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popthebutterfly 's review for:
Beguiled
by Cyla Panin
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc and finished copy from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Beguiled
Author: Cyla Panin
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommended For...: young adult readers, fantasy, retelling, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Celtic mythology, Historical fiction, horror, fairy tale
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Genre: YA Fantasy Retelling
Age Relevance: 14+ (gore, death, religion, self harm, gaslighting, emotional abuse, domestic violence, violence)
Explanation of Above: There is a lot of gore involving blood and self harm in the manner of the MC purposefully hurting herself so she can supply the loom. There are some domestic violence mentions and knife violence. Death is shown and mentioned. There are some mentions of religion. There is some gaslighting and emotional abuse shown in the book too.
Publisher: Amulet Books
Pages: 384
Synopsis: Ella is a 17-year-old weaver whose entire livelihood depends on her loom. She dreams of opening her own shop, but when her father died in debtor’s prison, she had to support herself by taking whatever clients she could get. In order to buy her supplies she goes into debt of her own, and when her loom breaks, Ella realizes she needs more help than a repairperson can give her. She, like everyone, has heard about the old washerwoman spirit called the Bean-Nighe who will grant any one wish—for a price.
But Ella is desperate, so she asks the Bean-Nighe to fix her loom. And it works. The loom is fixed, and she's creating beautiful pieces she could have never imagined before. All she has to do is feed the loom a drop of blood each time she weaves—a small price to pay for such magnificent silks. And when she brings two bolts to a rich client, she meets a mysterious young man named Callum and bargains for an invitation to his exclusive party. At that party, he's so mesmerized by her talent, he offers Ella a place to live and patronage for her art. It seems like Ella's fortune is finally turning for the better . . . until she begins to notice the loom taking more from her than she offered.
As she becomes entangled in the lives of the city’s rich, swept into Callum's allure, and trapped by the Bean-Nighe’s magic, Ella must figure out a way to secure her future while she still has a future at all.
Review: Overall, I really liked this book! I thought it was a little bit Cinderella and a little bit Sleeping beauty, which is a cool combination. There book is easy to read and reads like a classic fairytale, maybe something a bit Grimms Brothers? The book is based in Celtic mythology and it’s beautifully written and flows well.
However, I thought that the book needed a little bit of work still. I would like to see more world building and a lot more character development. I also thought that the book was a bit too slow for how it was written.
Verdict: It’s good!
Book: Beguiled
Author: Cyla Panin
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommended For...: young adult readers, fantasy, retelling, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Celtic mythology, Historical fiction, horror, fairy tale
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Genre: YA Fantasy Retelling
Age Relevance: 14+ (gore, death, religion, self harm, gaslighting, emotional abuse, domestic violence, violence)
Explanation of Above: There is a lot of gore involving blood and self harm in the manner of the MC purposefully hurting herself so she can supply the loom. There are some domestic violence mentions and knife violence. Death is shown and mentioned. There are some mentions of religion. There is some gaslighting and emotional abuse shown in the book too.
Publisher: Amulet Books
Pages: 384
Synopsis: Ella is a 17-year-old weaver whose entire livelihood depends on her loom. She dreams of opening her own shop, but when her father died in debtor’s prison, she had to support herself by taking whatever clients she could get. In order to buy her supplies she goes into debt of her own, and when her loom breaks, Ella realizes she needs more help than a repairperson can give her. She, like everyone, has heard about the old washerwoman spirit called the Bean-Nighe who will grant any one wish—for a price.
But Ella is desperate, so she asks the Bean-Nighe to fix her loom. And it works. The loom is fixed, and she's creating beautiful pieces she could have never imagined before. All she has to do is feed the loom a drop of blood each time she weaves—a small price to pay for such magnificent silks. And when she brings two bolts to a rich client, she meets a mysterious young man named Callum and bargains for an invitation to his exclusive party. At that party, he's so mesmerized by her talent, he offers Ella a place to live and patronage for her art. It seems like Ella's fortune is finally turning for the better . . . until she begins to notice the loom taking more from her than she offered.
As she becomes entangled in the lives of the city’s rich, swept into Callum's allure, and trapped by the Bean-Nighe’s magic, Ella must figure out a way to secure her future while she still has a future at all.
Review: Overall, I really liked this book! I thought it was a little bit Cinderella and a little bit Sleeping beauty, which is a cool combination. There book is easy to read and reads like a classic fairytale, maybe something a bit Grimms Brothers? The book is based in Celtic mythology and it’s beautifully written and flows well.
However, I thought that the book needed a little bit of work still. I would like to see more world building and a lot more character development. I also thought that the book was a bit too slow for how it was written.
Verdict: It’s good!