leandrathetbrzero's Reviews (412)

Sorry, friends. The hype is not real for this one. Feel free to skip my below criticisms if you adored this book!

1. This isn't a mystery, nor is it a thriller. It's dark academia, yes, but it's more general fiction inspired by and in homage to Shakespeare's tragedies. The overdramatic actions/emotions and the constant quoting from passages support that, so why not just market it appropriately?

2. Our main character, Oliver, is far too naive and dim-witted for me. I can see the attempt to make him into a Nate from The Great Gatsby or Richard in The Secret History, but it just made me so frustrated with him. There is NO reason why he would take the actions he did throughout the book, but especially at the climax. Still shaking my head at the silliness of it all. It's giving "trying to have main character energy but failing brilliantly."

3. The plot/motivation of these characters made little sense. We never learn why the "tyrant" of the group has his behavior change SO rapidly...it just does. The characters have been friends for years; people don't suddenly change like that. 

I am a huge fan of the haunted house setting, and I found Carissa Orlando's take on it to be hugely entertaining. Margaret is such a great older woman character! I loved being in her head, laughing at the absurd situations she finds herself in as she copes with the specters with whom she shares her lodgings. With that laughter came serious topics, however: finding that sense of safety within one's home, domestic abuse, and working through old trauma. 

I cannot wait to see what Orlando writes next!

I've read this book twice in 2024 already. I just love it so much. Mosscap has my heart, Sibling Dex represents my own worries and desires...a lovely, reflective slice of life narrative on the human condition and finding one's purpose.

As someone who typically doesn't enjoy the epistolary narrative, Emily's academic tone and observations worked really well for me! I loved Emily's aversion to people - or more so, their aversion to her as she fumbled through social etiquette and placed her academic curiosities above decorum at times. Her foil on the page was Bambleby, and the two made a humorous pairing. The intrigue surrounding the Hidden Ones, the wintry setting, and a certain secondary character named Poe made this read an absolute delight.

As much as I enjoyed the book, and I have continued the series since finishing, it doesn't get 5 stars from me because I found the ending to be very rushed after the slow, methodical pacing of the rest of the book. We received summarized closure, and that left me wanting. I also found the part where Emily is

stuck in the faerie court with the mad king

to be quite slow and dragging, and the resolution to the main conflict wasn't as satisfying or impressive as I would have liked. Heather Fawcett's writing can be repetitive at times as well, and I have a theory that it's due to her origins as a writer for children.

I love that the author expanded the POV to Coco this time, and the atmospheric tension of the setting and the stress of freezing temperatures were excellent. I did like Small Spaces better though. Will continue the series!