Leaves of Holly: A Book Review

What an enchanting debut from Arnella Hobler! Leaves of Holly has a magical atmosphere to it, with a well-thought-out world and an ending that makes me want the second book right away. I'm very impressed with Arnella's writing. It is clear, melodic, talented, and matches the magic of the book. 

I will say that I did struggle getting into this book for the first half. I personally don't love stories where a modern-day character is transported into a fantasy land. The first half of the book also moves quite slowly, and Ivy, the main character, doesn't have a lot of personality at first. But by the second half of the book, I was enthralled and liking Ivy more. I do wish the character development was a bit more strong in the side characters and the romance (and I wish that there weren't so many characters' names that start with "C"). But overall, I really liked this story with the talented writing, the magical world, and the tense, political plot. And the cover is gorgeous! 

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 3.7
Character Development: 3
Overall: 4

Thank you, Arnella Hobler, for the review copy!

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