Take a photo of a barcode or cover
simonlorden's Reviews (1.38k)
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I received an ARC through NetGalley from the publisher.
Ballad for Jasmine Town is a story set on an enchanted island divided between humans and fae, who live together with considerable tension. It starts out as a cozy fantasy story with mental health charms and music, but it gets darker as the tensions between the two sides grow.
It was interesting now not-human the fae are - they are not "evil" as such, but they cause harm because they have a completely different psychology and way of thinking from humans. I also liked the worldbuilding and the magic system, the different types of fae and human witches, and how half-fae can be counted as either fae or human based on their abilities. The two main characters are a human witch and a half-fae shapeshifter, who is counted human but still lives more like a fae, stuck between the two worlds.
I especially liked that Rafi and Roxana are not the heroes who go on an epic quest - they are the people who stay behind and try to pick up the pieces while the heroes are out trying to stop the Big Bad. That was an interesting point of view that is often missing from fantasy stories.
Despite all of that, it did take me several weeks to get through this book, and I can't really explain why. There was a constant air of anxiety and oppression that made the cozy and happy parts difficult to appreciate, especially from Rafi's POV. All the talk of empathy and how empathy can be forced on people was also kind of uncomfortable. The relationships of the characters were interesting, but the characters themselves felt a little flat and more like archetypes than people. I do recommend this book, but I have to note that it's not as fluffy or cozy as it might seem, and besides the fantasy racial tension, it also has some uncomfortable parallels to real-world human politics.
Ballad for Jasmine Town is a story set on an enchanted island divided between humans and fae, who live together with considerable tension. It starts out as a cozy fantasy story with mental health charms and music, but it gets darker as the tensions between the two sides grow.
It was interesting now not-human the fae are - they are not "evil" as such, but they cause harm because they have a completely different psychology and way of thinking from humans. I also liked the worldbuilding and the magic system, the different types of fae and human witches, and how half-fae can be counted as either fae or human based on their abilities. The two main characters are a human witch and a half-fae shapeshifter, who is counted human but still lives more like a fae, stuck between the two worlds.
I especially liked that Rafi and Roxana are not the heroes who go on an epic quest - they are the people who stay behind and try to pick up the pieces while the heroes are out trying to stop the Big Bad. That was an interesting point of view that is often missing from fantasy stories.
Despite all of that, it did take me several weeks to get through this book, and I can't really explain why. There was a constant air of anxiety and oppression that made the cozy and happy parts difficult to appreciate, especially from Rafi's POV. All the talk of empathy and how empathy can be forced on people was also kind of uncomfortable. The relationships of the characters were interesting, but the characters themselves felt a little flat and more like archetypes than people. I do recommend this book, but I have to note that it's not as fluffy or cozy as it might seem, and besides the fantasy racial tension, it also has some uncomfortable parallels to real-world human politics.
Mediocre read. Gil was good, but Vikram was kind of annoying. Satan the cat is awesome though.
A lovely story about family, grief, loss and forgiveness. But really somebody should tell Faylene to shut up.
