Beautiful story and characters
920904
Really love this one - Hope and Jay are fantastic characters and I thoroughly enjoyed watching their story unfold. Love the way their personalities complimented the other and "getting to know" them through the book. A+  !
4074379
This is a wonderful story of romance, action, and fantasy. Esdelot is a admirable and powerful young prince/king-to-be who is equally strong as she is smart and sympathetic. Keziah is a clever and compassionate little witch who is stronger than she thought she was. We get to watch a beautiful love story unfold as these two women go on a journey to reclaim something they almost lost. For Esdelot, it's her right to the throne; for Keziah, it's her self-worth. We get to see the differences between healthy, loving relationships and abusive, manipulative ones. There are characters of different gender identities and sexual orientations throughout, and no one in the story bats an eyelash. There's also an interesting element of religion in the story, with Grandmother Moon and Grandfather Death as the main deities. My only complaint was that I wish it was a little bit longer and a little bit more descriptive. Overall, I'd highly recommend this book to those who want a memorable story with a diverse cast.
3099012
The story is beautiful and sweet. The pictures that accompany it truly bring the story to life.
I look forward to the next installment!
4475290
This was such a beautiful book. The world was dazzling and I took my time reading so that I could picture every word and detail in my head.  That's often not the way I do things.  A lot of time when I read, I tend to skim through the descriptions to just get to the story itself.  But the author has created such a unique and fantastical world that it was impossible not to hang on every word on the page.  Now, before you read much further into my review, I am not going to be able to promise no spoilers.  I'll do my best, but there are a few things I might give away as I think they might be important in my thoughts.

Basically we're dropped right into the heart of the story, the exciting ceremony where each Belle tries to be chosen as the favorite to stay with the royal family.  Unlike often happens in this type of a story (spoiler), our main character, Camellia, is not chosen as favorite to start.  Even with her extremely inventive and impressive debut, she is not chosen because the queen does not feel that she followed directions, and that is what the queen is wanting.

Camellia starts out in the best salon and tea house however, where things aren't quite as she assumed.  There are noises of crying at night, and there seem to be other Belles.  Which is unheard of, at least as far as Camellia or the general public knows.  Right when she seems to be in the position to try to find out what is really going on and figure out these strange people, Camellia is whisked back to the palace and is suddenly the favorite.  No one will tell her why, or why her sister who had been the favorite was suddenly switched places.  There is one of their sisters, Edelweiss, who has run away.

Soon the princess must be prepared to become the heir, but there are two princesses.  The older one is in a coma-like sleep, and it is unknown what is causing it, or how to cure her.  The younger princess is a bit of a terror, has evil ideas, is petty, and uses her power as princess to make horrible things happen to people who displease her.  Camellia finds out just how evil she is, but doesn't know how she can help keep her from becoming the royal heir.

Then, there is the boy Auguste, who introduces himself to Camellia on the first night.  And then he keeps showing up and flirting with her, asking her questions, wanting to get to know her, something she isn't allowed to do.  Boys and marriage and all of that are no-nos for a Belle.  And while there's something about him that of course is intriguing, he's also one of the four suitors for the princess.  As the royal Belle, Camellia gets a bodyguard named Remy.  Now Remy, you have to like him, especially when you see him with his sisters.

I guess I didn't realize it was a series, so at the last 100 pages I was all ready for seeing how the story could wrap up, how things could be saved.  And for a while, I thought it was going there, but then, things collapsed, a betrayal, a twist, and Camellia and her sister had to go on the run.  Now, I will be eagerly awaiting book 2, on the edge of my seat, needing to know what will happen next.
831913
A beautiful story! Love this music and the cast of characters.
3387616
Beautiful, well written story. I loved it and have already recommended to friends.
819348
I loved this book! A story so beautiful, well written and unconventional. The characters are so lovely. I already have read it twice!
473461
Beautiful story. Wonderful development of characters and their relationships to one another are extremely well done. Era-authenticity is fabulous. I was really drawn to, and drawn INto, this slapped-together family, and the way they worked so beautifully together. The characters are real, the relationships are real and honest, and their Depression-era struggles are real. This book, this entire series, really works for me. I hesitated to give it 5 stars, as there are some mechanical and structural problems with typos, grammatical errors, etc. Beyond all that, however, it is a beautifully written book.
1893324
Lovely story that I will be returning to reread many times in the future.
4266108
Such lovely, exquisite writing. I found myself re-reading several passages over and over again because they were so beautiful. I also loved how the characters are so human and flawed, fragile and vulnerable. Give this book a chance and I'm sure you won't be disappointed. I've discovered a new favorite author.
2719922
The author really brings the characters to life. I experienced their joy and I cried in their time of sorrow. There was one scene where I laughed out loud. The situations are so true to life, but are told so beautifully. I found myself saying "One more chapter" multiple times as I read because I just didn't want to put the book down. There are some unexpected twists. There are no cliff hangers, but none are needed. This is a beautiful Christian story of faith, family, and love (God's love and love among the characters. I think this book may even be a bit better than the first book.
2506078
Love the story, although I thought I would not stop crying.  I thought Lucinda would end up in an asylum, but not happening.  Ardie and Lucinda becomes good friends.  Ardie wishes to meet Dionne, but never does.

Ardie is aware of the feelings Lucinda has for her and is hoping she can win her over.

Although one of the characters is dead, the author did well in developing our ladies.  Beautiful story, well written with hardly any editing errors.  Lovely romantic scenes done metaphorically, well done.

Highly recommended.  You will not regret it.  The pace alone will not allow you to put it down.
4432255
Blackberry Winter is a beautiful story of love and loss, hope and redemption. The past is intricately woven with the present to discover the mystery of the missing boy, Daniel Ray, from 1933's blackberry winter. I think the book description provides a great synopsis so I will not go too in-depth describing the story and just start with my experience...

I really enjoyed Jio's writing style and her ability to create a connection with the characters. Not to mention, I absolutely love Seattle and enjoy reading stories set in the area. Some of the Amazon reviewers claim that the story is too predictable, which I somewhat disagree. I felt as though many of the aspects of the story that came to light were easily predicted because I speculate the author wanted the reader to know. Also, some reviewers claim it was too easy for Claire to find all the clues to the mystery. I agree with their criticism of this aspect of the book and felt the author could have made it more believable to the reader (maybe by having one of the main characters secretly give Claire the story initially). I realize that my review may seem a little vague but I do not want to provide too much detail that would spoil the story for others. Overall I felt it was a lovely story and very enjoyable read. I look forward to reading more of Jio's books, potentially Violets of March next.
3979598
This is a beautiful and hopeful story that I really enjoyed.  The characters are all facing different challenges in their lives that they are each struggling with.  The main characters Mary and Ruben must face their own fears and insecurities and remain faithful that Gott will answer their prayers.

It was so enjoyable to delve into a world so different from our modern culture, and find that the same universal struggles exist.  The story was so captivating that it was hard to put down.  The characters were so likeable that you couldn't help root for them from beginning to end.  Well-written and inspiring.
2292131
I didn't want this book to end, in part because it was lovely and in part because I felt I was just starting to get to know the characters. While there were a couple of things that bothered me, I still gave this a 5-star (4.5 if that were an option) rating because I thoroughly enjoyed it and felt the characters were surprisingly well-rendered (more on that below).

*No Spoilers*

One of the common complaints about this book is that there are just "too many characters!" which I admit makes me chuckle a little bit. Yes, there are effectively ten main characters of this story: four parents and six children (though they are adults for much of the book). Because the families become blended, it can get confusing to remember which child belongs to which biological parents and siblings. However, it really isn't THAT difficult to set it straight in your mind, especially if you know this going into it. Write it on a post-it and stick it to the inside the cover if you need to; it's really that simple. My point is, please don't let such a triviality keep you from experiencing this story.

The other chief complaint is that the story jumps around too much, across time and between different points of view. When I first started this book I was disappointed by this and almost didn't continue reading it--that first 2-3 chapters have a very jarring structure and you aren't sure where exactly you are in the story. I'm not sure if this is intentional on behalf of the author or just oversight, but thankfully as the story continues it becomes much, much easier to follow along. I actually came to love the format in the second half of the book, as I figured out more of the storyline and grew more attached to the characters. However, if you are a reader that simply does not like stories that jump around through time and perspective, this probably isn't the story for you.

The other thing I heard from readers was that the characters weren't developed enough or that they didn't connect to the characters or couldn't "root for them." I disagree. One of the beautiful things about Patchett's writing is she can tell you everything you need to know about a character in very few words and she doesn't waste your attention by fleshing out every detail. She lets you in on what the characters are feeling only when it is necessary. I found each of the characters in this story unique in all the ways they needed to be. You find out more about some characters than others. I found myself most attached to the point of view of Franny, who is the character with whom we spend the most time. I would have gladly read a novel solely from Franny's perspective, though that would have resulted in an entirely different book. The characters of this story are very human. They aren't overly flawed or overly virtuous; they're just people. I didn't need any other reason to "root for them" than that. They each have to deal with the chaos of their lives, and they do so imperfectly.

Though Patchett doesn't spell everything out for you (which I love her for), there is a subtle theme of forgiveness/redemption in this story that I found beautiful and a little heartbreaking. The members of these two families don't live in perfect harmony, but they also don't harbor any dramatic grudges, which I found refreshing. I would have gladly read another 300 pages of this story.
1465492
This is such a beautiful story. I just finished it last night and I absolutely loved it. There are so many thought provoking passages. The characters are wonderful. It really makes you think about priorities in life and making every second count. Also, that beauty comes from within and we all know that in theory, but this book celebrates inner beauty. I highly recommend this book. It's so touching on many levels.
2466847
A beautiful and moving story.  The beginning reminded me of "Wuthering Heights" with governess, the lonely landowner who has employed the young beautiful woman who has just lost her family and the desolate out of the way village with the kind young parson.  But there the two stories part ways.  And I was thrilled and entranced with the journey that I found myself on.  I felt like I had indeed stepped back in time to a small English village with 1900 morals and views.  I loved the rhythm of the story.  It allowed me time to savor the revealing of the plot, neither rushing or dragging out the story. A good story teller knows just when to dim the lights and when to turn them up and Clare Flynn is a good story teller.
"I received a free copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review."