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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
This is the next story in the Wishing Day Trilogy. It is told from the perspective of the middle sister, Darya. I enjoy Darya's character. The first book had me thinking that she was kind of one dimensional, but that's not the case. She's very well rounded, and this book features a lot of growth from her, which was nice to see.
She's angry at her sister Natasha for seeing their mother without her, but then when she finally sees their mother again, she doesn't get what she expects. She feels a wide range of emotions, and not all of them are good ones.
There are hints in the plot line that Klara (the mother) may have some kind of mental illness. I suspect depression, but I could be wrong. It was only discussed on the surface, for now, but I'm wondering if that will be fleshed out or explained in the next book.
I feel for Darya, because I can relate to her anger. I felt bad, because I don't think her mother should have asked Darya to use one of her Wishing Day wishes to undo Klara's mistake.
I think Darya made good wishes, and I enjoyed her maturity toward the end of the story, especially towards her feelings on the situation with her mother.
I was happier with the ending of this story because it's much better and less abrupt than the last one.
There actually wasn't much that I didn't enjoy, save for a poorly worded section on page 142. The author describes another character with what I percieve as possible intellectual disability as "the man-child who bagged groceries" and "sweet but dull witted."
That section made me so irritated that I actually put the book down. There are much better descriptors that could have been used in this case. And honestly, it doesn't sound like the phrase a 12/13 year old would use, rather a poorly thought choice from an adult.
Other than that, I'm interested to see how this all wraps up.
She's angry at her sister Natasha for seeing their mother without her, but then when she finally sees their mother again, she doesn't get what she expects. She feels a wide range of emotions, and not all of them are good ones.
There are hints in the plot line that Klara (the mother) may have some kind of mental illness. I suspect depression, but I could be wrong. It was only discussed on the surface, for now, but I'm wondering if that will be fleshed out or explained in the next book.
I feel for Darya, because I can relate to her anger. I felt bad, because I don't think her mother should have asked Darya to use one of her Wishing Day wishes to undo Klara's mistake.
I think Darya made good wishes, and I enjoyed her maturity toward the end of the story, especially towards her feelings on the situation with her mother.
I was happier with the ending of this story because it's much better and less abrupt than the last one.
There actually wasn't much that I didn't enjoy, save for a poorly worded section on page 142. The author describes another character with what I percieve as possible intellectual disability as "the man-child who bagged groceries" and "sweet but dull witted."
That section made me so irritated that I actually put the book down. There are much better descriptors that could have been used in this case. And honestly, it doesn't sound like the phrase a 12/13 year old would use, rather a poorly thought choice from an adult.
Other than that, I'm interested to see how this all wraps up.
THE FORGETTING SPELL by Lauren Myracle is the second in a three-book series focused on the Blok sisters. Natasha, Darya, and Ava are all approaching their magical thirteenth year in each of the three books. Myracle’s WISHING DAY was Natasha’s story, and it was one of my favorite books of 2016. In it Natasha makes the three wishes she is entitled to on her wishing day (the third day of the third month after her thirteenth birthday), and the sweet story of a family dealing with loss through love unfolds from there. You can read more about the book and check out my review of it here: http://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfiction/19797-wishing-day#userReviews.
So. THE FORGETTING SPELL. This book returns readers to the little magical town of Willow Hill, and this time the focus is on the middle Blok sister—Darya—and the challenges she faces after HER thirteenth birthday while managing with the gift and the curse of coming from a mysterious and magical family. It was going to be hard to measure up to WISHING DAY for me… the first book left a lot of questions unanswered, but it also left me in love with the main characters and rooting for them with every turn of the page. Unfortunately, although it’s a book worth reading, THE FORGETTING SPELL didn’t quite hit the rather high mark left by WISHING DAY. My primary problem is that I can’t see THE FORGETTING SPELL standing on its own. That said, if you’ve read WISHING DAY, then you should definitely pick this up to flesh out the story that was started in the first book of the series. Darya was an elusive figure in WISHING DAY—rightly so since the story was Natasha’s story—and Darya has her chance to shine in Myracle’s second visit to Willow Hill. Although the first half of THE FORGETTING SPELL is a bit slow, and Darya isn’t as engaging as I had hoped she would be, the book picks up steam through the second half, and it evolves into a wonderful story of middle school angst, family drama, and magic. I couldn’t put the book down after I hit the half-way point.
The best of the first two books is that Myracle gives Natasha, Darya, and Ava plenty of wisdom, wit, and charm. I was rooting for these three from the start. In THE FORGETTING SPELL the girls’ mother, Klara (whose disappearance was a focal point in the first book), has returned. I really wish Klara’s story had been fleshed out more, and I’d love for her to be a sympathetic character. Unfortunately, I don’t understand her at all, I don’t understand why she did the things she did, and I definitely dislike her… but that makes me all the more eager to see where the third book in the series takes us!
I recommend THE FORGETING SPELL, and I’ll be anxiously awaiting the third book in the Wishing Day series. Ava’s story has the potential to be the best of the three—and that’s saying quite a lot.
So. THE FORGETTING SPELL. This book returns readers to the little magical town of Willow Hill, and this time the focus is on the middle Blok sister—Darya—and the challenges she faces after HER thirteenth birthday while managing with the gift and the curse of coming from a mysterious and magical family. It was going to be hard to measure up to WISHING DAY for me… the first book left a lot of questions unanswered, but it also left me in love with the main characters and rooting for them with every turn of the page. Unfortunately, although it’s a book worth reading, THE FORGETTING SPELL didn’t quite hit the rather high mark left by WISHING DAY. My primary problem is that I can’t see THE FORGETTING SPELL standing on its own. That said, if you’ve read WISHING DAY, then you should definitely pick this up to flesh out the story that was started in the first book of the series. Darya was an elusive figure in WISHING DAY—rightly so since the story was Natasha’s story—and Darya has her chance to shine in Myracle’s second visit to Willow Hill. Although the first half of THE FORGETTING SPELL is a bit slow, and Darya isn’t as engaging as I had hoped she would be, the book picks up steam through the second half, and it evolves into a wonderful story of middle school angst, family drama, and magic. I couldn’t put the book down after I hit the half-way point.
The best of the first two books is that Myracle gives Natasha, Darya, and Ava plenty of wisdom, wit, and charm. I was rooting for these three from the start. In THE FORGETTING SPELL the girls’ mother, Klara (whose disappearance was a focal point in the first book), has returned. I really wish Klara’s story had been fleshed out more, and I’d love for her to be a sympathetic character. Unfortunately, I don’t understand her at all, I don’t understand why she did the things she did, and I definitely dislike her… but that makes me all the more eager to see where the third book in the series takes us!
I recommend THE FORGETING SPELL, and I’ll be anxiously awaiting the third book in the Wishing Day series. Ava’s story has the potential to be the best of the three—and that’s saying quite a lot.
I really enjoyed this book. More than I've enjoyed any in a while. I want the first one...now!
Book Talk:
Do you remember your 13th birthday? Closing your eyes, making your wish, and blowing out your candles? What would happen if your wish actually came true? In The Forgetting Spell, this is exactly what happens to Darya on her Wishing Day. But Darya should be careful what she wishes for, because it just might change everything about her life.
My Thoughts:
This book was all over the place. In hindsight, I should probably have read #1 before reading this one, but I jumped right in. I was confused and really had no idea what was going on or why. I still don't really know who Emily is, or why she mattered so much to the story. I don't get the mother character at all, or why she felt the need to leave her children and husband. Why would leaving fix anything? I am just so very confused by this story.
I feel like this book wanted to be so much more, and could have been, if there was any sort of logical story line. I just truly did not get it.
My Recommendations:
2.5/5 stars
Grades 5+
Do you remember your 13th birthday? Closing your eyes, making your wish, and blowing out your candles? What would happen if your wish actually came true? In The Forgetting Spell, this is exactly what happens to Darya on her Wishing Day. But Darya should be careful what she wishes for, because it just might change everything about her life.
My Thoughts:
This book was all over the place. In hindsight, I should probably have read #1 before reading this one, but I jumped right in. I was confused and really had no idea what was going on or why. I still don't really know who Emily is, or why she mattered so much to the story. I don't get the mother character at all, or why she felt the need to leave her children and husband. Why would leaving fix anything? I am just so very confused by this story.
I feel like this book wanted to be so much more, and could have been, if there was any sort of logical story line. I just truly did not get it.
My Recommendations:
2.5/5 stars
Grades 5+
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
- Amazing book
- Make sure to read first and third to
- RECOMEND.RECOMEND.RECOMEND
DNF | i really couldn’t get into it and i didn’t finish it! i didn’t liked the first book and so i gave up on the deco book. just not for me
WARNING: A bit spoilery, so proceed with caution!!!!
I'm surprised there are so many negative reviews for this book. I remember reading and enjoying the first book, "Wishing Day," but this one was just so... pretty. And I'm not talking about the cover (though the cover is GORGEOUS). I'm talking about the story.
So. We have Darya. In the first book, Darya is rather annoying, but in this book I liked her. She had many flaws, but she tried so hard to be selfless, and for those of us in real life who try to put others in front of ourselves, we can relate. It's hard to be a "good" person. Darya was trying extremely hard at times, and I love her because she felt VERY real to me.
"Wishing Day" ended with a cliffhanger. Mama is alive, and she's NEAR, because she left those notes where Natasha could find them.
In "The Forgetting Spell," Natasha tells Darya that Mama is back in Willow Hill, and she met her. Natasha MET with Mama for coffee! It's like a dream come true for Darya and all the Blok sisters... until she meets Mama herself. Mama has changed. She won't come home, she won't tell Papa, and she wants Darya to use one of her Wishing Day wishes for HER, to bring back someone she "disappeared" with her own wish years ago, which led to her abandonment of her family.
But Darya wants answers first. And the only one she can confide in, it seems, is the new girl Tally, who is in an even tougher family situation.
Speaking of Tally, she was wonderful! She wasn't likeable, but I liked her anyway :) I guess it was her sense of humor, really. Darya's sisters are amazing. Ava seemed younger than eleven-turning-twelve, but she was so sweet. Natasha was so caring, and after "Wishing Day," we already know how she thinks - have been inside her head - so it was easy to see her logic for certain things. Darya's mom... I didn't like her very much. It upset me that she would leave just because she was oh so sad about making that certain person disappear. Sure, she was miserable, so much so that it was affecting her mental health, but to leave her husband and daughters behind??? Bad move. Very bad move.
The style was beautiful and unique, and by the end of the book, I wanted to hug everyone. Darya, Ava, Mama. Heck, I've even warmed up to the Bird Lady! However, there are mysteries yet unsolved, so I eagerly await the next book in this set of lovely stories by Lauren Myracle :)
I'm surprised there are so many negative reviews for this book. I remember reading and enjoying the first book, "Wishing Day," but this one was just so... pretty. And I'm not talking about the cover (though the cover is GORGEOUS). I'm talking about the story.
So. We have Darya. In the first book, Darya is rather annoying, but in this book I liked her. She had many flaws, but she tried so hard to be selfless, and for those of us in real life who try to put others in front of ourselves, we can relate. It's hard to be a "good" person. Darya was trying extremely hard at times, and I love her because she felt VERY real to me.
"Wishing Day" ended with a cliffhanger. Mama is alive, and she's NEAR, because she left those notes where Natasha could find them.
In "The Forgetting Spell," Natasha tells Darya that Mama is back in Willow Hill, and she met her. Natasha MET with Mama for coffee! It's like a dream come true for Darya and all the Blok sisters... until she meets Mama herself. Mama has changed. She won't come home, she won't tell Papa, and she wants Darya to use one of her Wishing Day wishes for HER, to bring back someone she "disappeared" with her own wish years ago, which led to her abandonment of her family.
But Darya wants answers first. And the only one she can confide in, it seems, is the new girl Tally, who is in an even tougher family situation.
Speaking of Tally, she was wonderful! She wasn't likeable, but I liked her anyway :) I guess it was her sense of humor, really. Darya's sisters are amazing. Ava seemed younger than eleven-turning-twelve, but she was so sweet. Natasha was so caring, and after "Wishing Day," we already know how she thinks - have been inside her head - so it was easy to see her logic for certain things. Darya's mom... I didn't like her very much. It upset me that she would leave just because she was oh so sad about making that certain person disappear. Sure, she was miserable, so much so that it was affecting her mental health, but to leave her husband and daughters behind??? Bad move. Very bad move.
The style was beautiful and unique, and by the end of the book, I wanted to hug everyone. Darya, Ava, Mama. Heck, I've even warmed up to the Bird Lady! However, there are mysteries yet unsolved, so I eagerly await the next book in this set of lovely stories by Lauren Myracle :)
Darya’s wishing day is approaching, but she doesn’t exactly believe in all the magic as much as her family does. Looking to escape it all, instead she finds herself getting deeper and deeper into it as her long lost mother returns and things she thought she’d forgotten start to resurface. This novel was all over the place. First off, this only sort of started where we left off. Time has elapsed since the first novel and this left the reader feeling extremely confused because how that one ended, we were looking forward to how it would all play out; instead, everything the reader anticipated was skipped and left out and now we’re moving on to more from this magical family. This was also really confusing because the author kept alluding to these grander plans and plots, but then either didn’t expand on them or completely excluded them from the story and we’re left to pick up the pieces. It was fast-paced, but it was especially frustrating to read with what felt like half-baked plots. The characters didn’t help either because they didn’t really hit their stride, either. The reader thought we’d get more from already established characters, but we didn't, if anything, they became background noise and new characters were brought in but they were also only one dimensional. There are so many mysteries surrounding the people and places in this trilogy, but we’re not given enough to put together, we’re given little bits that don’t seem to be fitting together. The sisterly bond was so well set up in the first book, but this one lacked so much of that connection and instead had all the characters fighting the entire time. This one wasn’t as heavy as the first one either; the author tried to bring in mental health rep, but it wasn’t as well done, it felt more like it was slapped on. The reader enjoyed the idea of this story, but this novel felt like it lost the plot.
Darya has just turned 13 and can now follow a long-shared tradition of making 3 wishes at the Wishing Tree. A wish for an impossible, one they can make come true and the 3rd is their deepest, heart-felt desire. Her older sister, Natasha did hers last year, a younger, Ava, will next year. But Darya already has some magic working in her life. She had long ago asked the mysterious and quirky "Bird Lady" to help her perform a forgetting spell. It worked so well, that she doesn't remember doing it, but snippets return, as needed, to bring what now needs to be done to present. But will Darya allow the magic she denies to happen?
The girls are living with their heart-broken father and the 2 sisters of their mother who disappeared 8 years ago. It's a loving core, albeit damaged by the unknown. Fluttering on the outskirts is the "bird lady" who seems to know all that needs to be done and why anything happens. It's a quirky read with a hidden intent. There is again a long kept secret letters from their mother before she left, but this time, Darya reads it after meeting with her mother. A troubled past intrudes on Darya's present and resentment abounds. I am anxious to read the next book when the youngest, Ava, will make her wishes. That will solve the mystery of Emily, the reason the mother left to begin with.
The girls are living with their heart-broken father and the 2 sisters of their mother who disappeared 8 years ago. It's a loving core, albeit damaged by the unknown. Fluttering on the outskirts is the "bird lady" who seems to know all that needs to be done and why anything happens. It's a quirky read with a hidden intent. There is again a long kept secret letters from their mother before she left, but this time, Darya reads it after meeting with her mother. A troubled past intrudes on Darya's present and resentment abounds. I am anxious to read the next book when the youngest, Ava, will make her wishes. That will solve the mystery of Emily, the reason the mother left to begin with.