booksonmars's Reviews (670)

i enjoyed this romance so much. the main couple’s banter was top tier, and their chemistry was immediate and delightful to watch unfurl. from the get go christian is a gentleman and i to fell in love with him. he’s witty, charming, gentle, literally the perfect man?? i’d say it’s a pretty tame plot which means it was easy to get into and easy to finish. a surprising all rounder to add to the last month of the year. 

i cannot get into it which is disappointing because i really liked the charm offensive 

a mix of two of my favourite things: jane austen and historical murder mysteries. it was fun to see all my favourite austen characters interact again, although it felt like the author had clear favourites, given the way some of them were portrayed with more depth and feeling than the others. i personally didn’t like captain wentworth in this book, or edmund bertram. in fact i enjoyed the newer characters much more; juliet and jonathan’s dynamics were immediate and heartwarming to see, and i can’t wait to see their relationship (platonic for now) blossom amidst solving more mysteries together. 

at first, i assumed the pacing was fast because it was a standalone, but after i realised it was actually part of a series it disappointed me a lot. it means that they could've done more backstory into literally everyone: we don't hear much about darling being an orphan or her childhood, and the princes lack so much depth, particularly caspian. the worldbuilding is just a few stories told by others here and there; there is no definite explanation to the magical system or history. the romance is also very insta-love for an enemies to lovers trope. and why is there no map?? if the bulk of the plot is the main characters touring the lands why can't we see said lands? 

a disappointing with the alleged cliffhanger not really eliciting any emotion from me.

‘we accept the love we think we deserve’ meets champagne problems

overall this was an engaging read; the beginning was written so beautifully, with just enough darkness and intrigue for a gothic mystery/romance. however when you get into the mystery part i found it quite slow and repetitive with nothing really advancing in terms of finding the culprit, to me the reveal felt rushed. the romance also felt oddly hollow, signa goes constantly telling the audience and death himself how much she hated him, and then jumps into attraction very quickly. the plot twist regarding death was kind of...meh? at the end, like it felt more like a device to wrap up loose ends. all in all an lush gothic ya, but i doubt i'll pick up the second book.

a heartwarming book about finding the way to deal with grief through books, and with lots of good book recommendations too!

the end of a resplendent series! i loved this book so much, olivia atwater does it again with the charmingly original characters and whimsical romance, but grounds it with many sincere moments between family too. i loved this book and can’t believe the regency faerie tales are over, hopefully she writes more novellas involving this (my) family