Reader’s Notes:
– this is the first in a duology; though the main plot line is completed in this story, the romance has a snag come up
– this is told from MJ’s point of view
– there are mentions of past deaths that MJ thinks could have been murders; there is also a murder (no blood or gore, but frozen in a horrified scream) during the events of this story
– there are multiple sightings of beetles throughout the story; a few mention a room or a body full of beetles
Review:
From my reading, I’d actually rate this more like a 4.5 star read as the beginning of the book dragged for me and it was difficult for me to remember the meanings of the Filipino words/names for things throughout the story. That being said, I rounded up instead of down because I’m thinking it might have dragged because I had put the book down multiple times in the beginning to do other things. If I had the chance to read straight through, I believe that I would have enjoyed the it more and had less of an issue remembering the different meanings.
I really enjoyed getting to learn about the encanto (faery) world that MJ was getting ready to rule. I loved that though MJ kept in contact with her dad before he passed & learned about the encantos both through him & her mother, there was still a lot that fascinated her when she saw it and there was still a lot she didn’t know. She was clearly still learning and on top of that had a lot of adversity coming against her. Between being considered less than by the full encantos and still being a teenager thrown into the spotlight/power, MJ had a lot to process. And then she makes the decision to investigate her father’s death an find out what really happened, placing her in higher danger that just as the heir. I’m very curious what will happen with the bomb of a development that came up at the end of the book and how it will affect MJ’s relationships moving forward.
Summary:
MJ has always known that she was the lone heir to the Sirena Court throne, it’s why she and her mother have had to constantly move and MJ’s had so many first days of school. But when her father passes away suddenly, MJ is thrown into her duties. Duties that she will be trained in on the job while also fulfilling school obligations.
It doesn’t help that her coronation has to happen by the end of the month. She’ll need to prove her heritage and strength during the coronation by displaying her magic for all to see. Only problem is, she doesn’t seem to have any magic. And she worries that her human side has overpowered the magical encanto heritage she needs to rule. If it has, the encantos will all be thrown further into chaos in a bid for the throne. And everything she and her family has done will be for nothing…
– this is the first in a duology; though the main plot line is completed in this story, the romance has a snag come up
– this is told from MJ’s point of view
– there are mentions of past deaths that MJ thinks could have been murders; there is also a murder (no blood or gore, but frozen in a horrified scream) during the events of this story
– there are multiple sightings of beetles throughout the story; a few mention a room or a body full of beetles
Review:
From my reading, I’d actually rate this more like a 4.5 star read as the beginning of the book dragged for me and it was difficult for me to remember the meanings of the Filipino words/names for things throughout the story. That being said, I rounded up instead of down because I’m thinking it might have dragged because I had put the book down multiple times in the beginning to do other things. If I had the chance to read straight through, I believe that I would have enjoyed the it more and had less of an issue remembering the different meanings.
I really enjoyed getting to learn about the encanto (faery) world that MJ was getting ready to rule. I loved that though MJ kept in contact with her dad before he passed & learned about the encantos both through him & her mother, there was still a lot that fascinated her when she saw it and there was still a lot she didn’t know. She was clearly still learning and on top of that had a lot of adversity coming against her. Between being considered less than by the full encantos and still being a teenager thrown into the spotlight/power, MJ had a lot to process. And then she makes the decision to investigate her father’s death an find out what really happened, placing her in higher danger that just as the heir. I’m very curious what will happen with the bomb of a development that came up at the end of the book and how it will affect MJ’s relationships moving forward.
Summary:
MJ has always known that she was the lone heir to the Sirena Court throne, it’s why she and her mother have had to constantly move and MJ’s had so many first days of school. But when her father passes away suddenly, MJ is thrown into her duties. Duties that she will be trained in on the job while also fulfilling school obligations.
It doesn’t help that her coronation has to happen by the end of the month. She’ll need to prove her heritage and strength during the coronation by displaying her magic for all to see. Only problem is, she doesn’t seem to have any magic. And she worries that her human side has overpowered the magical encanto heritage she needs to rule. If it has, the encantos will all be thrown further into chaos in a bid for the throne. And everything she and her family has done will be for nothing…