jillie's reviews
461 reviews

Regan was a delightful MC & I really liked her world. Her found family is probably my favorite of the series. And the theme that you don’t have to be what you believe you’re destined to be resonated with me. 

Didn’t rate this one higher because the end was rushed & a bit of a letdown.

January 2023

It’s hard to rate any of this series below 3 stars, but I was tempted to with this book. As much as I loved The Moors in book 2, it just didn’t hit the same in this one. The world felt less ominous & like it had lower stakes. Jack was repetitive (I know you’re a genius, I’ve known it since book 1, I don’t need it constantly repeated).

And the overall theme of this book bothered me. Jack and Jill are 2 sides of the same coin. You need both of them to provide balance. They’ve both struggled & so far, I’ve empathized with each of them. But in this one, we are expected to make a hard line & be on one side, which I strongly disliked & feel goes against one of the messages of the series. I don’t want to think any of these adolescents are irredeemable. 

And Cora, why was she even there?

Definitely my least favorite so far. 

January 2023

“Home always shrinks in times of absence, always bleeds away some of its majesty, because what is home, after all, apart from the place one returns to when the adventure is over?”

Wow, my favorite one so far. I connected with Lundy & my heart broke for her even as I knew what was coming. This was such a great story! This door opened to the most fantasy based world we’ve seen in this series yet, and I loved the side characters. I already want to reread it.

January 2023

Really good to see some of the characters from book 1 again. I didn’t love Confection as much as the other worlds, but it was still very enjoyable. And I could have done with less of Cora constantly thinking about how she’s fat. 

January 2023

Jack & Jill’s story was dark, creepy, & heartbreaking. I want more!

January 2023

“There was still something unfinished around her eyes; she wasn’t done yet. She was a story, not an epilogue.”

Unlike anything I’ve ever read. I’m not really sure how to talk about it. I was actually going to DNF it about 35% in, but all of a sudden the story really picked up & I got sucked in. I enjoyed the creepy atmosphere & I grew to love these characters & world. I’m really excited to continue this series. 

January 2023

This was cute. I enjoyed Mrs. Pollifax & how resourceful she was. It made me laugh a few times. This book is, erm, of its time, so maybe know that going into it.

November 2024

Dark & creepy. Great atmosphere & just had me wondering how on earth this was going to end. I was definitely pulled in to the story. It was so close to 5 stars! The ending left me a little winded, though.

October 2024

I am pretty sure Stephen King is not an author for me. As another reviewer on here wrote, “This book, and King’s voice, has a certain mean-spiritedness that I can’t shake.”

I couldn’t really have said it better myself. Plus (& I know i’m in the minority here), this was genuinely boring me. 

Link to review mentioned: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/d97746f4-4fae-4024-b5d0-bd14503949f3