marisa_reads's reviews
6 reviews

 Cute!

First of all, if the premise is interesting to you, go ahead and give it a go! It’s short enough that I think it’s worth the read. This is a well beloved book and I seem to be of unpopular opinion. So go for it and come to your own conclusions. 

What I liked: 

-the premise, 

-the inner thoughts of the characters. (BEAUTIFUL writing here. So many good lines.)

-the (attempt at) diversity. 

What I didn’t like:

I’m gonna get pretty critical here because this book has gotten overwhelmingly positive feedback.Therefore, I don’t think the negative aspects of this review will have much impact on a book that is not BAD and doesn’t deserve hate. I don’t want this review to dissuade anyone to read it. I just think that it could have been better executed. 

(Spoilers)
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The murder mystery:

This didn’t work for me. It didn’t add any character development, and it wasn’t suspenseful or thrilling. It almost felt like the author just wanted to make the book more horrifying and gory because she likes horror and gore. I don’t know what the purpose was. Maybe it was to show how these twisted worlds affected the minds of the children who inhabited them? If that’s the case...did we really need a WHOLE murder mystery plot? Wasn’t there a shorter, less time consuming way to show the wickedness of some of these worlds? I’m not against horror or gore, but the whodunnit just didn’t work for me in this story. The book simply wasn’t long enough to do it well AND tackle the other themes the author wanted to address.

The mystery was solved like and read like a middle grade mystery. It didn’t fit at all with the gore and horror and (minor) sexual content that was included.  This kind of juxtaposition of writing style and content COULD be interesting... but for me, the execution was lacking. 

The dialogue:

The dialogue between characters felt very contrived.  I never felt like I was reading real dialogue. I was always hyper aware that the author was the one manufacturing these conversations. Another reviewer said it well: “it read like a diversity PSA”. I would add that it also read like a sex positivity PSA. It didn’t feel like the characters were talking to each other. It felt like the author was talking to the readers and educating us about feminism and gender/sexuality identity.

The racial diversity: 

There was one Latino character and one Japanese character. They were both a little token-y for me. 

A Latino whose fantasy world is Dia de Los Muertos? If he doesn’t feel at home in this (our) world, why would that be a world he would have been attracted to? It seemed like an excuse to use the aesthetic of dancing skeletons. 

And the Japanese girl was a bit of a caricature as well. As another reviewer described her as, “a (literal) manic pixie dream girl”. 

Other thoughts:

(I’m not gonna speak on the ace rep because I read the author is on the ace spectrum so I don’t feel like it’s my place to speak on that except to say it’s great that we have an ace character. There’s definitely not enough in our media and I appreciate it and think it’s important.)

I did like the way that kade talked about his own trans identity and the way that it connected to his experience in his Prism world. However I found the discussion that Nancy and Sumi had afterwards fell victim to that diversity PSA writing.

I don’t want to be over critical because I think the intentions were good. More authors need to be making these attempts at including a diverse cast of characters and tackling these issues (and improve and learn from the feedback they get from reviewers). 

I don’t fault the author for the attempt, but for me, it was sloppy and...a little heavy handed and on the nose. The diversity was explained to us, rather than weaved into the story. 

(But perhaps there are many people who still need that direct textbook explanation. I feel like I am personally beyond that necessity in my own journey of self education, but can admit that society as a whole isn’t there yet.)

I think this would have worked for a middle grade novel, or even YA; but this book is categorized as adult fiction. So I would have appreciated a little more nuance. Perhaps if there hadn’t been the unnecessary murder plot, there could have been time to do these characterizations more gracefully. I think the author tried to put too much into too such a short book. They either needed to strip it down, or write a longer book. 

Another specific thing I want to address was the explanation for why more girls are pulled into these worlds than boys. 

The author’s explanation was that “boys will be boys” is a self fulfilling prophecy and that its easy for girls to disappear because society cares more about what happens to our boys. 

While I appreciate the commentary the author was trying to make here, this explanation fell flat for me. It just didn’t make sense and having Nancy say “oh that makes sense” didn’t make it make more sense to me. 

My friend pointed out that it would have been more powerful (AND make more sense) if brown and black children were the ones who got lost more easily. 

My Rating System:

1. DNF*

2. I didn’t like it, but I finished it. Don’t recommend. 

3. I liked aspects of it, would recommend to some. 

4. Great book, would recommend to most. 

5. My favorites** 

* I don’t rate all DNFs

** subject to bias and not necessarily something I would recommend to others

Firstly I wanna say that the epilogue is *chefs kiss* honestly my favorite part of the book. 

 

This is the second book I have read by this author and I’ve realized she has a knack of writing the kinds of characters that I love. Lots of strong women with distinct and varied personalities, dreams, and motives. 

 

The friendship between the main protagonist and her best friend was particularly well done. It’s always great to see 2 young women lift each other up and love each other without jealousy and competition ruling their dynamic. 

 

I also appreciated the commentary about the deep insecurities, regrets and resentments we carry around with us. There were several scenes where our heroine casts a particular spell that lays bare a person’s innermost truths. I thought they were very perceptive and relatable. 

 

The theme of peace also resonated with me. 

 

So why 3 stars? For me, the pacing was off. Certain parts dragged and others were rushed rushed rushed. But that could just be a personal preference as this is a well beloved book. 

 

My Rating System: 

1. DNF* 

2. I didn’t like it, but I finished it. Don’t recommend. 

3. I liked aspects of it, would recommend to some. 

4. Great book, would recommend to most. 

5. My favorites** 

 

* I don’t rate all DNFs 

 

** subject to bias and not necessarily something I would recommend to others

Non-Spoiler Review:
Addie’s longing to be remembered was conveyed really well. I was invested in her story and particularly enjoyed reading the scenes from her past: (the stories of the people from her past who left an impression on her, her lowest lows and highest highs, her learning to navigate her curse, her learning to survive, and her small moments of joy)

Some feel the pacing was too slow or that it could’ve been shorter and accomplished the same thing. I personally liked the details and the pacing. Addie had a long and hard life; I think a long book with slow pacing was fitting. 
 
Spoiler Review:

I really like that Addie didn’t really “end up” with anyone. 

I interpreted that her and Henry’s relationship was depicted as something they both needed at that time in their life. And I like that. 

I don’t think her relationship with the darkness was romanticized. I interpreted that it was a result of loneliness, longing, and emotional abuse (from him). 

I like that Addie’s ending is a little ambiguous. We don’t know exactly what comes nexts but we know she has many adventures to come. I don’t need a perfect happy ending and I don’t think it would have been fitting for this book. 

I think it also would have been nice if it had been hinted that Henry and Robbie would get back together. (if you think it WAS hinted at, then I would have preferred a more direct hint). Although  bi-ness is still valid  if your characters are in hereto relationships...it just...made sense and felt natural to me. And it would have been nice. 🤷‍♀️

I also thought it was a little corny that the title of Henry’s book was the same as the title of the book.  🥴

My Rating System:
1. DNF*
2. I didn’t like it, but I finished it. 
3. I liked aspects of it.
4. Great book, would recommend. 5. My favorites** 

* I don’t rate all DNFs

** subject to bias and not necessarily something I would recommend to others.