Book: By the Orchid and the Owl by Mariah Montoya
Reviewed by Your_bookish_fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5
๐
ฝ๏ธ๐
พ๏ธ ๐๏ธ๐
ฟ๏ธ๐
พ๏ธ๐
ธ๏ธ๐
ป๏ธ๐
ด๏ธ๐๏ธ๐๏ธ
๐ป๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ง๐๐๐จ ๐ ๐- The Orchid and the Owl
โ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ค-
๐ฃ ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ.5 (out of 5 stars, my rating scale is at the end)
๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ.5 / 5
๐ก๏ธ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ซ/ 5
โ๏ธ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น- >>>๐<<<
(๐: ๐ถ๐ข๐ก๐๐ ๐ฆ ๐ ๐ก๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ฆ โ๏ธ: แตแตแตสฐสฐสฐ หขแตแตแตแตสธ แตแตแตแตหกแตโขโขโข ๐: ๐
๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐ MฬถEฬถNฬถUฬถ ๐ณ -๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ !! โ ๏ธ: PอIอTอCอHอ BอLอAอCอKอ!)
๐๐๐ช ๐๐๐๐ :
โข๐# 422 ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐
๐ง# 11 ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ 42 ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐๐ฒ๐ (I ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ 1.45 ๐๐๐๐๐)
โข๐๐ผ๐ ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐? 2 days
โข# single 1st person ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฉ / # ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
โข๐ฅ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ- February 2024
โข๐ฃ๐น๐ผ๐ or ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ driven? Mixed
โข๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ก๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ & ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐ป๐ผ- The Esholian Institute (#1)
โข๐๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ on ๐๐จ? โ
โข๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ- ๐ฅฐ
โข๐ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ?โ
โข๐ ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ๐; ๐จ๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
, ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐, ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ณ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฏ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ฏ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐.
โ๐โ๐โ๐ผ๐
๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐ค & ๐น๐๐ฅ๐ฃ๐๐ช๐๐๐ค
๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฐ
๐ช๐๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ค๐ค๐ก
๐ฏ๏ธ๐ฝ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
๐ซ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐ก๐ก๐๐๐
๐คฉEpic Side Characters
๐ฅ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง
๐คUncovering Conspiracies
๐ฅธAmateur Sleuthing
๐ แทแฉแTแดแ
๐ก ๐๐ค๐ซ๐๐ง๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ฃ๐๐ข๐๐๐จ
๐ค๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐ถ
๐งจ๐๐๐ค๐ค๐ช ๐ฝ๐โ
โฐ๏ธ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐งโโ๏ธ๐๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฐ
โ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐
๐งโโ๏ธ๐ฝ๐๐
CWโs ๐
Bullying
Mind manipulation
Human Experimentation/Torture
Murder
โจ Tแผแดแฐแดี โจ
Hogwarts x Divergent
Vibes: Beauty, tranquility and peace of both magic and nature; combined with secrets, betrayals, medium tension and suspense of hidden agendas.
My favourite quotes:
โI never said you could trust all of me, little hurricane.โ
โYou burst with unexplained power, take a pill from a stranger, join the Wild Whisperers by attracting a magnificent white tiger to your side, get shoved against a wall by the greasiest bully Iโve ever seen in my life, and demand privacy with a dangerous Mind Manipulator all in your first week at the Institute, and thatโs the first thing you ask? Where the music is coming from?โ
๐บ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐น๐ฌ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ ๐๐, ๐ณ๐ฐ๐บ๐ป๐ฌ๐ต ๐๐ ๐๐?
(๐โ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ก- ๐ต๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ด๐ข๐๐๐?)
Ahhhh so the audio book was damn good but the story is strong enough to stand on its own. So go for your usual format to enjoy this read!
๐ธ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐น๐ ๐ ๐ โ๐๐ง๐๐๐จ:
Brilliant narrator and an absolutely brilliant book! Went out and bought book 2 immediately after completing this as I needed to know what happened next! I expected more of a cozy romance vibe going from the cover but instead I got a delicious story full of secrets and mysteries, magic and experiments! And great spice! Highly recommended !!!
The narration of this book really helped me want to keep reading and the reason I was up until very early am! The way in which Amy Hall expressed the emotions in this story was authentic, passionate and you can really tell that she understood and โfeltโ the book.
There is multiple people, animals, plants to voice and Amy voiced them perfectly - there was never a time in which I was confused on what she should be conveying and it made this book super easy to follow along!
Super clear audio production too, I never had any issues with the quality of the audiobook at all!
๐ ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐จ๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐:
First, the comedy in this book was done so so well! The comedic timing was top. I was laughing out loud multiple times. Bravo!
The mix of adventure and cozy is really surprising and done really well.
The world building was so well written, the world was vibrant, it was intricate and detailed, and I could actually imagine every scene and facet of the institute and world in my mind and I became completely immersed in it! You donโt get overwhelmed because of a huge info dump. And you can follow along the story without feeling like you need to re read the first hundred pages a few times to understand the story. I never felt like I was lacking context on anything, everything felt well paced and intentional and I LOVED the fact this book wasnโt enemies to lovers (though maybe book two will be!) I appreciated that we actually got some magic lesson time too! The amount of detail the author puts in every scene during Raynaโs classes and lessons was so great I felt like I was actually watching it instead of reading it. Thatโs how good of a writing style this was!
The magic system was so intricate, well thought out and just plain fascinating! The overall concept was just well put together, especially the wild whispering! you had groupings of magic, diversity in magic and in all walks of life, fun cliche clicks within the housing of magic, and wonderful representation! and it was just different from what Iโm used to. it was very interesting to discover where the magic came from and how everything happened at the same time as the FMC did. I really enjoyed the mystery/suspense that is woven throughout the academic setting and truly loved learning how to wield the various magical abilities that include animals and nature. My favorite part of the whole set up was when they were on stage during the Branding ceremony and finding out what everyoneโs power was.
The plot twists and turns kept me on my toes and screaming at my book several times! I did not see what was coming! The whole story and foreshadowing was so well executed!!
๐งโโ๏ธ โ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ค:
The characters are mostly well crafted and complex, they had depth and changed and grew along with the story which made their choiceโs completely believable in all of their actions as they struggle past each hurdle. I am particularly obsessed with the many side characters . Rodhi for example-made me laugh every time he appeared on page and it was just what was needed.
The animal sidekicks and friendships between characters in this book really set it apart. You have many layered friendship in this story (losing them and gaining them, love, finding oneself, trials, bullying, angst, and some spice all in oneโฆand this is just book 1!!!! I really appreciated the found family vibes they created.
Letโs talk about the MMC. Coen. Heโs one of the best book boyfriend Iโve read about tbh. Heโs protective, heโs sweet, heโs nice to her from the beginning ! And not some bully whoโs bullying her because he likes her and wants her attention.
And HEโS HOT. I was actually giggling out loud at his quips!
๐ฅ ๐๐๐ช ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ค๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ค?
Because some parts of the characters choices just didnโt flow all that well, for example:-
>Rayna. She wasn't that bad, but her characterization really declined for me as the book went on. It didn't help that she's also a Mary Sue kinda character when it comes to her power/abilities. I especially don't like her relationships with the other characters. To Coen, Emelle, etc. she's a different person before she stepped foot in the institute ๐ญ
>Quinn. Her sudden switched up to being a bitch was all over the place. No build-up at all, so it felt random. I wished it took at least a couple weeks before she started pulling away and turning into a bitch but right after they stepped out of the carriage was kinda funny in a ??? way
>Coen. Hmmmโฆ. heโs a fifth year. It's kind of strange to imagine a fifth year paying attention to a first year LIKE THAT. I don't care about the age gap but the instant attraction is questionable. they had a potential but they jumped right to it so it made me think that maybe he wasn't the actual mmc?
โณ ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฃ๐-๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ฃ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐?
Yes! I highly highly highly recommend this book! Donโt walk f*ckin sprint!
๐ชง๐ฝ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฅ๐ค:
Donโt let the cover fool you, although itโs cozy-ish, there so much adventure, mystery and steam in this beautiful written story of secrets, magic and high stakes!
๐น๐๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ ;
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐
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๐๐ช โ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐ช๐ค๐ฅ๐๐๐ค:
โญ๏ธ DNF
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
I managed to finish it but it was rubbish. I won't keep a physical copy and won't recommend it, but it's a shame as the plot could have made a good book in another author's hands
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธ.5
It was OK. I wish I didn't start this one as it didn't do it for me as I struggled to read it. It had an interesting premise that fell flat but I had to see what happened in the end.
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
I don't regret reading it, and I will read the next one, but this one did have a few flaws. [These could be repetitive writing, gaps or plot holes, better character growth or world building, areas needing more detail]
Generally, the book lacked depth and became confusing. The plot resonated with me even though it annoyed me on the whole.
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ.5
I'm glad I read it. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to the right people, but I wanted more! Sadly, it's easily forgettable with a few issues I just couldn't overlook/get past.
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
Good book! I loved it, but... I needed more! I really did enjoy it, but it had a few parts that needed more detail or added history/background or lore. But that's because the story or characters were memorable, and the plot was strong with brilliant twists. I would re-read if I needed to catch up for the next book and would recommend.
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ.5
Great book! I truly wish the story had been thought about more, or the author had been given more time as this book is so close to brilliance! I will likely read again and will definitely be recommending it to all!
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
WOW! Absolutely amazing book! Well written with great characters and a plot so memorable that it will stay with me. I will definitely read this again, I will be recommending it and sharing it with the whole world! Also- I NEED A PHYSICAL COPY!
๐ฅโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ๐ฅ
This is my God level tier. The book must be perfectly memorable. Even after reading 50+ more books, I will remember character names and emotions along with the plot. If there is a special edition, then I need to own it! If there is a conversation on books- I'm talking about this!
SPICE SCALE:
๐ถ๏ธโ segsual language and a little on-page action
๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธโ a lot of segsual language and some on-page open door action, may be occurring a couple of times
๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธโ a lot of explicit action and dirty talk, occurring frequently with 2/3 lurvers
๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ โ super graphic and explicit, occurring 4 or more times, can be more grey and taboo themed.
๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ โ Kinks and Fet!shism, explicit and super graphic. It is likely to be tushy play, toys, playrooms, and more dark / taboo fantasies and realities.