Alison

This book was such an unexpected delight! Really a collection of origin stories for some of my favorite fairy tale characters, I was so drawn in to each chapter. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous.

This is a fabulous work of non-fiction. With the exception of only a brief section in the middle, I was riveted and couldn't put it down. Hicks unspools the Mary Celeste's story with such care and detail that it was all the more heartbreaking to reach the end and read the most likely theory of what happened to her passengers and crew. If you like when history and mystery combine, you'll love this book.

Oh how I LOVED this book! Courtney Maum was able to keep me rooted in a reality not too far removed from our own, despite the occasionally absurd circumstances our heroine finds herself in. I was captivated not only by the charming love story, but by a woman remembering how to love herself. It's easy to get lost in the tech of today's world and this book was an ever so lovely reminder that the true magic of the universe still lies inside the day to day interactions we have with each other.

It took me a little while to get into the rhythm of the language, but once I got the hang of it I was so invested in these people and their lives. A lovely window into an often hidden community.

I cried pretty much every time I picked this book up. Beautiful prose and a lovely way to tell a story. Though I figured out the ending before it happened, it didn't lessen its emotional punch when I got there.

I devoured this book and found myself thinking about it long after I put it down. A story that spans several generations, multiple countries, and a vast network of family members, it is at once global and intimate. I found myself researching a variety of governments, cultures, and world events to better grasp what each character was going through - though this book and its characters stands on its own even without any extra context.

This book was at times difficult to read but always moving. I laughed and cried and found myself thinking about my own childhood with frequency. I had heard so many great things about the book and it lived up to every expectation and then some. If you have experience with an addict, this book might be hard to get through, but there are so many glimmers of hope and optimism to be found.