“Dying's a boring side effect.”

Stars (Out of 10): 9/10 Stars

Favorite Character: You literally cannot make me choose

Spoiler Free: Someone go back to the girl in 2017 and punch her for putting this down, please? She was an idiot.

That girl could’ve given you quite a few reasons for putting down this book. The frustrating romance, the semi-confusing plot, the beautiful writing style that made the entire story takes twice as long.

The me that read this book now would count those reasons among why I loved this book as much as I did. I think somewhere between then and now something clicked within me, something that made me appreciate Maggie’s writing much more. Maybe it was my reading of All The Crooked Saints, a book so heartbreakingly beautiful that I cried even in the happy moments. Maybe it’s my growing appreciation for those stories that take time to read, thanks to books like Strange The Dreamer and Nevernight. Maybe it’s something else. But I love this book now.

I’ve already mentioned the writing style, and I think this is where Maggie truly shines. She has such a wonderful way of controlling language, and the simplest of lines can seize your heart. She embeds humor wonderfully within the story as well, in a way that feels natural and sudden. She has a way of making you smile at how ridiculous her characters are in some moments, and how amazing they are in others. If I had a list of authors who I’d read purely for the way they craft stories, Maggie would be on it.

In addition, the characters are also fantastic. They all feel extremely unique, even when being written from a third POV. Additionally, she gives you reasons to love and understand each one, to root for them in their highs and cry for them in their lows. Her creation of this friendship that exists between the main cast is also amazing, and I love how deep and unrivaled it feels, how full of love. I’d read a story of them doing absolutely nothing and still love it.

Additionally, we have the romance and the plot. It almost seems that these take a back seat to the characters and writing at points, but it doesn’t feel wrong. The book, even in the lulls, still always feels like it’s going somewhere, that each line is woven through with clues and secrets. Additionally, while the romance is fair from the main focus, it still adds another layer to this already full story, and I loved it, and am really really curious to see how this continues sooner.

I don’t know how soon I’ll be able to read Blue Lily, Lily Blue (lots of ARCs and little time), but I certainly will read it as soon as my schedule allows, as I am completely ensnared in one of Maggie’s worlds once again.

:pikagasp:

I've just been loving books like this lately

:(

I went into this book optimistic but guarded due to some reviews, but in the end I did find myself enjoying it! I had a few general qualms with it that dealt more with the specifics of the story and how it was told, but I think the overall message that comes from the story was a good one, especially when matched to the inspiration story given by the author.

Like my friend Isabel said in her review, there was just enough Atwood in it to give it the same magic as [b:The Handmaid's Tale|38447|The Handmaid's Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1)|Margaret Atwood|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1578028274l/38447._SY75_.jpg|1119185], but it was still unique enough to really tell it's own story. It was also leaning towards horror and thriller at points, bordering on [b:Wilder Girls|42505366|Wilder Girls|Rory Power|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1544204706l/42505366._SY75_.jpg|58031034], but I actually quite liked how madness was portrayed in this one. It was genuinely frightening at points during the grace year itself. I also generally liked the overall set-up of the society, though there are a lot of questions left unanswered by the end for a stand-alone. However, this isn't the biggest issue for me, as by the end

Spoiler

the MC is focused on staying and fixing her own world rather than fleeing to an outside, already better world

.

My main qualms were with how the twists were revealed and the mid-story romance. The latter mainly just fell flat for me, maybe based on how it was told or how it grew, as it occassionally felt forced. It also felt quite pointless at first, and I wanted Tierney to be her own inspiration, rather than a boy.

Spoiler

This problem got both better and worse by the end, as once the pregnancy is revealed, she seems to focus a lot on "preserving" dead Ryker's line, but she also grows more independent as well? It's kinda odd I guess.

The twists were also an issue for me, since a lot of it was Tierney being given the final pieces needed to put together the twist or someone telling her the twist (generally, it was a man helping in these cases). It's less thrilling in my opinion, when the MC learns the secrets in the safety of a closed room being told by someone trusted rather than her discovering it in the dark of night, or while on the run or something. Also, I guess I didn't like how much Tierney relied on men in the end, in terms of motivation and inspiration and knowledge (rather than her being more in control of her story/using the men for her own benefit).

All in all, I did still like it despite my small issues, but I can see other readers either disliking the book based on the issues I mentioned or not even being affected by them as they read. I'd definitely say it's worth the shot!