I'm happy I have this a chance but it just doesn't work. The story is plain and basic, there are points where the story feels off and doesn't make sense, and the characters are so one dimensional and boring. There is no real gothic atmosphere and the plot is full of issues.

I was so excited to finally read this but it was just okay at best. The story didn't really grip me despite the grotesque nature of the crime that was committed. I didn't find any of the characters to be particularly likeable, Nathan was the biggest jerk and Emma was just kind of annoying to be honest. I had a feeling about how the night of the crime went and what happened to the someone in the middle of the story, which was confirmed at the end sooo sorta predicable. It just lacked a lot imo.

ooof this was painful to read. The writing, the characters, and the mystery set-up was so cheesy. "That ad" was such a stupid moment because the actual conversation around it was so forced and it definitely was not that big of a deal. It was just written like the author needed some sort of big event that set up the characters upended life and it was bad. The mystery itself was poorly devised and this just felt very tedious to get through.

One thing about me: I will absolutely eat up any story with a strange forest. This was so charming, enchanting, and everything felt like it came from a fairytale. The writing was beautiful and sucked me in, I loved Liskas character and loved watching her flourish. The dynamic between Liska and the Lezsy gave me Howls Moving Castle vibes. The ending both hurt my heart and made me so proud.

Definitely wasn't for me, friends. Listen, I loved the idea of this using a combination of mythology and was excited to see it play out but there was way too much. So much so that it slowed the story down A LOT and made it incredibly dense. I had to force myself through this book because the mythology was being explained so often, I even found myself going "okay can we please talk about something else??" It had the promise and I think it could have been executed a lot better, and I probably would've enjoyed it more.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC!

I enjoyed Hannah and Easton, their banter was fun and it had such a light atmosphere to the story. It was another cutesy romance but it definitely wasn't anything new.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC!

This was a sweet, fun, enchanting reimagining of Anne of Green Gables. The target audience is definitely for the younger side, but as an adult, I really loved the magical world of Grace and her new adventures, her bold decision to leave the orphanage and to try to become an apprentice. I do agree with other reviews that it doesn't need to be called a retelling of Anne and that this story is fun on its own.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

I haven't read anything by this author in such a long time so I was delighted to see this on Netgalley and get approved to read it. I always loved how the author writes their characters and their world building is always fantastical. I loved that this story had time traveling pirates and some romance, it was definitely a more unique storyline than many fantasy books.

I loved that it was cute and fluffy and a quick read. I also adored the legally blonde vibes. However, the whole romance felt cringe and I didn't vibe with the writing style.

3.5 stars, 4 rounded up. The storytelling was good, the mystery was good, the characters were okay. There was something about it that didn't quite pull me in all the way, but kept me on the hook enough to want to finish. I thought Margot did a good job trying to figure out who killed January. Despite something lacking for me, the final 2 chapters are what made this a higher rating for me. The final chapter, when we learn what happened, it was painful. I was angry, disgusted, and disturbed. It unsettled me so much that I slowly closed the book when I finished and just stared at the wall. I'm still unsettled by January's story.