maria isabel singh

I believe my last book review before my hiatus was on my favorite: The Lord of the Rings. And since then, I’ve endeavored to many more classics and hope to review some of those timeless classics here. However, a girl needs a break from so much thinking and with the rise of BookTok and Bookstagram–I fell victim. This isn’t the first and this most certainly won’t be the last, but it is the most recent I’ve read.

Like the title, this book was written with a feather of magic and whimsy. But, perhaps the biggest part of writing that stood out to me in terms of this book was the separation between the love interests, Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt. In other classic enemies to lovers tropes, it’s as if they are always forced in close proximity. Which, don’t get me wrong, we all love. Ross, however, wrote this trope equivalent to a breath of fresh air.

Iris Winnow, though fearful, damaged, and broken–is a protagonist we all wish to be in the brokenness of our own lives. Roman Kitt? We’ve seen men grovel. But we haven’t seen them chase a women into the throws of war. The connection forged by a magical typewriter was the perfect amount of magic a girl needs. Mix that in with beautiful writing from Winnow and Kitt, ergo Ross, it’s a book meant to be read steadily.

Speaking of Winnow and Kitt. What’s beautiful and very rare in the midst of popular books on social media is that these two waited until marriage to have sex, and both were virgins! Yet, it still brought forth those same butterflies in the stomach, I wish this were me, kind of response that other books gave me. And I don’t mean to write this or point this out because I’m Christian. Not at all. I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t burn my eyes out reading Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. It was relieving to feel that once that part was done, I still wanted to continue reading for the sake of the story and how these two would be reconciled in the midst of war, and now, Forest.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“I think we all wear armor. I think those who don’t are fools, risking the pain of being wounded by the sharp edges of the world, over and over again. But if I’ve learned anything from those fools, it is that to be vulnerable is a strength most of us fear. It takes courage to let down your armor, to welcome people to see you as you are.”

“I pray that my days will be long at your side. Let me fill and satisfy every longing in your soul. May your hand be in mine, by sun and by night. Let our breaths twine and our blood become one, until our bones return to dust. Even then, may I find your soul still sworn to mine.”

“I don’t think you realize how strong you are, because sometimes strength isn’t swords and steel and fire, as we are so often made to believe. Sometimes it’s found in quiet, gentle places.”

Rating: 7/10.

My advice? Don’t devour this in one night. Relish in the magic. It is a book, in my opinion, meant for just that on a brisk autumn night.