onceuponanisabel's Reviews (1.48k)

This started out really strong for me -- I liked the setting and the characters, but honestly, the introduction of the hob himself and the relationship between him and Aren wasn't very compelling for me and I felt like the deconstruction of the plot into "let's learn about the magic system for 100 pages" didn't really work for me.

Also, the incessant fat-shaming. For about a chapter there was just a comment about somebody's weight every five seconds. The hob is a large and oddly shaped being, but don't worry guys, he doesn't walk like a fat person so he must just be broad. (And other similar comments)

This is not the sort of thing I typically read -- I am, in general, not a fan of classics. This one, however, was pretty good. It was very philosophical; the vast majority of the story is just various characters pondering life. And while I could have done with fewer characters doing so, it was really interesting and there were several times I reread a line over and over because I liked it so much. Mrs. Dalloway herself, and her love of life, was particularly enjoyable for me.

So you might be thinking "wtf Isabel, you gave the 2008 draft five stars and the full version four? make it make sense!"

So here's how it makes sense. Most of my excitement about the original draft came from how it completely changed the story for me. The idea that Edward knew he had this romantic future with Bella before he came to love her at all was so interesting to me, and seeing him not know what to do about her at the beginning was so different than how I'd imagined him. How do you approach a person you know could be your epic love but don't feel anything towards yet? That's such an interesting take on his perspective, imo.

But the problem with the 2020 version is that the best part of this book is exactly the same as what I loved about the 2008 version. As in, those extra 400 pages didn't really add anything for me. There was more action, I suppose. Seeing the whole James saga from Edward's POV was...more exciting? But what I wanted from this was to have the story turned on its head in the way I felt like it was for the first 200 pages but the rest of it just didn't really live up to that expectation for me.

I adore this series by the brilliant Courtney Milan, but this one takes the cake. My favorite by far featuring leads that were lovable and three dimensional and an adorable f/f romance on the side - what's not to love?

I wanted to take a minute to talk about why I loved this book (even though I didn't really expect to).

The dual timeline / POV thing wasn't something I really understood or appreciated for the first half of this book, but now that I've finished it, I believe it is that dual timeline that made the book for me.

Tess is a time-traveling activist. Everything she does is over the top and has incredibly high stakes. Beth is just a girl, growing up in the nineties, attending college, and dealing with relatively common problems (relationships, friendships, family).

Tess is what makes this story exciting, but Beth is what makes this story meaningful.

We follow Tess as she works to bring back women's rights, but Beth is why it's necessary. It's Beth who has to seek out the illegal abortion that Tess works so tirelessly to legalize. Beth is the one who must emancipate herself from an abusive father while Tess works to emancipate the world from abusive men.

It's a truly stunning combination.

I cannot believe the stunning lack of hype this book has.

The haunted atmosphere? The folklore? The characters? The family of it all?

Truly excellent.

4.5★

I'm not really sure what I thought this book was but I was kind of expecting something fluffy and that is surely not what I got. How to Make a Wish hit me right in the chest and wouldn't let go, and while it wasn't really what I wanted tonight, it was surely a book I can't regret reading.