What do you think?
Rate this book
The Gifts #2
Vores delte evner
Der er et år tilbage af high school, og Maeve og hendes venner gør alt, de kan, for at forbedre og udvikle deres nyopdagede overnaturlige evner. Men da der sker mystiske ting på skolen, og gamle fjender dukker op på ny, bliver det snart tydeligt, at deres evner tiltrækker uheldig opmærksomhed. Det varer ikke længe, før Maeves magiske talent begynder at fortage sig. Nogen - eller noget - undslipper hendes synske blik ?
400 pages, Paperback
First published February 3, 2022
267 people are currently reading
8293 people want to read
About the author
Caroline O'Donoghue
9 books7,097 followersCaroline O'Donoghue is a New York Times bestselling author and host of the Sentimental Garbage podcast. She writes fiction for adults and teenagers.
I only leave five star reviews on Goodreads, and i keep two star reviews inside my horrid brain where they can’t start beef with other authors
I only leave five star reviews on Goodreads, and i keep two star reviews inside my horrid brain where they can’t start beef with other authors
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 691 reviews
November 5, 2021
I wrote this, and it is a banger.
April 3, 2022
this series has me in a chokehold
January 2, 2022
On my blog.
Rep: sapphic mc, bi genderfluid li, biracial Filipino Irish sapphic side character, deaf side character, Black side characters, side character with OCD
CWs: transphobia, homophobia, self harm
Galley provided by publisher
I will admit to being a little sceptical about whether All Our Hidden Gifts really needed a sequel but The Gifts That Bind Us definitely sold me on it. There weren’t that many loose ends from the first book, I thought, but I really liked how this one took those and ran with them.
In general, I think it was a more introspective book than the first, less about doing something and more about the feelings that everything in book one had dredged up. Yes, they still had to fight bad guys, but that felt less of a focus for the most part. And that was great, to me. Books that look at consequences of saving x, y and z are the most interesting of books, and that was the case here.
On top of this, I really enjoy books that take the bad guy from a first book and force them to work together with the good guy, because there’s an even worse guy as the villain of the book. And they don’t become friends or anything, they continue sniping at one another, but they have to work together. That’s probably a clumsy way of explaining it, I guess, but what I like most is that it forces the good guy to confront morality not being black and white, and it forces the bad guy to think about their world view. It’s likely pretty obvious which characters I’m talking about here, but, given the first book, this was a kind of unexpected turn of events and one that I really liked. (Also, to note, none of this means the bad guy’s transgressions get ignored, which was great too.)
The focus of this book really was the friendship between Maeve, Fiona, and Lily (less so Roe, who spent a lot of the book at university and/or forgetting). That friendship was often thorny, namely between Maeve and Lily, but I loved the directions it took and the understandings that the characters came to with one another. That was another refreshing aspect of the book.
All of this, then, adds up to a sequel that I loved and a third book that I’m now highly anticipating. From thinking that this best worked as a standalone, you’ve sold me Caroline O’Donoghue. I need it all now.
Rep: sapphic mc, bi genderfluid li, biracial Filipino Irish sapphic side character, deaf side character, Black side characters, side character with OCD
CWs: transphobia, homophobia, self harm
Galley provided by publisher
I will admit to being a little sceptical about whether All Our Hidden Gifts really needed a sequel but The Gifts That Bind Us definitely sold me on it. There weren’t that many loose ends from the first book, I thought, but I really liked how this one took those and ran with them.
In general, I think it was a more introspective book than the first, less about doing something and more about the feelings that everything in book one had dredged up. Yes, they still had to fight bad guys, but that felt less of a focus for the most part. And that was great, to me. Books that look at consequences of saving x, y and z are the most interesting of books, and that was the case here.
On top of this, I really enjoy books that take the bad guy from a first book and force them to work together with the good guy, because there’s an even worse guy as the villain of the book. And they don’t become friends or anything, they continue sniping at one another, but they have to work together. That’s probably a clumsy way of explaining it, I guess, but what I like most is that it forces the good guy to confront morality not being black and white, and it forces the bad guy to think about their world view. It’s likely pretty obvious which characters I’m talking about here, but, given the first book, this was a kind of unexpected turn of events and one that I really liked. (Also, to note, none of this means the bad guy’s transgressions get ignored, which was great too.)
The focus of this book really was the friendship between Maeve, Fiona, and Lily (less so Roe, who spent a lot of the book at university and/or forgetting). That friendship was often thorny, namely between Maeve and Lily, but I loved the directions it took and the understandings that the characters came to with one another. That was another refreshing aspect of the book.
All of this, then, adds up to a sequel that I loved and a third book that I’m now highly anticipating. From thinking that this best worked as a standalone, you’ve sold me Caroline O’Donoghue. I need it all now.
October 25, 2023
Дуууже крута ця серія! Мені навіть ок, що героям по 16 😂 цікава магія в сучасному світі, так написано, що не хочеться книгу випускати з рук + класно вплетено в сюжет питання/проблеми квір спільноти. Це єдина книжкова серія, яку я читала, де розкриваються питання визначення ідентичності й гендеру. Тільки в серіалі «Секс освіта» так само багато було на цю тему 🔥
May 28, 2023
Rating: 5.0
As the second book in the series, see my review of All Our Hidden Gifts here.
Synopsis: Maeve and her friends explore and develop their individual gifts. As word gets out about their magical abilities strange things start happening in town and the group become extremely vulnerable in the place they call home. Who can they trust? What is changing with their abilities?
Review: Another fast paced, plot filled book that I’ll be recommending until the end of time. The Gifts That Binds Us enriches the story of the first book and provides a much deeper exploration of the friendship group and the struggles they individually face.
The LGBTQIA representation, discussion and relationships was second to none. Caroline O’Donoghue deeply intertwined these aspects into the plot, character development and overall discussion, which is so refreshing and missing from some many books. Not just your typical ‘omg she's gay?!?!’ *eye roll*.
We see Roe discovering their sexuality and gender identity in such a kind and educational way, Maeve struggle with self esteem/identify and anxiety regarding the future, as well as important discussions regarding mental health and support through Fiona’s storyline.
A book filled with hope and again the overarching message of self acceptance & the freedom to be yourself, while immersing you in a world full of witchcraft and spells.
Breakdown: Characters: 5/5, Writing: 5/5, Plot: 5/5, Ease of reading: 5/5
Trigger warnings (TW) & content warnings (CW): Bullying, hate crime, homophobia, suicide, self harm
Genre: Fantasy, magical realism, mystery, thriller, young adult
Format: Paperback
Buy it on Amazon or Waterstones.
Blog | Instagram | Tiktok | Pinterest |
As the second book in the series, see my review of All Our Hidden Gifts here.
Synopsis: Maeve and her friends explore and develop their individual gifts. As word gets out about their magical abilities strange things start happening in town and the group become extremely vulnerable in the place they call home. Who can they trust? What is changing with their abilities?
Review: Another fast paced, plot filled book that I’ll be recommending until the end of time. The Gifts That Binds Us enriches the story of the first book and provides a much deeper exploration of the friendship group and the struggles they individually face.
The LGBTQIA representation, discussion and relationships was second to none. Caroline O’Donoghue deeply intertwined these aspects into the plot, character development and overall discussion, which is so refreshing and missing from some many books. Not just your typical ‘omg she's gay?!?!’ *eye roll*.
We see Roe discovering their sexuality and gender identity in such a kind and educational way, Maeve struggle with self esteem/identify and anxiety regarding the future, as well as important discussions regarding mental health and support through Fiona’s storyline.
A book filled with hope and again the overarching message of self acceptance & the freedom to be yourself, while immersing you in a world full of witchcraft and spells.
Breakdown: Characters: 5/5, Writing: 5/5, Plot: 5/5, Ease of reading: 5/5
Trigger warnings (TW) & content warnings (CW): Bullying, hate crime, homophobia, suicide, self harm
Genre: Fantasy, magical realism, mystery, thriller, young adult
Format: Paperback
Buy it on Amazon or Waterstones.
Blog | Instagram | Tiktok | Pinterest |
May 4, 2023
Not my favorite book, but it has some high points and I enjoyed the read. I enjoyed reading a book with a tarot-inspired storyline and I enjoyed seeing the second book pick up where the first one left off.
📚 📚 📚 📚HIGHLIGHTS: 📚 📚 📚 📚
**THE WICCAN PREMISE – One of the reasons I originally picked up the first book in this series, All Our Hidden Gifts, was because I was really excited to read a book about someone that falls in love with tarot and thereby gets sucked into a world that includes Wicca. I’m personally really into tarot and this is not a theme often included in fantasy novels. Seeing something that is more contemporary with just a touch of fantasy is one of the things that makes O’Donoghue’s book special. There just aren’t a lot of novels out there where tarot is central to the story, and it was an integral reason for why I originally read the first book as well as why I chose to continue reading the series.
**IT’S SO SLOW – Just like the first book in this series, the plot moves soooo dang slow. There’s a lot of ‘going through the motions’ in this novel. Maeve goes to school. Maeve is at home. Maeve makes up some magic. Maeve goes to the store. Maeve has a random run in with the evil people that we don’t really understand and then continues with her daily life. It takes forever for the plot to progress forward. Because of this, I actually paused reading both the first book in the series as well as this sequel. I stopped reading it for weeks and then one day I picked it back up and started reading it again. It wasn’t poorly written. It was interesting. It was just slow and I often wished there was more action to keep me hooked. I hated feeling like I had to wait around for the plot to happen.
**THE ANTAGONISTS AND THEIR MOTIVATIONS ARE CONFUSING – We learned so much more about the Children of Brigid in this book, and yet, we still know absolutely nothing. We know they are a network of people aimed at collecting power and magic. They latch onto people like Maeve who are connected to wells of power to drain its power. And….then what? That’s literally all we get. The entire time while reading this book, I felt this odd limbo between seeing the Children of Brigid as legitimate antagonists to the story and just feeling like they are background characters. Perhaps this is due to the mostly contemporary tone of the novel, but I think seeing the Children of Brigid have higher stakes would have meant more to the threat they represented. The only time I felt any sort of ‘fear’ from the Children of Brigid was near the end of the novel when we learn the well is almost drained and they go to the school to try to bind the school counselor. Most of the time though…they are just “eh.” To some degree, I wish we could have seen more of the Handmaiden (in both books) become a larger antagonist character in the plot line. Her mystery and lack of adherence to the real world made her a much more compelling evil to the story.
**AARON IS KIND OF GOOD – I’ll admit it was entirely unexpected to find Aaron become humanized, and I appreciated the surprise…but Aaron was heavily villainized in the first novel. He was the only central point for our interpretation of the Children of Brigid and throughout the first book, he had represented the opposite of magic — the ugly side of religion, full of bigotry, hate, and non-acceptance. So, it was jarring to lose our one visual for the ‘enemy’ of the novel. It contributed to the haziness I felt toward the antagonist of the storyline, and it made him a scapegoat. We had gotten used to hating him and so it was an incredible turnoff to start having to spend time with him and understand him. Yet, I appreciated the theme of how hate breeds hate — those that utilized hatred against him made him what he was and made him an asset to the Children of Brigid — and at his core, he wasn’t hate and he wasn’t what the Children made him to be. There’s a lesson in the book, an obvious one of course, but the storyline amplified these themes. By dedicating so much more toward the character development of Aaron, we continue to lose sight of the antagonist of the storyline.
**MAEVE’S FRIENDS KIND OF SUCK – In the first book, Maeve is isolated and alone, but we understand that it’s due to a combination of being an outsider and her own actions against others. She was terrible to Lily and is, not purposely, the reason Lily has disappeared. Lily’s brother, Roe, because a shoulder to cry on and a love explored. Fiona, an eccentric classmate, becomes Maeve’s friend and explore how magic intertwines with Lily’s disappearance. By the end of the novel, Maeve has developed a circle of people that are outsiders like her, and have gone through so much together, forming a deeper bond. In the second book, that kind of all falls a part and I hate the dissolution of the dynamic greatly. Lily hates her (though that seems to heal a bit by the end), Roe starts gaslighting her (though apparently that’s kind of not his fault because of the magic?), and Fiona has every right to be pissed at Maeve. It’s a cluster, and Maeve encounters a lot of these issues either alone or with the help of either Aaron or the shop owner. I just felt Maeve’s isolation continue from the first book, right when it had seemed like things were going to get better, and I found it all a bit depressing.
**THE MAGIC IS HYPED UP JUST TO THEN…DISAPPEAR – When I finished the first novel, I was really excited to know that going into the rest of the series, we would start seeing some bigger magical moments. Maeve could read minds, Roe had telekinesis, Lily had electricity, and Fiona had healing powers. It was super cool! And it was fun to explore that in the beginning of the second novel. But then, it all just disappears. We’re given some explanation about the well being drained, but for me, the magic had been a sign that bigger more fantastical elements of the storyline would develop. Instead, it all just disappeared, which continued the slow underwhelming tone of the book. Magic gained, magic gone.
📚 📚 📚 📚CONCLUSION: 📚 📚 📚 📚
Not a bad book and not a bad series, but overall Caroline O’Donoghue’s book is slow, at times unclear, and sometimes overtly simple. I question some of the creative decisions. That said, this is not a bad book, nor was All Our Hidden Gifts. It still brings in tarot and magic as central storylines which I loved, embraced a simple contemporary tone which was refreshing, and is well written. It’s a solid 3-star book.
📚 📚 📚 📚HIGHLIGHTS: 📚 📚 📚 📚
**THE WICCAN PREMISE – One of the reasons I originally picked up the first book in this series, All Our Hidden Gifts, was because I was really excited to read a book about someone that falls in love with tarot and thereby gets sucked into a world that includes Wicca. I’m personally really into tarot and this is not a theme often included in fantasy novels. Seeing something that is more contemporary with just a touch of fantasy is one of the things that makes O’Donoghue’s book special. There just aren’t a lot of novels out there where tarot is central to the story, and it was an integral reason for why I originally read the first book as well as why I chose to continue reading the series.
**IT’S SO SLOW – Just like the first book in this series, the plot moves soooo dang slow. There’s a lot of ‘going through the motions’ in this novel. Maeve goes to school. Maeve is at home. Maeve makes up some magic. Maeve goes to the store. Maeve has a random run in with the evil people that we don’t really understand and then continues with her daily life. It takes forever for the plot to progress forward. Because of this, I actually paused reading both the first book in the series as well as this sequel. I stopped reading it for weeks and then one day I picked it back up and started reading it again. It wasn’t poorly written. It was interesting. It was just slow and I often wished there was more action to keep me hooked. I hated feeling like I had to wait around for the plot to happen.
**THE ANTAGONISTS AND THEIR MOTIVATIONS ARE CONFUSING – We learned so much more about the Children of Brigid in this book, and yet, we still know absolutely nothing. We know they are a network of people aimed at collecting power and magic. They latch onto people like Maeve who are connected to wells of power to drain its power. And….then what? That’s literally all we get. The entire time while reading this book, I felt this odd limbo between seeing the Children of Brigid as legitimate antagonists to the story and just feeling like they are background characters. Perhaps this is due to the mostly contemporary tone of the novel, but I think seeing the Children of Brigid have higher stakes would have meant more to the threat they represented. The only time I felt any sort of ‘fear’ from the Children of Brigid was near the end of the novel when we learn the well is almost drained and they go to the school to try to bind the school counselor. Most of the time though…they are just “eh.” To some degree, I wish we could have seen more of the Handmaiden (in both books) become a larger antagonist character in the plot line. Her mystery and lack of adherence to the real world made her a much more compelling evil to the story.
**AARON IS KIND OF GOOD – I’ll admit it was entirely unexpected to find Aaron become humanized, and I appreciated the surprise…but Aaron was heavily villainized in the first novel. He was the only central point for our interpretation of the Children of Brigid and throughout the first book, he had represented the opposite of magic — the ugly side of religion, full of bigotry, hate, and non-acceptance. So, it was jarring to lose our one visual for the ‘enemy’ of the novel. It contributed to the haziness I felt toward the antagonist of the storyline, and it made him a scapegoat. We had gotten used to hating him and so it was an incredible turnoff to start having to spend time with him and understand him. Yet, I appreciated the theme of how hate breeds hate — those that utilized hatred against him made him what he was and made him an asset to the Children of Brigid — and at his core, he wasn’t hate and he wasn’t what the Children made him to be. There’s a lesson in the book, an obvious one of course, but the storyline amplified these themes. By dedicating so much more toward the character development of Aaron, we continue to lose sight of the antagonist of the storyline.
**MAEVE’S FRIENDS KIND OF SUCK – In the first book, Maeve is isolated and alone, but we understand that it’s due to a combination of being an outsider and her own actions against others. She was terrible to Lily and is, not purposely, the reason Lily has disappeared. Lily’s brother, Roe, because a shoulder to cry on and a love explored. Fiona, an eccentric classmate, becomes Maeve’s friend and explore how magic intertwines with Lily’s disappearance. By the end of the novel, Maeve has developed a circle of people that are outsiders like her, and have gone through so much together, forming a deeper bond. In the second book, that kind of all falls a part and I hate the dissolution of the dynamic greatly. Lily hates her (though that seems to heal a bit by the end), Roe starts gaslighting her (though apparently that’s kind of not his fault because of the magic?), and Fiona has every right to be pissed at Maeve. It’s a cluster, and Maeve encounters a lot of these issues either alone or with the help of either Aaron or the shop owner. I just felt Maeve’s isolation continue from the first book, right when it had seemed like things were going to get better, and I found it all a bit depressing.
**THE MAGIC IS HYPED UP JUST TO THEN…DISAPPEAR – When I finished the first novel, I was really excited to know that going into the rest of the series, we would start seeing some bigger magical moments. Maeve could read minds, Roe had telekinesis, Lily had electricity, and Fiona had healing powers. It was super cool! And it was fun to explore that in the beginning of the second novel. But then, it all just disappears. We’re given some explanation about the well being drained, but for me, the magic had been a sign that bigger more fantastical elements of the storyline would develop. Instead, it all just disappeared, which continued the slow underwhelming tone of the book. Magic gained, magic gone.
📚 📚 📚 📚CONCLUSION: 📚 📚 📚 📚
Not a bad book and not a bad series, but overall Caroline O’Donoghue’s book is slow, at times unclear, and sometimes overtly simple. I question some of the creative decisions. That said, this is not a bad book, nor was All Our Hidden Gifts. It still brings in tarot and magic as central storylines which I loved, embraced a simple contemporary tone which was refreshing, and is well written. It’s a solid 3-star book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2022
The Gifts That Bind Us is the second book in the All Our Hidden Gifts series by author Caroline O’Donoghue. I reviewed the first book, titled, ‘All Our Hidden Gifts‘ back in June 2021. And to understand this book fully you do need to read book one first.
Set in Ireland, teenagers Maeve, Fiona, Lily, and Roe are back this time with their new hidden talents which they are practising using. The Christian cult, Children of Brigid, are also back and are up to something which the group needs to work out before it is too late.
This second instalment seemed to have a slower pace to it than the first and focused more on the friendships, love lives, fallings out, etc than the first. It also felt a little more sinister.
The book was certainly enjoyable and I loved watching the teenagers practice using their new skills, although many a time they went too far such as Fiona purposely cutting herself so she could heal herself again.
The story is very inclusive and diverse as well as showing you the opposite side with the cult who don’t believe in equality or sexual preference.
A brilliant follow-up to the first book and it was enjoyable following the friends on their new journeys, especially the self-discoveries they all had.
If you have read book one then you need to read this sequel. If you haven’t and you enjoy books that involve magic, mayhem, spirituality, etc then this is the series to pick up.
Set in Ireland, teenagers Maeve, Fiona, Lily, and Roe are back this time with their new hidden talents which they are practising using. The Christian cult, Children of Brigid, are also back and are up to something which the group needs to work out before it is too late.
This second instalment seemed to have a slower pace to it than the first and focused more on the friendships, love lives, fallings out, etc than the first. It also felt a little more sinister.
The book was certainly enjoyable and I loved watching the teenagers practice using their new skills, although many a time they went too far such as Fiona purposely cutting herself so she could heal herself again.
The story is very inclusive and diverse as well as showing you the opposite side with the cult who don’t believe in equality or sexual preference.
A brilliant follow-up to the first book and it was enjoyable following the friends on their new journeys, especially the self-discoveries they all had.
If you have read book one then you need to read this sequel. If you haven’t and you enjoy books that involve magic, mayhem, spirituality, etc then this is the series to pick up.
September 7, 2024
Nachdem mir der erste Band echt gut gefallen hat, war der zweite eher so lala.
Es gibt irgendwie recht viele Längen, die spannenden Passagen waren auch irgendwie nicht so richtig spannend und insgesamt war alles so ein bisschen Rätsel raten. Die Magie wurde nicht so ganz eindeutig erklärt, man wusste also nicht wirklich, wozu einige Personen fähig sind oder was eigentlich passiert ist, wenn was passiert ist bzw. wer was gemacht hat😅
Das war mir alles etwas zu undeutlich, genau wie die Motive der Personen😅
Es gibt irgendwie recht viele Längen, die spannenden Passagen waren auch irgendwie nicht so richtig spannend und insgesamt war alles so ein bisschen Rätsel raten. Die Magie wurde nicht so ganz eindeutig erklärt, man wusste also nicht wirklich, wozu einige Personen fähig sind oder was eigentlich passiert ist, wenn was passiert ist bzw. wer was gemacht hat😅
Das war mir alles etwas zu undeutlich, genau wie die Motive der Personen😅
February 12, 2022
i give almost all books i read five stars, but this one. this one deserves it. absolutely adored it
May 4, 2022
CONTAINS SPOILERS
I suppose I'll always remember this as the summer that Roe learned to drive and I learned to read minds I play the notes, push the keys, roll my finers, the same tune repeating again and again. In this house that is mine, as long as I'm alive to keep it
The first and the last sentence is just so amazing, I never would've guessed I would love this book so much. This book in my opinion was WAY better than the first one. Maybe this is just better suited to my tastes as I liked that it was "more magical" since they had their gifts.
Poor Maeve is feeling alone, Roe graduated and is going to college now, he's also been invited to tour with the amazingly talented artist Honour Own! Fiona also has her own plans to move away (She's also not feeling her best atm) Lily? Well she hates Maeve, still annoyed that Maeve brought her back and stopped her from being the river, also relearning to be human is never easy.
Now I liked Maeve don't get me wrong, she's kinda relatable but I was just so much more interested in everyone else. Lily was actually my favourite character, she was relearning to be human and her emotions weren't quite the same as they once were, she doesn't understand that there are things she shouldn't do. She electrocuted a magpie and didn't understand why it was wrong. She was unafraid of others because why should she, if she can just electrocute anyone she wants. She had the Children of Brigid shaking. I did enjoy them having a sort of morally grey/gray friend in their group but it was also nice her warming up to Maeve and expressing more human emotions.
Fiona is struggling, everyone has these high expectations of her and it's too much when she still has trauma to process. She's started self harming and why does it matter? She can heal herself with her new gift. She's not "one of those girls with a problem". Nearing the end maybe she realises she does have a problem, when her powers are fading she still self harms even though she can't heal. It's become a routine of hers. I hope she can find the help she needs in the next book.
Roe, he's becoming more comfortable with himself and his self expression. He's legally changed his name through out the book and he's surrounded by a lot more trans people. Maybe I'm wrong but there was a lot less romance in this book which makes sense as there's less Roe, he's busy with college and his band and the tour! Maeve also may or may not have cast a spell on him to make it that he forgets the awful things COB (Children of Brigid) said to him and a few other things that may have made him forget magic? Through out the book he would doubt Maeve and the others, cos you see he took a psychology class. He thinks this magic talk is just PTSD. I thought it was interestin but I want my Roe back! Not this stranger! But phew! He's back at the end of the book.
Now okay but I love Aaron! He's a smug asshole which is the kind of character I enjoy. I know he's like probably a devout evangelist, right wing, racist, homophobe, transphobe but I COULD FIX HIM! I just know it! In this book we discover he isn't the leader of the COB, he's just some lackey. It's his job to give Maeve three chances to join him but he fails and then after that he leaves COB because he discovers what they're really after and so his loyalties change and we learn some more backstory and I gotta say I loved it.
Loved Miss Heather Branburry, I did suspect that she was evil, no good reason just that she was was this new cool character. Loved seeing more of Nuala and finding out that she has a daughter who happens to be a trickster god. Kinda sucked that Maeve's sister Jo was not in this at all, I didn't LOVE her character but It was nice seeing her and Maeve's and JO's mother and father so much in the last one so for them to have their "screen time" reduced was disappointing.
In the first one i felt like the "big battle" started and finished so quickly but in this one it was definitely longer and I really enjoyed it. The fact the housekeeper is coming back is pretty exciting actually! I hope she does something bigger! Also R.I.P Sister Assumpta I love you. She was such an awesome background character and to find out that she's a sensitive like Maeve and had the gift of sight, and for her to die and leave Maeve the school in her will, was so touching.
This is just a lot of rambling but I don't care. It was a good book, It was really entertaining and I wanted to keep reading it. Just so much development was made and everything that happened. I can't put it into words. I'm so excited for the next one
I suppose I'll always remember this as the summer that Roe learned to drive and I learned to read minds I play the notes, push the keys, roll my finers, the same tune repeating again and again. In this house that is mine, as long as I'm alive to keep it
The first and the last sentence is just so amazing, I never would've guessed I would love this book so much. This book in my opinion was WAY better than the first one. Maybe this is just better suited to my tastes as I liked that it was "more magical" since they had their gifts.
Poor Maeve is feeling alone, Roe graduated and is going to college now, he's also been invited to tour with the amazingly talented artist Honour Own! Fiona also has her own plans to move away (She's also not feeling her best atm) Lily? Well she hates Maeve, still annoyed that Maeve brought her back and stopped her from being the river, also relearning to be human is never easy.
Now I liked Maeve don't get me wrong, she's kinda relatable but I was just so much more interested in everyone else. Lily was actually my favourite character, she was relearning to be human and her emotions weren't quite the same as they once were, she doesn't understand that there are things she shouldn't do. She electrocuted a magpie and didn't understand why it was wrong. She was unafraid of others because why should she, if she can just electrocute anyone she wants. She had the Children of Brigid shaking. I did enjoy them having a sort of morally grey/gray friend in their group but it was also nice her warming up to Maeve and expressing more human emotions.
Fiona is struggling, everyone has these high expectations of her and it's too much when she still has trauma to process. She's started self harming and why does it matter? She can heal herself with her new gift. She's not "one of those girls with a problem". Nearing the end maybe she realises she does have a problem, when her powers are fading she still self harms even though she can't heal. It's become a routine of hers. I hope she can find the help she needs in the next book.
Roe, he's becoming more comfortable with himself and his self expression. He's legally changed his name through out the book and he's surrounded by a lot more trans people. Maybe I'm wrong but there was a lot less romance in this book which makes sense as there's less Roe, he's busy with college and his band and the tour! Maeve also may or may not have cast a spell on him to make it that he forgets the awful things COB (Children of Brigid) said to him and a few other things that may have made him forget magic? Through out the book he would doubt Maeve and the others, cos you see he took a psychology class. He thinks this magic talk is just PTSD. I thought it was interestin but I want my Roe back! Not this stranger! But phew! He's back at the end of the book.
Now okay but I love Aaron! He's a smug asshole which is the kind of character I enjoy. I know he's like probably a devout evangelist, right wing, racist, homophobe, transphobe but I COULD FIX HIM! I just know it! In this book we discover he isn't the leader of the COB, he's just some lackey. It's his job to give Maeve three chances to join him but he fails and then after that he leaves COB because he discovers what they're really after and so his loyalties change and we learn some more backstory and I gotta say I loved it.
Loved Miss Heather Branburry, I did suspect that she was evil, no good reason just that she was was this new cool character. Loved seeing more of Nuala and finding out that she has a daughter who happens to be a trickster god. Kinda sucked that Maeve's sister Jo was not in this at all, I didn't LOVE her character but It was nice seeing her and Maeve's and JO's mother and father so much in the last one so for them to have their "screen time" reduced was disappointing.
In the first one i felt like the "big battle" started and finished so quickly but in this one it was definitely longer and I really enjoyed it. The fact the housekeeper is coming back is pretty exciting actually! I hope she does something bigger! Also R.I.P Sister Assumpta I love you. She was such an awesome background character and to find out that she's a sensitive like Maeve and had the gift of sight, and for her to die and leave Maeve the school in her will, was so touching.
This is just a lot of rambling but I don't care. It was a good book, It was really entertaining and I wanted to keep reading it. Just so much development was made and everything that happened. I can't put it into words. I'm so excited for the next one
March 29, 2022
Although The Gifts That Bind Us is the second book in the series it can be read as a stand-alone.
The series is aimed aimed at teen readers.
In The Gifts That Bind Us, the girls Maeve, Lily and Fiona have just returned back at school, where special gifts are back again.
A spell will be cast with essential oils and dried herbs, sandalwood, sprigs of thyme, oil, for sweetness and tarot cards and a candle. The Gift That Bind us is back with another adventure of gift and powers. I enjoyed this second book, but not as much as the the first book, All Our Hidden Gifts about a pack of tarot cards are found, it was my absolute favourite. Thank you so much Walker for sending me this book to read and review.
The series is aimed aimed at teen readers.
In The Gifts That Bind Us, the girls Maeve, Lily and Fiona have just returned back at school, where special gifts are back again.
A spell will be cast with essential oils and dried herbs, sandalwood, sprigs of thyme, oil, for sweetness and tarot cards and a candle. The Gift That Bind us is back with another adventure of gift and powers. I enjoyed this second book, but not as much as the the first book, All Our Hidden Gifts about a pack of tarot cards are found, it was my absolute favourite. Thank you so much Walker for sending me this book to read and review.
July 16, 2024
3,5⭐️Але ближче до 4
🕯️Мої враження⚜️
Ця частина сподобалась менше.
Очікувала більше епічних події та протистояння силам зла, а вийшло посередньо, хоч і був цікавий твіст. Тут все так же продовжують підніматися важливі теми попередньої книги.
Зʼявляються нові істоти та ритуали, але вони не розкриті, як на мене. Романтична криза дивна, тож я навіть не сильно переймалась за героїв.
Хотілось більше про їх дари і прогрес у використанні, але авторка не вдавалась у подробиці.
Дуже нелогічне і дивне дистанціювання Роя і таке ж швидше поверненя.
Міона - нова героїня, про яку хотілось більше подробиць. Вся книга наче рвана та не не показує зростання героїв.
🕯️Мої враження⚜️
Ця частина сподобалась менше.
Очікувала більше епічних події та протистояння силам зла, а вийшло посередньо, хоч і був цікавий твіст. Тут все так же продовжують підніматися важливі теми попередньої книги.
Зʼявляються нові істоти та ритуали, але вони не розкриті, як на мене. Романтична криза дивна, тож я навіть не сильно переймалась за героїв.
Хотілось більше про їх дари і прогрес у використанні, але авторка не вдавалась у подробиці.
Дуже нелогічне і дивне дистанціювання Роя і таке ж швидше поверненя.
Міона - нова героїня, про яку хотілось більше подробиць. Вся книга наче рвана та не не показує зростання героїв.
March 16, 2022
(3.5 star) I really like the earthy magic system in this series, as well as the atmosphere created because of this. I think I preferred book 1, but it was fun to see where the magic took our characters in this book and I enjoyed that process.
November 15, 2023
Головою розумію, що текст ок, але мені йшло тяжко
May 11, 2022
caroline o'donoghue's all our hidden gifts series has swiftly become one of my favorite young adult fantasy series. there is so much this series is doing well, from the diversity and queerness of the characters, the fascinating magic system, and the nuanced explorations of society, feminism, religion, and power, all threaded together with beautiful prose and lovely illustrations.
all our hidden gifts was one of my favorite young adult novels of last year and i somehow managed to love the gifts that bind us even more. it's a masterclass in sequel writing that suffered none of the failings i was worried it might. it took everything i loved from the first book and made it deeper, richer, and even more compelling than it already was. to say i'm excited for the third book is a massive understatement.
whatever spell o'donoghue has cast upon these books, i don't ever want to leave from under it.
thank you to edelweiss+ and to walker books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
all our hidden gifts was one of my favorite young adult novels of last year and i somehow managed to love the gifts that bind us even more. it's a masterclass in sequel writing that suffered none of the failings i was worried it might. it took everything i loved from the first book and made it deeper, richer, and even more compelling than it already was. to say i'm excited for the third book is a massive understatement.
whatever spell o'donoghue has cast upon these books, i don't ever want to leave from under it.
thank you to edelweiss+ and to walker books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 11, 2023
4.5 ⭐️ absolutely lovvvving this story! I want to BE Roe, ugh gender envy to the MAX
March 5, 2023
Magie, Macht und Schule
In dem Buch Die Kraft der Talente (All your hidden Gifts 2) von Caroline O'Donoghue, geht es um Maeve, Roe, Lily und Fiona, welche seit der Mamsel alle magische Kräfte haben. Sie üben mit ihren magischen Kräften umzugehen, währenddessen hecken die Kinder Bridges einen Plan aus um an die Quelle der Magie aus der Stadt zu kommen.
Meine Meinung:
Ich fand die Geschichte spannend geschrieben und flüssig zu lesen. Auch die Charaktere haben sich weiterentwickelt und es kamen noch ein paar neue hinzu. Gleichzeitig geht es noch mehr um Roes Persönlichkeit und wie er ist und sein möchte. Natürlich geht es auch noch um normale Teenagerprobleme, wie was mache ich nach der Schule, sind meine Noten gut genug und so etwas. Außerdem müssen die vier und ihre neue Hilfe, die sie bekommen, versuchen Irland zu retten.
Ob ich Band 3 lesen werde, weiß ich noch nicht, nicht weil mir Band 2 nicht gefallen hat, sondern weil ich keine Lust auf den angedeuten Kampf in Band 3 habe.
Fazit:
Ein spannende Geschichte, die weiter erzählt wurde mit Teenagerproblemen und jeder Menge Magie.
In dem Buch Die Kraft der Talente (All your hidden Gifts 2) von Caroline O'Donoghue, geht es um Maeve, Roe, Lily und Fiona, welche seit der Mamsel alle magische Kräfte haben. Sie üben mit ihren magischen Kräften umzugehen, währenddessen hecken die Kinder Bridges einen Plan aus um an die Quelle der Magie aus der Stadt zu kommen.
Meine Meinung:
Ich fand die Geschichte spannend geschrieben und flüssig zu lesen. Auch die Charaktere haben sich weiterentwickelt und es kamen noch ein paar neue hinzu. Gleichzeitig geht es noch mehr um Roes Persönlichkeit und wie er ist und sein möchte. Natürlich geht es auch noch um normale Teenagerprobleme, wie was mache ich nach der Schule, sind meine Noten gut genug und so etwas. Außerdem müssen die vier und ihre neue Hilfe, die sie bekommen, versuchen Irland zu retten.
Ob ich Band 3 lesen werde, weiß ich noch nicht, nicht weil mir Band 2 nicht gefallen hat, sondern weil ich keine Lust auf den angedeuten Kampf in Band 3 habe.
Fazit:
Ein spannende Geschichte, die weiter erzählt wurde mit Teenagerproblemen und jeder Menge Magie.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2024
Друга книга виявилась набагато насиченіша на події та магію 🔥🔥🔥
August 25, 2024
Все ж таки слабше ніж перша частина, проте мені сподобалось і я буду читати третю.
Що було не так — герої трохи топчуться на місці в своєму розвитку.
І якщо в першій частині магічні проблеми чергувались та переплітались з життєвими, то тут вони наче відокремлені.
В іншому ж це все ще приємна історія з якою добре провести день чи два, коли хочеться чогось легкого.
Тут лишилась атмосфера невеликого містечка та відьмовства.
Герої все ще адекватні підлітки, які ведуть себе відповідно віку.
Тут так само розкривається багато підліткових проблем — самотність, страх перед майбутнім, постійне порівняння себе з оточуючими, спроби зрозуміти чим займатись в цьому житті та як зберегти дружбу, якщо друзі вже визначились та планують покинути тебе твоє місто одразу після закінчення школи.
Також продовжує розкриватись тема самоідентифікації.
Як і в першій частині тут є закрита центральна арка — історія не обривається на півслові, але лишає достатньо гачечків на продовження.
Телеґрам канал Книжкова Драконка
Що було не так — герої трохи топчуться на місці в своєму розвитку.
І якщо в першій частині магічні проблеми чергувались та переплітались з життєвими, то тут вони наче відокремлені.
В іншому ж це все ще приємна історія з якою добре провести день чи два, коли хочеться чогось легкого.
Тут лишилась атмосфера невеликого містечка та відьмовства.
Герої все ще адекватні підлітки, які ведуть себе відповідно віку.
Тут так само розкривається багато підліткових проблем — самотність, страх перед майбутнім, постійне порівняння себе з оточуючими, спроби зрозуміти чим займатись в цьому житті та як зберегти дружбу, якщо друзі вже визначились та планують покинути тебе твоє місто одразу після закінчення школи.
Також продовжує розкриватись тема самоідентифікації.
Як і в першій частині тут є закрита центральна арка — історія не обривається на півслові, але лишає достатньо гачечків на продовження.
Телеґрам канал Книжкова Драконка
May 4, 2022
thank you to Candlewick Press for sending me an ARC of this book!!
wow what a sequel in such a unique and gripping tale of magic, self-reflection, and friendship. this was such a fun read and I am so excited to share this wonderful trilogy with all of you!!! the first book ‘All Out Hidden Gifts’ (which, once i picked up, i couldn’t put it down!!) is already out and available, and this book comes out in june!!!! this series is the PERFECT summer reading for those of you looking to add more titles to your reading list. i can’t believe i have to wait an entire year to read the follow-up of this story…
wow what a sequel in such a unique and gripping tale of magic, self-reflection, and friendship. this was such a fun read and I am so excited to share this wonderful trilogy with all of you!!! the first book ‘All Out Hidden Gifts’ (which, once i picked up, i couldn’t put it down!!) is already out and available, and this book comes out in june!!!! this series is the PERFECT summer reading for those of you looking to add more titles to your reading list. i can’t believe i have to wait an entire year to read the follow-up of this story…
March 22, 2024
Друга книжка трішечки слабша за першу в плані атмосфери, але під кінець там таке починає відбуватися 🔥🔥🔥 Чекаю 3 частину 💔
May 10, 2023
Decided to read this one because I wanted something to pull me in and the first book had no problem doing that. Despite this one mostly focusing on the Children of Brigid slowly taking over the town, I found it was not as tough a read as I was expecting. Yes there are scenes of homophobia, gender policing, and slut shaming, but there is also a big problem the characters are trying to solve while they try to avoid the "scary" cultists. There are scenes where they have to interact with the cultists, but the reader is not subjected to unnecessary awful descriptions just for the sake of it.
This book in the series is very "dark forest" where our characters are not okay after the events from the first book and are trying to piece themselves together. Note that there is mention and descriptions of self harm.
I appreciated that the author went with a 3 book series, I can't imagine squishing all of this content into a duology. The end of this book got me really excited for book 3 so the setup was certainly there. There are certainly enough reveals in this second book that I don't feel it was too stretched out.
If you like darker YA's I highly recommend. The worldbuilding is interesting enough and the chapters are written in a way that hooks you and makes you curious to continue. Unfortunately, the "big bads" are complete pricks and manifest themselves as hard core old testament Christians which means there can be triggering content for some readers.
This book in the series is very "dark forest" where our characters are not okay after the events from the first book and are trying to piece themselves together. Note that there is mention and descriptions of self harm.
I appreciated that the author went with a 3 book series, I can't imagine squishing all of this content into a duology. The end of this book got me really excited for book 3 so the setup was certainly there. There are certainly enough reveals in this second book that I don't feel it was too stretched out.
If you like darker YA's I highly recommend. The worldbuilding is interesting enough and the chapters are written in a way that hooks you and makes you curious to continue. Unfortunately, the "big bads" are complete pricks and manifest themselves as hard core old testament Christians which means there can be triggering content for some readers.
March 3, 2022
Wow, I really enjoyed this book, like I ended up really getting into it, even more than the first book.
It started off pretty slow, summer holidays, trying to sort out their gifts etc but then out of nowhere everything starts to happen, there's dealing with Aaron, trying to figure out where their lives and friendships are heading, spells, bindings, attacks. Just wow.
I wasn't expecting so much and I am definitely here for it. I loved seeing the transitions from enemies to working together, seeing Maeve and Roe's relationship develop (the good AND the bad) and learning more about how the magic works here. There were new characters introduced in this book that constantly kept me wondering who I could trust who I couldn't and then when I believed I had it all figured it out, BOOM! All of those thoughts are down the toilet.
The lead up to the big "fight" and the fight itself were great, there's so much tension and there are twists I never saw coming. I started feeling sorry for people I previously hated. And then the ending, oh wow! I just can't wait for the next book. I need to know what happens!
It started off pretty slow, summer holidays, trying to sort out their gifts etc but then out of nowhere everything starts to happen, there's dealing with Aaron, trying to figure out where their lives and friendships are heading, spells, bindings, attacks. Just wow.
I wasn't expecting so much and I am definitely here for it. I loved seeing the transitions from enemies to working together, seeing Maeve and Roe's relationship develop (the good AND the bad) and learning more about how the magic works here. There were new characters introduced in this book that constantly kept me wondering who I could trust who I couldn't and then when I believed I had it all figured it out, BOOM! All of those thoughts are down the toilet.
The lead up to the big "fight" and the fight itself were great, there's so much tension and there are twists I never saw coming. I started feeling sorry for people I previously hated. And then the ending, oh wow! I just can't wait for the next book. I need to know what happens!
March 23, 2023
I did really enjoy this story and I think the author did well adding in new friends and enemies. I t just wasn't quite as good as the first book, and it felt like it took a while to find it's footing. The theme in this book seems to be trust - can Maeve trust her friends, and should she trust an old enemy?
Some aspects of Maeve, Lily and Fiona's relationship was quite messy, and I was left with questions. At the beginning Lily seemed to really resent Maeve, but this suddenly changed and Lily was friends with her again, without explanation. Fiona suddenly had issues with the major events at the end of the last book, and I think I could have done with more warning for the self harm, as that's a major trigger for me.
Roe doesn't appear a lot in this story, which is a shame, as he's a really important part of the group for me, especially being openly Queer. I'm hoping he appears more in the next book, which is looking promising after the events at the end of this book.
Some aspects of Maeve, Lily and Fiona's relationship was quite messy, and I was left with questions. At the beginning Lily seemed to really resent Maeve, but this suddenly changed and Lily was friends with her again, without explanation. Fiona suddenly had issues with the major events at the end of the last book, and I think I could have done with more warning for the self harm, as that's a major trigger for me.
Roe doesn't appear a lot in this story, which is a shame, as he's a really important part of the group for me, especially being openly Queer. I'm hoping he appears more in the next book, which is looking promising after the events at the end of this book.
February 5, 2022
What will these crazy teens get up to next?
I loved the first book in this series, which I read just a week or so ago, flying through it in the knowledge that Maeve and the gang will be back in my life soon. This time, I savoured it, reading over five days instead of one.
While I do think if I read this series as a 'young adult' it would have been my whole personality, I also think that Caroline's writing transcends that. There are issues in these books, especially the second one, that are as important for adults to consider as they are for younger readers. Not to mention the excellent pacing, plotting, humour and pay off that I've come to expect from Caroline's work since reading her adult novels.
Good woman yourself!
I loved the first book in this series, which I read just a week or so ago, flying through it in the knowledge that Maeve and the gang will be back in my life soon. This time, I savoured it, reading over five days instead of one.
While I do think if I read this series as a 'young adult' it would have been my whole personality, I also think that Caroline's writing transcends that. There are issues in these books, especially the second one, that are as important for adults to consider as they are for younger readers. Not to mention the excellent pacing, plotting, humour and pay off that I've come to expect from Caroline's work since reading her adult novels.
Good woman yourself!
June 17, 2022
As someone with queer Christian relatives and as a non binary person under 40 who happy lives in a small town in a rural area this book resonated so much with me.
May 10, 2024
The first book was gifted to me from the book club that I am involved in, and this series have been on my TBR for ages, so I wanted to carry on with the series after the first book.
This book is still based on Maeve Chambers who we met in the last book, she and her friends have revealed their powers and banded together as a coven: Roe can pick locks, Lily sends sparks flying, Maeve can read minds and Fiona can heal any injuries. And even better than their newfound talents? Roe and Maeve are officially together. But with strange things happening at school, and old enemies appearing in new places, it soon becomes clear their powers are attracting all the wrong attention. It's not long before Maeve’s gift start to wane, drained by someone – or something – that's hiding even from her second sight.
The storyline was very strong, and it was an easy and interesting read. Maeve is such a badass even for how confused she can be during this book. I loved that Fiona was such a supportive best friend even when Maeve was ready to give up. The LGBT aspect of this book warms my heart with the love stories and how it was still a big part of this book and wasn’t just brushed under the carpet. I liked that Lily was becoming more of a character and was a complete badass. The conversation about mental health with Fiona and Lily was so important especially in a YA book. I loved the fact that Aaron had the change of character and hopefully he stays that way, though I still don’t trust him.
I missed the tarot cards aspect bit of it during this book because everyone had these powers, and it was all about the group dynamic. Also, who decides to gift a teenager a building that’s a school. That’s just messed up. The cliffhanger was mean, and the mystery of what is going to happen next and who is going to get rid of the Well, makes me want to read the next book in the series.
This book is still based on Maeve Chambers who we met in the last book, she and her friends have revealed their powers and banded together as a coven: Roe can pick locks, Lily sends sparks flying, Maeve can read minds and Fiona can heal any injuries. And even better than their newfound talents? Roe and Maeve are officially together. But with strange things happening at school, and old enemies appearing in new places, it soon becomes clear their powers are attracting all the wrong attention. It's not long before Maeve’s gift start to wane, drained by someone – or something – that's hiding even from her second sight.
The storyline was very strong, and it was an easy and interesting read. Maeve is such a badass even for how confused she can be during this book. I loved that Fiona was such a supportive best friend even when Maeve was ready to give up. The LGBT aspect of this book warms my heart with the love stories and how it was still a big part of this book and wasn’t just brushed under the carpet. I liked that Lily was becoming more of a character and was a complete badass. The conversation about mental health with Fiona and Lily was so important especially in a YA book. I loved the fact that Aaron had the change of character and hopefully he stays that way, though I still don’t trust him.
I missed the tarot cards aspect bit of it during this book because everyone had these powers, and it was all about the group dynamic. Also, who decides to gift a teenager a building that’s a school. That’s just messed up. The cliffhanger was mean, and the mystery of what is going to happen next and who is going to get rid of the Well, makes me want to read the next book in the series.
February 20, 2022
I finished reading the first book this week, thinking it was "good, but not amazing".
I've always had a love for books surrounding tarot cards and witches, so I was compelled enough to buy the second book (which had just come out as well, thank you for your spectacular timing past me). This series is what I wished the Raven Cycle to be.
The writing is accessible, and the magic is explained well enough. Some aspects I didn't fully understand, but luckily for me, neither did the main character.
Where the first book centers around Maeve learning her way around tarot cards and her sensitivity (moreso a contemporary coming of age than fantasy), the second book fully embraces the extents of the group's magic.
I absolutely loved the villain of this book, and the plot definitely had more action than the first book. Not only that, but it tackled mental health and queer identity. It addressed the trauma they went through first-hand, where most fantasy books leave it to the background.
At first I'd given this book a 4 stars rating, since I'd loved the plot, but it could have given more, as it had a slightly anticlimactic turn halfway through; but now that I'm done reading, and I'm reflecting, I keep thinking about the characters, and am intrigued with how the third book will resolve this all. I've therefore upped my rating to 5 stars. Read this book.
I've always had a love for books surrounding tarot cards and witches, so I was compelled enough to buy the second book (which had just come out as well, thank you for your spectacular timing past me). This series is what I wished the Raven Cycle to be.
The writing is accessible, and the magic is explained well enough. Some aspects I didn't fully understand, but luckily for me, neither did the main character.
Where the first book centers around Maeve learning her way around tarot cards and her sensitivity (moreso a contemporary coming of age than fantasy), the second book fully embraces the extents of the group's magic.
I absolutely loved the villain of this book, and the plot definitely had more action than the first book. Not only that, but it tackled mental health and queer identity. It addressed the trauma they went through first-hand, where most fantasy books leave it to the background.
At first I'd given this book a 4 stars rating, since I'd loved the plot, but it could have given more, as it had a slightly anticlimactic turn halfway through; but now that I'm done reading, and I'm reflecting, I keep thinking about the characters, and am intrigued with how the third book will resolve this all. I've therefore upped my rating to 5 stars. Read this book.
December 14, 2022
Content warnings: homophobia, transphobia, racism, self-harm, fire.
Rep: Maeve (main character) is white and hetero, Roe is white and non-binary, Lily is white and hard of hearing, Fiona is Filipina-Irish and queer questioning.
ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! Am in love with this universe, this author's writing, and this magic system.
I am ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT excited for the next book. This one had me hooked from the start and I love it.
5/5 stars
I talk about books at these places: Instagram / Twitter / TikTok / Blog
Rep: Maeve (main character) is white and hetero, Roe is white and non-binary, Lily is white and hard of hearing, Fiona is Filipina-Irish and queer questioning.
ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! Am in love with this universe, this author's writing, and this magic system.
I am ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT excited for the next book. This one had me hooked from the start and I love it.
5/5 stars
I talk about books at these places: Instagram / Twitter / TikTok / Blog
November 5, 2021
Everything you could hope for from a sequel - in that it expands the lore, complicates the relationships and challenges the themes of the original, strengthening and sharpening them into something that’s exceptionally entertaining, heartfelt and insightful, but also powerful and vital. The result is not only a gripping and often stunning second instalment, but a sequel that actively enriches the work of the first volume, with higher stakes and greater emphasis on what this series seems to be chiefly concerned with conjuring in the hearts and minds of its readership: the very real magic of forgiveness.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 691 reviews