I received a copy from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A year and a half after Whisperwood’s I received a copy from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A year and a half after Whisperwood’s closure, the Strauss family is falling apart at the seams. The Strauss family is known for their long and strange history as well as their popular theme park, but now that Whisperwood is closed, there’s even more public interest than ever. What the public doesn’t know is that the family’s money has dried up without the theme park’s income, and the fighting has begun. Insert Frankie, one of the Strauss grandchildren, who is slowly learning the ropes of controlling the magic that is weaved throughout Whisperwood. When her grandma goes missing, the entire family discovers the real reason Whisperwood closed.
I was really looking forward to reading this, so it’s unfortunate that it ended up being a total miss for me. I think it has an interesting premise, but it had way too many characters and not enough world building. I ended up being far more interested in the few entertaining characters just because the majority of the characters were either extremely bland or very unlikable. I’m also not sure why Uncle Preston cusses almost every time he speaks. It was funny at first just because it was always so out of place, but it just kept taking me out of the story.
I kept reading because it was interesting enough that I wanted to see where the story was going, but Ella and her blog post when her grandma goes missing was the last straw. I finished that chapter, shut the book, and decided I was not going to continue. Her looking to capitalize off her adoptive grandmother’s disappearance was the final straw for me, so I shut the book at 48% and ditched it.
Ultimately, I think this book has an interesting plot, but it’s weighed down by too many characters and random bits of information that didn’t add to the story. We were being told too much and not enough at the same time, and it suffered some pacing issues that the memory flashes didn’t help. I probably would’ve still found a way to enjoy it if there weren't so many unlikable characters and a romance plot with an unsettling vibe....more
DNF after two chapters. I like that it follows a group of retired folks and that's about it.DNF after two chapters. I like that it follows a group of retired folks and that's about it....more
I received a copy from City Owl Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Eala Duir has spent much of her life trying to live on the saI received a copy from City Owl Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Eala Duir has spent much of her life trying to live on the safe side. If the path isn’t tried and true, she doesn’t want anything to do with it. Everything changed when her grandmother passed away. First, a vague letter from her grandma reveals that Eala’s real name is not Ellie like she’d been raised to believe it was. Then her grandma asks her to go to Ireland to find out the truth about herself, but all she has to get her started is the cryptic message that was left to her. Once in Ireland, it turns out that the fae world her grandmother always spoke of is real, and that she can travel between worlds. What is Eala’s fate, and why is it so deeply connected with the sassy Sionnach Loho?
I really liked the overall concept of this book, but I ended up DNFing it at 52%. We follow Eala as she’s going through a major life transition. Not only is she trying to adjust to life without her grandma, but she’s suddenly thrust into a world of fantasy and magic while trying to figure out where she came from and what her grandma’s cryptic message means. While Eala has her best friend, Colleen, at her side, she quickly discovers that the answer to all her questions comes in the form of a sassy Irish man: Sionnach.
Eala is a solid person, but she’s also a pretty boring character to follow. Even when she’s in the thick of things, she’s the least interesting person in the mix and it’s easy for her to blend into the background. All of the other characters are far more interesting, and I think I would’ve liked the book a little more if we had Eala and Sion as rotating narrators. Sion is a man of many words, but he also keeps his cards very close to his chest, so there’s a lot of missing information that only he can drop into the story. By the halfway point, I was far more frustrated by the lack of communication between the characters than Eala is, and this story is directly impacting her life.
As I said, I really like the overall concept of the book. Eala can travel between worlds, including everything in between, but there’s also rules to follow. Rules that Sion has been very tight lipped about, which throws them into some pretty tight spots. Reading this ended up being frustrating in the end because it seems like there’s something huge sitting right around the corner, only that corner keeps getting further and further away. I think that there are some readers who will love this book, the romantic interest that is a red herring, and the pacing of the story. Unfortunately, it’s not a book that’s a hit with me....more
I received a copy from BHC Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
DNF at 20%.
This book is dark as hell and the copy that I received I received a copy from BHC Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
DNF at 20%.
This book is dark as hell and the copy that I received from the publishers through NetGalley does not have a clearly labeled content warnings list. The content warning list is also incomplete, which according to other reviewers, is completed for the final copy that went into print. Check out other reviews for this book to find the full list before checking out the book if you're interested in it.
The author is a good writer, but the book is extremely dark. What seems like what is in store for the protagonist's future as her memories begin to return (and was confirmed by another reviewer's comprehensive trigger warnings list that they shared), it will be getting 100 times darker and will also be triggering as I am a SA survivor myself....more