Tea
I read this book multiple years too late (not that I would've been able to read it earlier, it didn't exist but still).
I'm really torn about this book. For me right now, it honestly was a meh read. I couldn't easily follow the narrative tone (it felt like it switched character pov multiple times within a chapter), I didn't vibe with how it was written, and I really couldn't get invested into the story no matter how hard I tried. The first third of the book felt like it dragged, and the only part that was really interesting ended quickly and felt rather rushed through. Which was probably the point since it was a high-stakes situation (or as high-stakes as this book gets) and it would be best to get in and get out. It was an exploration, a fantasy slice-of-life, a dive into the world that would've enveloped my younger self and appeal to everything that they wanted out of a story. I think for me right now, this book ended up hovering around 3 to 3.5 stars. (I rated the book 4 stars to meet in the middle with my kid self, I might bump it up to 4.5 stars though.)
If it was my younger self reading this story, it would've easily been a 5 star or pretty dang close to it. It had the magic, it had the immersion, the humor, the characters practically leapt out of the page and felt like you could touch them, talk to them, learn more about them past what made it onto the page. I'm sure if I read this story a couple years ago, I would've been jealous of the cast. I would've loved to live in the magical kingdom and I probably would've thrived in it. It felt like home, a place that I could've had the chance to visit but I never got to. I loved how much of their lives was altered due to a child daring to dream, and dream, and dream. A child wanting a family, and a place of belonging, and a home, and a place of safety so strongly that it's changed everything for the cast. A glimmer of home that was inherently gifted but also carved out of love, home, yearning.
I would've loved this book several years ago, so it feels really bittersweet. I right now am unable to fully appreciate this story because it doesn't appeal to my tastes. But reading it felt like I was getting a treat that I thought I couldn't get because my parent's would've told me no, realized I'm an adult and got it anyways. It was healing, it was indulgent, it was doing that wild thing that I've always secretly wanted to do but never did until I realized I could and gave myself permission to do so.
My kid self loves this book and I worry that I don't indulge them enough in my life. It was nice getting a taste of home, of my childhood, of magic, and everything my life used to consist of. I think this book will hold a spot in my heart because of that. It made me feel like a child again and I miss being a child whose imagination was a blanket of comfort.
I read this book multiple years too late (not that I would've been able to read it earlier, it didn't exist but still).
I'm really torn about this book. For me right now, it honestly was a meh read. I couldn't easily follow the narrative tone (it felt like it switched character pov multiple times within a chapter), I didn't vibe with how it was written, and I really couldn't get invested into the story no matter how hard I tried. The first third of the book felt like it dragged, and the only part that was really interesting ended quickly and felt rather rushed through. Which was probably the point since it was a high-stakes situation (or as high-stakes as this book gets) and it would be best to get in and get out. It was an exploration, a fantasy slice-of-life, a dive into the world that would've enveloped my younger self and appeal to everything that they wanted out of a story. I think for me right now, this book ended up hovering around 3 to 3.5 stars. (I rated the book 4 stars to meet in the middle with my kid self, I might bump it up to 4.5 stars though.)
If it was my younger self reading this story, it would've easily been a 5 star or pretty dang close to it. It had the magic, it had the immersion, the humor, the characters practically leapt out of the page and felt like you could touch them, talk to them, learn more about them past what made it onto the page. I'm sure if I read this story a couple years ago, I would've been jealous of the cast. I would've loved to live in the magical kingdom and I probably would've thrived in it. It felt like home, a place that I could've had the chance to visit but I never got to. I loved how much of their lives was altered due to a child daring to dream, and dream, and dream. A child wanting a family, and a place of belonging, and a home, and a place of safety so strongly that it's changed everything for the cast. A glimmer of home that was inherently gifted but also carved out of love, home, yearning.
I would've loved this book several years ago, so it feels really bittersweet. I right now am unable to fully appreciate this story because it doesn't appeal to my tastes. But reading it felt like I was getting a treat that I thought I couldn't get because my parent's would've told me no, realized I'm an adult and got it anyways. It was healing, it was indulgent, it was doing that wild thing that I've always secretly wanted to do but never did until I realized I could and gave myself permission to do so.
My kid self loves this book and I worry that I don't indulge them enough in my life. It was nice getting a taste of home, of my childhood, of magic, and everything my life used to consist of. I think this book will hold a spot in my heart because of that. It made me feel like a child again and I miss being a child whose imagination was a blanket of comfort.