I freaking loved this! I’ve read some reviews and their complaints are things I don’t see. I know everyone is different, but did we read the same book? People compared this to ACOTAR (I’ve only read book 1), but I don’t like just comparing all fae books. Sara J. Maas didn’t invent them.
Anyways…
I liked the characters. Isobel was great. She was so strong, but not unrealistically bad-ass. That’s a common complaint I have. And the side characters were well-developed especially since this is in first person.
I really liked the pacing. It isn’t a particularly long book, but I was satisfied. There wasn’t constant action (another issue I have with modern YA fantasy). Instead there is downtime where people can talk. I’m starting to think this is what people mean by slow. If that’s the case, I guess I like slow books.
Objectively, I can see people viewing the romance as insta-love. But I respectively disagree. Isobel “falls in love” very fast, but she questions her feelings. Personally, I think that is a natural reaction for a seventeen year old who is dealing with love/lust/attraction for the first time. And I appreciate the self-reflection she goes through. I guess I think people throw the insta-love complaint around a little too freely.
I would love to read more in this world. It doesn’t have to follow the same characters. The world is interesting and I like Ms. Rogerson’s writing. Whimsy is an interesting place and Craft is something I want to know more about. I’m also sad because I have no more Margaret Rogerson books to read :(
Thanks for reading!
Holly