one who captured my heart the fastest, and I rooted for her every step of the way. Her entire arc of climbing out of her sadness and giving herself and others a chance made me empathize with her so much, and I absolutely loved her connection to music and everything it meant to her. She’s such a strong and relatable character.
The setting here is one of those cozy towns where everyone knows each other, and most people are kind, decent, and content to let each other be themselves even where it goes against societal norms. Almost too idyllic at times, but hey, it’s a healing place for a story about healing, being lovely and idyllic is kind of its job. I loved the place and a lot of the characters who populate it, especially Mr. Frampton, his own relationship with music, and the way he helped Sophie rediscover her love for the art and her confidence in it.
And then of course there was the heist part of the plot!. I enjoyed the “eat the rich” vibe and the whole thing with protecting the weavers community. The execution of the big plan was appropriately exciting, but weirdly enough, I liked the scenes focused on coming up with it even more, like Maddie’s conversation with Mrs. Money—there were some really cool moments of subtle character growth there.
The weakest thing about the whole book for me sadly was the romance. The whole “one character has just had her entire life ruined by a swindler; the other character *is* a swindler, but for a good cause” premise made me expect a slow burn story with perhaps some cat-and-mouse elements, with Sophie being determined to get proof of Maddie’s plans and stop her before learning more about both Maddie and the circumstances around the heist and changing her mind. And the bones of it are there, but everything’s super rushed. There’s no slow earning of trust, not much real clashing; it feels like they barely started getting to know each other, and Sophie’s magically on board with all Maddie’s plans and they’re in love. It didn’t really ring true to me. I get it that the author wants to make Maddie part of Sophie’s healing, but I think that what with the whole swindling thing, Sophie actually needed to do some healing on her own in order to start letting Maddie in.
Still, for the most part this was really a lovely, heartwarming read. I should really check out Olivia Waite’s other works now that I’m done with this trilogy!
Because, my pretty, life is very long when you have so much sadness to slow it down.
First off, I want to give this book all possible kudos for how atmospheric it is. The atmosphere in question is not particularly pleasant to experience, being grey, oppressive, and perpetually laced with despair. But it’s so consistent throughout, and this misery is so well-conveyed. I felt like I was myself stuck in that little town with its secrets and lies, forever caught in a strange toxic fog.
The characters matched the overall vibe of the story: few were likable, but a lot were relatable in many ways, big and small. The protagonist, Frank, really made me feel for her. I didn’t always agree with her decisions, but I could always see where she was coming from. She’s exactly what I would expect a heavily parentified elder daughter to be under the circumstances.
Speaking of those circumstances: the thriller/mystery part of the book develops slowly and often plays second fiddle to the coming of age narratives. But when the twists and the reveal do come, they hit hard. Save for a couple of moments, I found the whole development fairly difficult to predict, and the resolution had me on the edge of my sit for sure.
Would recommend this to those in the mood for a dysfunctional family-focused angst fest with actual twisty plot.
Because, my pretty, life is very long when you have so much sadness to slow it down.
First off, I want to give this book all possible kudos for how atmospheric it is. The atmosphere in question is not particularly pleasant to experience, being grey, oppressive, and perpetually laced with despair. But it’s so consistent throughout, and this misery is so well-conveyed. I felt like I was myself stuck in that little town with its secrets and lies, forever caught in a strange toxic fog.
The characters matched the overall vibe of the story: few were likable, but a lot were relatable in many ways, big and small. The protagonist, Frank, really made me feel for her. I didn’t always agree with her decisions, but I could always see where she was coming from. She’s exactly what I would expect a heavily parentified elder daughter to be under the circumstances.
Speaking of those circumstances: the thriller/mystery part of the book develops slowly and often plays second fiddle to the coming of age narratives. But when the twists and the reveal do come, they hit hard. Save for a couple of moments, I found the whole development fairly difficult to predict, and the resolution had me on the edge of my sit for sure.
Would recommend this to those in the mood for a dysfunctional family-focused angst fest with actual twisty plot.
“I’m not asking it to be easy. I’m asking it to be possible!”
I was warned by two different people the ending was going to upset me, so really, I only have myself to blame. It’s just, the cover is so precious. And I remember loving Sangu Mandanna’s other cozy fantasy, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, so much. And her brand of humor always makes me smile, and I’m in a place where I could use some extra smiles, you know? So I let myself be lured in by all the shiny things about the book, telling myself whatever potential disappointment awaited ahead couldn’t be that bad, and now here I am, upset and angry and rolling my eyes. Go figure.
Really though, the ending isn’t even the only problem of this book, even though it felt kind of, dare I say, cruel to give the character a main goal, have her go through all the steps to successfully achieving it, and then snatching it away from her forever pages later—and all that in a feel-good genre. But there’s also the fact that the book kind of… didn’t know what it even wanted to be, for most of the way? Some parts read like a regular feel-good cozy fantasy. Others came across as almost a deconstruction of the common cozy fantasy tropes, because there Sera was, living in a magical inn surrounded by quirky lovable weirdos, and so often she was quite simply miserable. At times, the narrative tried to get all serious and reminisce about the mistakes our elders have made, and how maybe we can’t fix them all, but we can learn from them and make the world a better place for the next generation. Just a big overall lack of consistency.
I did like the actual cozy fantasy parts of it a lot. There were many sweet moments and turns of phrase that made me smile or laugh. I really enjoyed Matilda and Jasmine’s storyline. And the zombie chicken. And Clemmie’s shenanigans, too, for the most part. I also liked how kind and loyal Sera remained even through her most fed-up moments. I adored the way the overall feel of doing magic was described—it was really enchanting and wondrous. And I found the autism representation very thoughtful.
Sadly though, all these details that I enjoyed have only made the overall “not coming together” feel and the bad vibes from the ending more poignant. This could have been such an overall uplifting read for me, but alas.
“I’m not asking it to be easy. I’m asking it to be possible!”
I was warned by two different people the ending was going to upset me, so really, I only have myself to blame. It’s just, the cover is so precious. And I remember loving Sangu Mandanna’s other cozy fantasy, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, so much. And her brand of humor always makes me smile, and I’m in a place where I could use some extra smiles, you know? So I let myself be lured in by all the shiny things about the book, telling myself whatever potential disappointment awaited ahead couldn’t be that bad, and now here I am, upset and angry and rolling my eyes. Go figure.
Really though, the ending isn’t even the only problem of this book, even though it felt kind of, dare I say, cruel to give the character a main goal, have her go through all the steps to successfully achieving it, and then snatching it away from her forever pages later—and all that in a feel-good genre. But there’s also the fact that the book kind of… didn’t know what it even wanted to be, for most of the way? Some parts read like a regular feel-good cozy fantasy. Others came across as almost a deconstruction of the common cozy fantasy tropes, because there Sera was, living in a magical inn surrounded by quirky lovable weirdos, and so often she was quite simply miserable. At times, the narrative tried to get all serious and reminisce about the mistakes our elders have made, and how maybe we can’t fix them all, but we can learn from them and make the world a better place for the next generation. Just a big overall lack of consistency.
I did like the actual cozy fantasy parts of it a lot. There were many sweet moments and turns of phrase that made me smile or laugh. I really enjoyed Matilda and Jasmine’s storyline. And the zombie chicken. And Clemmie’s shenanigans, too, for the most part. I also liked how kind and loyal Sera remained even through her most fed-up moments. I adored the way the overall feel of doing magic was described—it was really enchanting and wondrous. And I found the autism representation very thoughtful.
Sadly though, all these details that I enjoyed have only made the overall “not coming together” feel and the bad vibes from the ending more poignant. This could have been such an overall uplifting read for me, but alas.