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A review by luluwoohoo
House of Frank by Kay Synclaire
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
House of Frank by Kay Synclaire
☀️☀️☀️
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!
This cozy fantasy is reminiscent of many powerhouse storytellers like Diana Wynne Jones and TJ Klune, but it lacked a level of depth to earn a place alongside them.
The setting of this novel is lovingly described and has a quaint, magical feel. It really sets the tone for this quirky and relatively light-hearted tale.
I liked the choice of having our MC tell the story to her sister, but Saika's narrative voice got repetitive quite quickly. It also meant that Synclaire fell into the trap of 'telling' rather than 'showing' a bit too often, which weakened the story overall.
As a character Saika is a good vessel for exploring grief through, though she struggles to be likeable. Most of the supporting characters are unfortunately not drawn broadly enough to truly appreciate, because their backstories are all interesting enough to warrant more exploration; I think the book would have benefitted from editing out some of the members of Ash House to allow for focus on the remaining ones. I also struggled with the reveal of so many characters committing the same cursed act, which cheapened the effect for me.
I can see how this story will appeal broadly as a comfort read, and I did enjoy myself while reading it, but I couldn't help but see more potential in it than was ultimately achieved.
☀️☀️☀️
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!
This cozy fantasy is reminiscent of many powerhouse storytellers like Diana Wynne Jones and TJ Klune, but it lacked a level of depth to earn a place alongside them.
The setting of this novel is lovingly described and has a quaint, magical feel. It really sets the tone for this quirky and relatively light-hearted tale.
I liked the choice of having our MC tell the story to her sister, but Saika's narrative voice got repetitive quite quickly. It also meant that Synclaire fell into the trap of 'telling' rather than 'showing' a bit too often, which weakened the story overall.
As a character Saika is a good vessel for exploring grief through, though she struggles to be likeable. Most of the supporting characters are unfortunately not drawn broadly enough to truly appreciate, because their backstories are all interesting enough to warrant more exploration; I think the book would have benefitted from editing out some of the members of Ash House to allow for focus on the remaining ones. I also struggled with the reveal of so many characters committing the same cursed act, which cheapened the effect for me.
I can see how this story will appeal broadly as a comfort read, and I did enjoy myself while reading it, but I couldn't help but see more potential in it than was ultimately achieved.
"You pick out the fine linens, Saika. You pick out the extravagant fabric, and you wear them. You buy the expensive tea or the book you've always wanted. You eat the pie you've always wanted to bake, because after knowing how precious life is, those little moments start to feel quite damn big."