ARC, 416 pages
Release Date: August 15, 2017Published by: Katherine Tegen Books
Read from: DNFHibiscus Daughter, #1Source: TxLA 2017For fans of: YA, Paranormal, Witches, Magical Realism
All the women in Iris and Malina’s family have the unique magical ability or “gleam” to manipulate beauty. Iris sees flowers as fractals and turns her kaleidoscope visions into glasswork, while Malina interprets moods as music. But their mother has strict rules to keep their gifts a secret, even in their secluded sea-side town. Iris and Malina are not allowed to share their magic with anyone, and above all, they are forbidden from falling in love.
But when their mother is mysteriously attacked, the sisters will have to unearth the truth behind the quiet lives their mother has built for them. They will discover a wicked curse that haunts their family line—but will they find that the very magic that bonds them together is destined to tear them apart forever?
*MY THOUGHTS*
I realllllllly wanted to like this one. As cliche as it sounds, its the truth. I loved the cover and I loved the synopsis, but I just didn’t like the execution. And that really sucks. My expectations for this one were really high and it just didn’t live up to them.
The number one thing that turned me off was the writing style. I’ve said before when things get too flowery I tend to lose focus. This was one of those times. Descriptions went on and on and I found myself having to read the same passages over and over. It started taking me longer to read pages I’d already read than the rest of the book. It just got really annoying.
Then there was the plot. It was very slow. I’m not saying we should’ve been thrown into the action, but it took a while to get everything going. Pair that with too flowery words and it just seemed like nothing was really going on in the beginning. And because of that, I got bored.
Although these two things aren’t my cup of tea, this may be what makes a novel for someone else. If you had this one on your TBR, I would say still read it and let me know what you think! If you like these two things, give it a shot! Just because it’s not for me, doesn’t mean it’s not for someone else!
DNF @ page 80
Have you read this?
What did you think of it?
I don't think I minded the writing style, but the plot killed me and the characters bored the HELL out of me.