BOOK REVIEW | 'The Seven Year Slip' by Ashley Poston
- Alex
- Jan 3
- 5 min read
A Genre, Mashup, Sibling, Paranormal Ghost fiction ~ 4 out of 5 Stars
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Dominant Tropes:
Sub-Dominant Tropes:
Worthy of Note:
Media: Kindle
POV: First Person
BLOG
INTRO
I read this book while on holiday, and stayed up past 1am reading it last night, and then stayed in bed until 10am this morning to finish it. So that says something doesn't it. But don't get too excited. When I am working and have to be up at 5am on weekdays I could be reading the best book in the world and I still wouldn't sacrifice my sleep for a book - no matter how good it was.
I'm trying to remember how I found this book. Oh! That's right it was a nominee for Goodreads 2024 Readers' Favorite Romance, with 30,820 votes, which ranked it as the 9th highest voted book. Emily Henry's Happy Place ended up winning with 157,687 votes. I've read Happy Place, I haven't written a review yet - I may never. I mean it was good, but I can't remember much about it. But maybe that's because I didn't write a review - which does seem to help me think a little deeper about a story and help me remember how I felt about the characters.
CONFLICT
External: The main conflict arises as Clementine grapples with the changes in Iwan over time and struggles to reconcile the person he was with the person he has become.
Internal: She also faces internal conflicts about her own identity and what she truly wants in life.
TENSION
Primarily driven by the arbitrary time travel enabled by the magical apartment.
There is also emotional and romantic tension between Clementine and Iwan spanning different time periods.
"His gaze rose to mine, pale gray eyes, sharp and bright, pinning me to the spot like a moth to a corkboard, and I felt every muscle in my body tense."
On top of this is a healthy dose of personal growth for our protag as she navigates change, loss, grief and love.
PLOT
Once you get your head around the fact that the magical apartment decides when time travel occurs, the rest of the plot is your standard genre fiction, a journey of obstacles that gets you to your HEA. There was only one thing that I was sure was a clue and would happen, but surprisingly it didn't. I will always wonder about the name of Iwan's restaurant. I would have meant more if he had called it Lemon, but instead the author went with Hyacinth which has a symbolic meaning of love, passion and rebirth, but I did not get that as a lay reader.. I had to google that to understand why the author chose that name.
THEME
The story explores themes of love, loss, second chances, and the acceptance of change.
TONE
Whimsical, nostalgic with a dusting of emotional introspectiveness.
You can't add a magical element into a story without creating a whimsical tone, and Poston doesn't disappoint here. It's a heartwarming story.
SETTING
A magical apartment located in New York city, coloured with culinary delights.
"The sourdough crust crunchy, the meld of cheeses harmonious. Mine had chopped chunks of mushrooms and bell peppers, mayonnaise spiced with a little sriracha, and it was very much bliss."
CHARACTERS
The story delves deep into Clementine's internal struggles, her grief, and her journey towards self-discovery and acceptance. Clementine West is a successful book publicist grappling with grief and her sense of identity. Her character is well-rounded, showing vulnerability, resilience and growth throughout the story. Her motivations are clear, she seeks understanding, closure and a sense of purpose after inheriting her aunt's magical apartment.
Iwan is an aspiring chef with dreams and ambitions that evolve over time. Young Iwan shows ambition and idealism. Old Iwan reflects the changes and challenges he has faced.
Analea, Clementine's aunt while dead plays a significant role in this story. Her presence is felt throughout the story, especially when scenes occur in the magical apartment.
CLIMAX
Clementine, admits to herself that her work is not what it use to be for her, it doesn't make her happy so she resigns. She also realises she cannot live in the past with young Iwan in her magical apartment for the rest of her life. She must say goodbye to him and also let her dead aunt go. She must let go of the past, and seek out her future, whatever that may be.
I really had thought Iwan was going to name is restaurant Lemon, and I think that would have really sealed the ending for me.
RESOLUTION
All the good happy feels that come from a HEA and personal growth that moves the protag into the future, where they should be headed.
RATING BREAKDOWN
ELEMENT | OF A NOVEL | RATING |
Conflict | The lifeblood of a story, creating Tension, launching Plot and evoking Theme. | 4 / 5 |
Tension | Something ominous, simmering under the surface. Comes to fruition beginning of Act 2 | 4 / 5 |
Plot | A strong plot is centred on one moment. Raising a dramatic question to be answered. | 4 / 5 |
Theme | An important idea woven throughout the story. Links a big idea about our world with the action of the text. | 4 / 5 |
Tone | The mood implied by the Author's word choice. The way the text makes the reader feel. | 4 / 5 |
Setting | Relates to the time and place in which the story is told. | 4 / 5 |
Characters | Are they unique, three-dimensional, with depth, personality and clear motivations? | 4 / 5 |
Climax | The most exciting part of the story, when the Conflict is resolved. i.e. when the dragon is slayed. | 3.5 / 5 |
Resolution | The end of the story, occurring after the climax, when we learn what happens to the characters after the conflict is resolved. | 3.5 / 5 |
TOTAL | | 3.9 / 5 |
GOODREADS STAR RATING SYSTEM
0 stars = Goodreads doesn't offer up a description for zero star ratings.
1 star = "Did not like it."
2 stars = "It was okay."
3 stars = "liked it."
4 stars = "Really liked it"
5 stars = "It was amazing."
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