Boy, this was a ride. A good one that was worth every minute of binge reading this in one go. (Which i recommend to get the full flavor of the story.)
So let me happily ramble about the goods and bads of this and some suggestions too. :) For all those not interested: Just know that this is a beautiful read, a must read tbh. 9.5 outta 10! This is definitely worth reading. Re-reading and I would honestly love to see this be turned into an anime. Give it a try, because I for one really love this story. Those that can appreciate a more mature-view on things, both villains and relationships of supposed lovers alike, can have an absolute gem waiting for them.
Now for the review. This is detailed, hence lengthy, so buckle up! (￣∇￣")
First of, the romance itself. It's incredibly well done. Romantic, innocent, not a shred of creep-factor despite the age-regression and the overal fantasy-type plot element that made it all possible is just very interesting and can create such lovely scenarios! Both of them have such lovely personalities, which makes seeing them just interact normally with one another absolutely precious and satisfying. <3 But even the friends and background characters have such endearing personalities. It's just nice to see them, especially the brother's friend! He's an amazing character.
There are a few issues here and there, sure. Some things could have been done better or just given more detail, some could have been left out. Like the one chapter about the abusive and toxic wannabe girlfriend. She did NOT need screentime, that simply further proved that she was a bitch. But I digress. ╮(￣▽￣)╭ I think the pace could have been slightly slower, allowing for more detail and emotions to settle. But overall i think it was well done regardless. The thing that bothered me somewhat was the logic all in all. None of the characters truly seemed to consider the seemingly pedo-type factor of the relationship (to outsides), nobody once mentioned the idea of going to the cops. But, granted, this allowed for a really intriguing story to unfold. And as I am unaware what the brother's exact mental issues are and how they can portray in real life, it MIGHT be an option that it actually overshadows his need to react 'normal' and call the cops. He acted borderline sociopathic at times, so I expect nothing normal from him. XD
Which brings me to a spoiler-ish part of the review, so beware, tho you can skip: The villain and his writing.
SPOILER START One of the things i think they should have been more detailed about is the brother's first unnoticable but then more and more very obvious mental problems. Making his breakdown more severe to match the situations and have him revert back to the vulnerable child he actually is inside would have made even more impact than it already does in some moments. What drove him wasn't a bad personality or malice, it was a child desperately clinging onto that ONE aspect in his life he was allowed control over. And he's honestly a tragic character, so I was very happy to see the author not just discard him as a bad guy, as so many authors do, but instead help save him as well. He was treated like a person, who was able to change, who deserved change because he was very clearly in need of help. His character was perfectly done in terms of making him realistic and both charismatic and dislikable to equal amounts. Tho this might not be the case for people who just do not understand mental illness and such struggles. That I'm aware of. He was a great mix of good and bad traits and I would honestly throw him into the ranks of some Hollywood movie villains! Sure, as I said, his shock-part and turn around was a bit too weak for my taste, but all in all his personality itself and the changes he underwent were really great to witness. He's one of those characters I simply cannot dislike, even after he was introduced as the villain. And i wanted him to get saved too, despite his wrongdoings. Which I'm happy turned out to be the case. :) SPOILER ENDING
I'm sure I forgot some stuff, but this is the main points that I find important to mention. Thanks for coming to my TED talk. :)
Boy, this was a ride. A good one that was worth every minute of binge reading this in one go. (Which i recommend to get the full flavor of the story.)
So let me happily ramble about the goods and bads of this and some suggestions too. :)
For all those not interested: Just know that this is a beautiful read, a must read tbh. 9.5 outta 10!
This is definitely worth reading. Re-reading and I would honestly love to see this be turned into an anime.
Give it a try, because I for one really love this story. Those that can appreciate a more mature-view on things, both villains and relationships of supposed lovers alike, can have an absolute gem waiting for them.
Now for the review. This is detailed, hence lengthy, so buckle up! (￣∇￣")
First of, the romance itself.
It's incredibly well done. Romantic, innocent, not a shred of creep-factor despite the age-regression and the overal fantasy-type plot element that made it all possible is just very interesting and can create such lovely scenarios!
Both of them have such lovely personalities, which makes seeing them just interact normally with one another absolutely precious and satisfying. <3
But even the friends and background characters have such endearing personalities. It's just nice to see them, especially the brother's friend! He's an amazing character.
There are a few issues here and there, sure. Some things could have been done better or just given more detail, some could have been left out. Like the one chapter about the abusive and toxic wannabe girlfriend. She did NOT need screentime, that simply further proved that she was a bitch. But I digress. ╮(￣▽￣)╭
I think the pace could have been slightly slower, allowing for more detail and emotions to settle. But overall i think it was well done regardless.
The thing that bothered me somewhat was the logic all in all. None of the characters truly seemed to consider the seemingly pedo-type factor of the relationship (to outsides), nobody once mentioned the idea of going to the cops. But, granted, this allowed for a really intriguing story to unfold. And as I am unaware what the brother's exact mental issues are and how they can portray in real life, it MIGHT be an option that it actually overshadows his need to react 'normal' and call the cops. He acted borderline sociopathic at times, so I expect nothing normal from him. XD
Which brings me to a spoiler-ish part of the review, so beware, tho you can skip: The villain and his writing.
SPOILER START
One of the things i think they should have been more detailed about is the brother's first unnoticable but then more and more very obvious mental problems. Making his breakdown more severe to match the situations and have him revert back to the vulnerable child he actually is inside would have made even more impact than it already does in some moments.
What drove him wasn't a bad personality or malice, it was a child desperately clinging onto that ONE aspect in his life he was allowed control over. And he's honestly a tragic character, so I was very happy to see the author not just discard him as a bad guy, as so many authors do, but instead help save him as well. He was treated like a person, who was able to change, who deserved change because he was very clearly in need of help.
His character was perfectly done in terms of making him realistic and both charismatic and dislikable to equal amounts.
Tho this might not be the case for people who just do not understand mental illness and such struggles. That I'm aware of.
He was a great mix of good and bad traits and I would honestly throw him into the ranks of some Hollywood movie villains! Sure, as I said, his shock-part and turn around was a bit too weak for my taste, but all in all his personality itself and the changes he underwent were really great to witness. He's one of those characters I simply cannot dislike, even after he was introduced as the villain. And i wanted him to get saved too, despite his wrongdoings. Which I'm happy turned out to be the case. :)
SPOILER ENDING
I'm sure I forgot some stuff, but this is the main points that I find important to mention.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk. :)