The cover and really the entire book have the perfect cottage core vibes. There’s something very relaxing reading about potion brewing and learning which flowers and plants can be used for certain potions and the emotions they can evoke. So many aspects of this book reminded me of The Pureblood Pretense fanfic series. Specifically the brewing and Clara learning to control her magic. 

That being said, the book just didn’t engage me as much as I wanted it to. I had trouble picking it up for a few days. I think the relationship between Clara and Xavier was cute, but something was missing that made me not fall in love entirely. The ending also felt very convenient, with Clara and Xavier figuring out the cure immediately. I did like how Clara didn’t want to completely obey the Council, but also didn’t want to become like her mom, yet still find a way to treat melancholy. And I liked how Xavier’s mom and sisters stood up to their dad at the end and came to see him after he was pretty much kicked out. If anything, I felt for Xavier more as a character than Clara.

Overall, 3 stars. Pretty good and a quick read if you have a good cup of coffee to motivate you lol