This was a fun, if somewhat predictable, read. It took me a while to get into it. I read about 50 pages and then never felt compelled to open it again over the Labor Day holiday. But the following day back at work, I almost finished it in one sitting. So it definitely picks up after about the halfway point. It’s kind of a mish-mash of a typical fairy tale, True Blood, and Sex & the City. It even reminded me of [book: American Psycho] with all the brand dropping and meticulous descriptions of the expensive, top fashion designers people were wearing. The book is about Jane Boyle, a beautiful twenty-something whose parents mysteriously died when she was a baby. She was born in America but raised by her strict grandmother in France. Strange occurrences happen when Jane gets angry or upset, like the power goes out or appliances go on the fritz, but Jane has always attributed these things to bad luck or coincidence. That is, until the day she finds out that she’s a witch. Things start to click and come together for her but not nearly as quickly as you’d wish. She’s a bit dense at times and while I was reading I’d get frustrated at her lack of common sense and ditzy behavior, especially since she’s always been described as intelligent and quick-witted. Her naiveté made the plot drag more than once. A lot more character development (for all the players of this novel) would have been appreciated, but since it’s a series I won’t complain too much. I read this because I was the winner of part 2 of the series, [book: The Dark Glamour], through Goodreads’ First Reads giveaway (yay!). One thing I can’t praise enough is how gorgeous these books are. I love the cover designs of both books (props to Amanda Kain!) and think they’re absolutely perfect for the story. The entire cover has this iridescent pearly sheen of glitter and the black/green witchy color palette is the perfect pop of color on the creepy yet elegant Victorian designs. Love it. 3.5 stars
Don't Panic - Megan's BookLikes
I really like books. Some favorites: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (duh), Pride & Prejudice, The Martian Chronicles, True Grit, The Idiot, Daughter of Smoke & Bone, and so on. I tend to be pretty eclectic in my reading habits. I definitely favor sci-fi & fantasy, classic literature, YA fiction, memoirs, and non-fiction (usually art-, craft-, or history- related). I might have a book hoarding problem, but that's okay. I don't mind.
This was a fun, if somewhat predictable, read. It took me a while to get into it. I read about 50 pages and then never felt compelled to open it again over the Labor Day holiday. But the following day back at work, I almost finished it in one sitting. So it definitely picks up after about the halfway point. It’s kind of a mish-mash of a typical fairy tale, True Blood, and Sex & the City. It even reminded me of [book: American Psycho] with all the brand dropping and meticulous descriptions of the expensive, top fashion designers people were wearing. The book is about Jane Boyle, a beautiful twenty-something whose parents mysteriously died when she was a baby. She was born in America but raised by her strict grandmother in France. Strange occurrences happen when Jane gets angry or upset, like the power goes out or appliances go on the fritz, but Jane has always attributed these things to bad luck or coincidence. That is, until the day she finds out that she’s a witch. Things start to click and come together for her but not nearly as quickly as you’d wish. She’s a bit dense at times and while I was reading I’d get frustrated at her lack of common sense and ditzy behavior, especially since she’s always been described as intelligent and quick-witted. Her naiveté made the plot drag more than once. A lot more character development (for all the players of this novel) would have been appreciated, but since it’s a series I won’t complain too much. I read this because I was the winner of part 2 of the series, [book: The Dark Glamour], through Goodreads’ First Reads giveaway (yay!). One thing I can’t praise enough is how gorgeous these books are. I love the cover designs of both books (props to Amanda Kain!) and think they’re absolutely perfect for the story. The entire cover has this iridescent pearly sheen of glitter and the black/green witchy color palette is the perfect pop of color on the creepy yet elegant Victorian designs. Love it. 3.5 stars
