Started off really strong, but I felt like the story completely unravelled in the second half. I didn't find it overall unsettling or scary, and while I enjoy the exploration of characters being unsure of their minds, I felt that the conclusion of this novel was unsatisfying. 

I wish the author had the courage to really commit to an uncomfortable ending. 3.5 for the writing, and for the concept of magic. 

This is more of an exploration of Nora's journey dealing with corporate ennui, an unsatisfying dead-end job, and her own mental health. Nora is not perfect, and do not expect to agree with her decisions or logic. She's stumbling through life and makes some pretty stupid mistakes along the way.

The romance is a lovely element and I thought their chemistry was wonderful. If you're looking for something romance-heavy, this isn't for you. I enjoyed this thoroughly, but felt that the overall exploration of themes was fairly shallow, resulting in the middling rating. 

Rhys is so charming in this, but I feel like we missed out on 50-100 pages of character/relationship building and general storytelling in lieu of them talking constantly about how much they want to bone. The ending was very anticlimactic and in general there seemed to be very little stress about the havoc they have wreaked on the town. 

This book is so much fun. It is clichéd and dramatic to the nth degree but I was smiling the whole way through.

This book is peak grumpy/sunshine, and I am an absolute sucker for that trope. Usually for "cinnamon-roll" female leads, they tend to be inexperienced or not confident in themselves and thankfully this book completely bulldozes over that trope. 

Aspects of the novel that I enjoyed or thought were particularly well-executed:

Issues the book suffers from, that makes me wary to pick it up again:

Overall, it was super fun but despite the promising start, I don't think it'll be something I'd revisit. 

An almost beat-for-beat retelling of Pride and Prejudice, but without the heart or charm. It was fun, but forgettable. I enjoyed learning about Pakistani traditions, although unfortunately the characters and relationships didn't stand up to Austen's work. 

Fun but overall pretty forgettable. The real standout moment was how this concluded, in terms of having a female lead who is really fucking good at her job. 

I loved Ava and Maya, and while the initial plot was enticing, I felt very little attachment to Letty and Jon. There was very little chemistry between the two, almost zero build-up, conversations between them felt stilted and awkward. Personally, this novel seems to need a refinement pass to cut some of the fat and make the gems of the story shine.   

I love murderous women and court politics. This delivered that in spades.

I don't really care about Cardan which resulted in the lower rating, but I enjoyed this so much more than I thought I would.