I think this would have been better if it had not been the third one in a row about abuse. The Fae part was interesting but couldn't hold me because of the abuse.

Ich weiß ehrlich gesagt nicht, wie ich dieses Buch bewerten soll, da ich es aufgrund relativ kurzer Ausleihdauer (ohne Verlängerung) nicht lesen konnte.

I’m not sure what to make of this book. A lot of emphasis is placed on this talisman but then not much is said about it. Also, the adults who are supposed to know about this talisman just drop her with it, tell her to be careful using it, then get mad when she doesn’t use it right. What? I’m also not sure how a 12-year-old girl gets a hold of a necklace and no one around her notices? Especially in a household that’s abusive and watches her every move? I’m confused by that. There was a lot of filler that didn’t need to be there. A lot of characters that were there, but then weren’t fully explained. I don’t know, I think the wrong things were emphasized. It’s supposed to be a novel about fantasy but is more a novel about small town racism and domestic/child abuse?

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was such a fun fantasy read! The story was well done and the characters were fun to get to know. I am looking forward to the next installment!

Gifts of the Shavtal is a magical journey about a young girl born with a gift that's only granted to creatures from the Other World. She must learn to use it wisely if she wants to save the people she loves.

This was a really interesting urban fantasy novel. I think it could have been fleshed out a little more, but I overall enjoyed it.

“Talisman” by Toni Yap was a good fantasy YA book for younger teens. I liked the cultural stuff with the book and the moral lessons and family issues. There was a lot of down time and verbally explaining way too much that slows down the book. I think it’s a good book for younger readers because of the cultural differences, the length of the book, and the fun fantasy aspects like the talking animals and stuff. I give the book 4 out of 5 stars.