by Alice Hoffman

A Fantasy, 1995 by Berkley, 286 Pages

What I Didn’t Like:

• Really long chapters. Like 50 pages each with little or no breaks. Just be aware.
• The overall plot is definitely lost to the characters. This feels like a book about the Owens sisters, without a real central conflict or plot. Do things happen? Obviously. Could you say exactly what this book was about? Just the sisters.
• The unexplored instalove that reads like a magical spell could definitely be problematic. We just gonna ignore that? Two or three times? Ok. I would’ve liked to see it clearly laid out whether this is an accidental spell, an intentional spell, or just instalove. The way it was written, with people trying to ignore it or do something else and being basically compelled to be in love definitely read like a spell.

What I Did Like:

• The characters are believable and relatable. You find aspects of your own personalities in all of them and, for that reason, you connect with them all. A character-driven plot only works if you can imagine the characters and these fit that bill easily.
• The descriptive language is beautiful and poetic. This is definitely where this book shines. The picture it paints is very well done.
• The way things that are essentially magical are described is so interesting. It’s almost as if the author wanted to imply magic without ever calling anything magic. The image is obvious but nothing is labeled. It’s interesting and sets it apart from other things in this genre.

Who Should Read This One:

• Contemporary family drama fans. This one is perfect for you! The sisters and their life are front and center. This one is classified as a fantasy but really doesn’t read like one.

My Rating: 3 Stars