bookish_ghost_girl's Reviews (155)

I read this book when it was first published, but I was still excited to re-read it again. Since it has been a few years in between the first read-through and now, it was like I was reading it again for the first time. For me it is a good mix of faith, fantasy and adventure. I can't wait to start reading the second book!

The Met is something that I have only heard about, mostly from the Met Gala, and is something that I haven't had a chance to visit yet. But reading this book felt like a warm and inviting hug. It was a nice peak into some of the behind the scenes work that sometimes goes unnoticed. I thought it was a nice touch to include a list of all the paintings and other artwork at the end of the book with dates and where they are located so that we, as the reader, can look them up on our own if we are unable to visit the museums in person. 

When it comes to doing a fairy tale retelling, I enjoyed this one better than the first book in the series. While, I know retellings aren't supposed to be exact replicas of the original story, I liked how there were still recognizable elements in this story. It is one of those books that is nice and short, without feeling like it lacking anything or needing more to it. My favorite part was toward the end when one of the characters thinks that getting rid of the bad guy was anticlimactic.

It has been a while since I read this so it was a nice change of pace for me. Along with the rest of the series, it is a good book that you can slip in between longer reads to break it up. 

Having grown up and learning to sew a bit helped me appreciate the story more. Historical fiction has always been something that I have enjoyed reading. So this was a nice change of pace into that genre in regards to learning about how WWII affected the day to day things that we might not think about that often. I also feel like clothing is something that we don't often think about being affected by things like war. The letters between some of the characters was a nice touch and added depth to the feels that we sometimes don't say between friends and family.

Reading this pretty closely after the first book helped keep the characters and provided information fresh. There were a few moments that where it was a little hard to follow because there were a few new characters introduced. Other then that, it was an enjoyable read and I can't wait for the next book to come out.

Aviation wasn't ever something that I was interested in while growing up. While, I don't remember where I first heard about this book, it was an interesting read. Outside of Amelia Earhart, reading the book made it feel like female aviators were often brushed under the rug and forgotten about. It was interesting to read and learn about some of the other women who were flying at the same time as Amelia. Reading through the book was like a history lesson on what female aviators/pilots went through as they began flying in the 1920/30's.

Adorable!! A few of the characters were a tad annoying at some points but still loveable and there was a spot toward the end of the book that seemed kind of random and thrown in there even though it was part of the story. I almost wanted it to keep going, but the ending was good and made it seem like there could be more. 

I don't know if it was because I had heard/read spoilers when the movie came out, but the story felt a bit flat. It was interesting to see Snow turn into the person that we see in the trilogy and to see how things start lining up with what we already know.

As a what if/speculative story, it was an interesting read and I was trying not to compare it to a different novel on Anastasia that has a similar concept, and that I read recently.