librarianlayla's Reviews (954)

A fantastic series. Couldn't get enough of it.

Heartbreaking, whimsical, twisted. Everything I love in a story.

Impossible to put down, quite possibly one of my favourite retelling's to date.

A fast paced read, a unique heroine, dynamic character relations and heartbreaking consequence.

A beautiful and important story, highlighting the need for coastal conservation around the world.

So lovely to have a chance to read where it all began for Victoria Schwab.

I can see the growth and change in her writing, and yet still adore both this, and her newer work. The depth of character she is able to achieve, always leaves my heart aching.

Truly gripping.

Passionate, fast paced, witty and daring.

It did start a little slow for me, but soon picked up and I couldn't put the book down. It was so beautifully written, the back and forth artfully done. I can't wait for the sequel.

Great start to a series. Interested to see how this plays out.

I was lucky enough to be sent an eARC of this through NetGalley, all these opinions are my own.

This was a tricky story to get into. At times the writing didn't seem to flow correctly, and the tone often teetered towards juvenile. I loved the history behind the world and it's magic. I loved the unique way in which the characters accessed their magic and the abilities they had.

At times it was a little inconsistent with regards to timing, or world development. For instance there was a scene where they were described as jumping from a hotel fire escape, which I found to be at odds with the world that had been built - carriages, castles, hunting for food ect.

I did think that the book really picked up in the latter half of the story though, but it was a shame that you had to wait until over halfway through to feel any connection to the characters at all. Some of the characters didn't have any backstory until half way through, despite being introduced in the very beginning i.e Eadric. Some I realise their backstories needed to be a little later on. However I feel that there was a lot of 'wasted time' within the story that didn't actually develop the character's relations.

I know it sounds like I'm being overly negative about this story, but I did enjoy the book the more I read, but if you are someone who DNF's a book if the first few chapters don't grip you, then this may be off putting.

Love the premise, love the magic system, some of the characters I felt were more flushed out than the main character. Rose was a particular favourite.

3.5 stars.

I received an eARC of this through NetGalley.

An interesting almost Alice In Wonderland meets The Cruel Prince mash up series.

I felt it lacked a little with regards to character development, I feel that each segment could have been a little longer. They could have gone into more detail, really woven the story better, making you feel a little more for the characters and the world itself.

But overall I enjoyed it.

4.5 stars.

I felt this was a little slower to get into than the previous books in the series. I think this isn't quite the full five stars I usually give because Ferius isn't really featured in the story, and honestly I love the back and forth between her and Kellen.

But still a fantastic book, I love following Kellen on his path and I can't wait to read the next one!

Witty, twisted and hard to put down.

Emily The Strange is the defining series of a generation of weird girls. A series so relatable to those of us who consider ourselves one of the 'Dark Girls'. Adventure awaits for the spooky at heart.