This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend. Read the full disclosure here.
Book: “Wisteria” by Adalyn Grace
Publishing Info: Little, Brown and Company, August 2024
Where Did I Get this Book: own it!
Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound
Book Description: Blythe Hawthorne has never let anyone tell her what to do—not society, not her overprotective father, and certainly not the man she’s bound herself to, no matter how rude and insufferable he is. In fact, she’s determined to be a thorn in his side for the rest of her days, even as he ensures that her life in his palace is anything but a fairytale. But as Blythe discovers a new side of herself linked to his past, she’ll have to decide if she’s willing to let an unexpected spark ignite…and to discover the truth about who she really is.
Previously Reviewed: “Belladonna” and “Foxglove”
Review: I often use December as a month to check back in to books that published earlier in the year but that I didn’t get around to in a timely manner. And yes, that is the case here. However, it’s also the case that I’ve delayed writing this review because it’s been a challenge to get my thoughts in order, mostly about how disappointing I found this book to be. All the more shocking given the high that was “Belladonna” when I read it two years ago.
That said, there were some positives, and those all came in the first half of the book. Reading this first half, I was having such a blast that I felt confident that we had finally returned to much of what I loved about this series. While “Foxglove” was a bit of a mixed bag, I did very much enjoy a deeper introduction to Blythe as a main character, and she shone here in this first half, with all the spirit and spunk that I came to expect from a woman who had lived through what she had and who had made the choices she did at the end of the last book. I also really loved the “enemies” portion of this enemies-to-lovers romance that we explored in this first section. Aris was such a pill, and it was hilarious. The two had great banter during this section, and I appreciated the slow build of respect he had towards Blythe’s bravery and determination in the face of his ridiculousness and the various challenges placed before them.
Unfortunately, even here, problems began to arise. First and foremost, the contrived nature of the plotting. At the end of “Foxglove,” the reader, Signa, and Death are all aware of the true situation between Aris and Blythe. But then, through sheer authorial shenanigans and contrived magical circumstances, Signa is never given a chance to tell Blythe any of this. I get that this reveal coming early would have materially changed the story, but this is the kind of fact that must be dealt with when plotting out an entire trilogy. The author could have ended the previous book in a way that left Signa and Death unaware, thus removing the need to come up with excuses for them not to inform Blythe. Or perhaps some more believable means could have been constructed to delay the knowledge, but that’s tough, as we saw here. The way it is handled is incredibly plot convenient and there is nothing done to really hide this from the reader.
This problem with plotting carried on through the middle and, especially, the end of the book. Not only do Blythe and Aris go from a fairly good slow burn build to “now we’re instantly in love!” with very little explanation, but the author introduces world-changing new characters halfway through the book. Characters who should definitely have been present, if not at least referenced, in the previous books. Not only did the presence of the new character muddle this story, but it opened a million plot holes in the previous books as well, which is the worst thing you can do in a final book to a trilogy. Additionally, entire subplots are dropped in whole cloth, like Signa’s sudden obsession with uncovering the truth behind her mother’s murder. And, in a similar manner, these new subplots are never truly dealt with or pulled into the main story in any way that justifies their presence in the first place.
And all of this together, bad on its own, is all the worse for only coming up halfway through the last book a trilogy! Which, surprising no one, greatly damaged the end of this book. If I had to come up with a word for it, I’d choose “silly.” Events and choices that are clearly meant to land a significant emotional punch instead induced a massive eye roll. Every bit of it was frustrating and left gaping questions about how any of this really worked. Worse, some of these choices directly conflicted with themes regarding choice and personal agency that had been built up as so important earlier in the book.
Given how much I enjoyed the first book in this series and even the first half of this book, it’s so disappointing having to write this review. Looking back at the entire venture, it feels as if the author had a great idea for a stand-alone fantasy book and then somewhere along the line was pushed into extending it by two books. But there was never a truly good story there to support this decision. I’d still recommend the first book to readers, but I’d probably tell them to just quit before the final few pages and leave it as a single entry story, as this is one of those truly unfortunate situations where the last book retroactively harms the entire story as a whole.
Rating 6: So disappointing. Not great on its own, but it was even more frustrating seeing the affect this book has on some of the characters and story arcs of the previous books.
Reader’s Advisory:
“Wisteria” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Gothic Fantasy Romance and Magic, Adventure, Romance.
The Library Ladies 