To say I've been thinking about this book since the last time I read it is an understatement. I got to hear the author speak at a signing in Nashville back when I first got it, and was so bumbed after that I didn't get the book signed. I related to the author a lot and really loved what she had to say, so it's not really a big surprise that I enjoyed this book so much.

The romance is what surprises me most, however. This story is primarily a love story, and I'm not normally won over by the lovey-dovey novels. But this was so much more than just a passionate insta romance like in your typical YA novel. This felt so raw and human (ironically, ha) and /real/. The characters were so well developed, and watching Isobel grow over the course of the novel really touched my soul. I just reread this in a flash, analyzing as I went and trying to pinpoint why I loved the story so much, and I came upon this passage that I'll end with, because I think it really conveys the heart of the story.

"An extra twenty-four hours was nothing. Yet, it was everything. I might live more tomorrow than I did all the years of the rest of my life combined. How much was I willing to risk for it? The old me, the one who'd hidden Rook's sketches in the back of her closet, would never have asked that question. But that was the problem with the old me, I was coming to realize. She'd accepted that behaving correctly meant not being happy, because that was the way the world worked. She hadn't asked enough--of life, or of herself." (pg 205)

Isobel is so practical and clearheaded right from the beginning, asking for logical and effective enchantments instead of entertaining follies and dreams. She doesn't even realize how little she's living until she meets Rook and discovers that life can't be lived hiding from everything that may possibly hurt you.

And then, of course, there are exchanges like this that have you laughing the whole way:

"Stop being melodramatic! I am not going to /kill you/ in my /parlor/!"
He stared at me in disbelief. "Did you just sit on it?"
"Yes," I said mutinously.
(pg 276)

I said I would stop, but gosh. There are such good conversations about consent in this book, too. Isobel takes absolutely zero nonsense, and she calls Rook out multiple times on inappropriate behavior. She's practical, and warm, and passionate, and real. I just ... gah, go read this and see for yourself.

That was surprisingly enjoyable. The audiobook was only a couple hours long, and I did a puzzle while listening. Only zoned out a few times, haha. I’d recommend giving it a listen in lieu of a movie! I think it’s worth it.
I do wonder at the necessity of the 164 line recap (about five pages) of the entire story that Beowulf gives, but that seems a common occurrence in classic works like this. Maybe I’ll write my paper about it.

eh

I enjoyed this a bit more the second time around since I was reading more critically for a class, but it’s still not one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. It is pretty wild though, and I’d love to see a production of it!

3.5

This was weird. And spooky. I think if I’d read it growing up, it would have majorly heightened my fear of being outside at night! There were a lot of plot holes that bugged me while reading, and I felt like the writing could use a good scrubbing, but for a spooky middle grade novel, I think it got the job done. Corrine is brave and inspiring. Dru is adorable and relatable. The brothers are my faaavorite. I think if my 8 and 10 year old brothers were orphans, they’d got along quite like Malik and Bouki. I loved how their story ended. And not to mention the frog! The frog was, obviously, the best character.

This story was also a super quick read and just very refreshingly not-European. I loved the richness of the island and the variety of jumbies that haunted the forest.

So overall, I’d definitely recommend this to younger readers who enjoy spooky stories. Will definitely be giving this to my 10 year old brother!

Reading this felt like standing in a room full of people laughing at a joke I didn't find funny. I definitely get what Pope is doing, but I could never get past the implications of the title. It was ironic, though, and potentially fun. Maybe a reread would allow me to read it more as he intended, instead of how the title and recent world issues shape this (though rape is not a recent issue, so I do still wonder at Pope's choice of title if he truly meant to satirize physical beauty instead of making fun of rape victims, which was what it felt like given the title). IDK, my feminist self was just not comfy reading this. Not to mention the focus of the satire was on the woman's extreme reaction instead of the creepy dude and why he would plot to cut off this woman's hair without permission? Which feels just a touch too problematic to me.