Member Reviews
“Leprechauns are not twee beings dreamed up by the tourist board, but warriors of legend. That name comes from the Celtic god of commerce and war, Lugh. Their mission, their life’s work, is to protect the gold. What better way to hide it than to become a joke, a story nobody takes seriously?”
― Kathy Bryson, Fighting Mad
I was drawn to this book not only because of the beautiful cover but as a woman of Irish descent I was raised on tales of the fae and leprechauns and couldn't wait to see the author's take on these rich legends!
As soon as I opened the book and read the dedication "To my Dad, who was all the luck I ever needed" I knew I was in for a treat.
Colver is our main character, a woman who on her 18th birthday, suddenly finds herself without any luck. This after living a life blessed with the best of luck. . She is being raised by Momma Ruth, her paternal grandmother as her father is serving time in jail. Through a series of events, she meets the leprechaun Finn (a 6ft 4in heartthrob), who, unbeknownst to her, has been her magical guardian since she was born.. Clover learns that years ago, before she was even born, her father sold her naming to another fairy, Alistar, in order to repay a debt he owed. The currency was not money, however. It was luck. Now, Clover, Finn and other Fae beings must stop Alistair and his dark plans for Clover.
I enjoyed this book! It was a fun, fast read. I liked to see that the author had done some research on the fae, knowing the details about the Seelie and Unseelie courts. I liked that Clover was not perfect, that she had to learn as she went along. She wasn't just a natural-born assassin or a show-stopping beauty (as so many MC are described). She was an average young woman who was very relatable.
I can imagine this being made into a Hallmark St. Patrick's Day movie or perhaps on the Disney channel.
Thank you to the Publishers, Nicole Kilpatrick and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Clover is reimagines the leprechaun trope by depicting them as handsome, powerful fairies instead of the little mischievous spiriter of lore.
This has everything I was hoping it would, adventure and love which is told in a beautiful way. It also have all the creatures that lovers of fae books have seen before.
The characters in Clover are very interesting though at times left me wanting to know more about them. The main characters are Clover and Finn though the book is centered around Clover.
The aspect of luck is one that is something that everyone wants when everything is not going the way they want it to, something that Clover hasn’t needed to worry about.
The world is definitely an interesting one and I would love to read more books from this world.
Overall I really enjoyed Clover and I really loved Nicole Kilpatrick’s writing.
Clover is a book that that spins a tale of leprechauns, fairies and luck. I thought the book was a really easy read! I got through it in no time. I also loved the use of luck and leprechauns in the book, as it is not something I have seen in young adult fiction before.
The book did feel very cliche to me, which is something that can either be good or bad. I do feel like all the characters were very predictable, but not in a bad way. Despite the fact that the book read like a Wattpad fanfiction and played into so many stereotypes, I would say that it was still enjoyable. I would have liked to see more interesting and original characters, as the ones present, especially the main characters were very basic.
My favourite character was Momma Ruth! I loved her spunk and she was such a fun character to read about. I also really enjoyed Helena and Scobert’s dynamic and I would like to see more of them in future books!
Overall, this was a quick and cute read and if you don’t mind a cliche once in a while, I would say it’s worth a read.
I was immediately drawn to this book by its premise. We've all had our ups and downs with luck, and I think everyone would appreciate more providence in their lives. I was especially hoping to see whether the book would play with bad luck along with the good.
Unfortunately, I don't think the concepts were executed very well. The worldbuilding was okay, uncommon but not particularly spectacular. There are some info dumps to keep the reader updated with the lore which I'm ambivalent about.
Story-wise, it just wasn't anything to marvel over. Most things happened because the plot required it and many events and decisions didn't make sense to me.
The characters were flat and one-dimensional. They were so bland that it was hard to connect or feel any emotion for them. I especially disliked the way the female characters were written. Clover's romantic rivalry, so to speak, was unnecessary and pits girls against girls, which I despise. But other than that, nearly every woman in the story was connected to a man and those relationships were very much highlighted.
The writing was simplistic and, at times, stilted. What weirded me out the most was how it varied wildly in tone. Stylistically, I would have pegged this as a kids' story or aimed at the middle grades. But content-wise? Man, it was just so sexually suggestive. It's also highly nope to me that Clover's love interest is Finn, the person who has looked after her since she was an infant.
Overall, I feel like this book has an identity crisis. Perhaps this is down to weak editing. Or maybe the YA audience will love this because of prevailing trends thus far. But honestly, I was hoping for this book to break the mold and it didn't do that.
An adventurous debut from Nicole Kilpatrick, filled with mystery, tension, romance, and a few intensely attractive leprechauns. Clover is definitely worth the read, I couldn't put it down. There are still quite a few lose ends so I'm hoping this means there's more to come for Clover and Finn.
Not the leprechauns from your childhood! Clover is a fun, fast paced read with extremely likable and endearing characters. A solid debut novel for Kilpatrick. The world building pulls your in and immerses you into a world where luck is commodity and the fae walk among us. With more of the story and world to explore I will be on the lookout for a sequel.
Clover
by Nicole Kilpatrick
Melange Books
Fire & Ice Young Adult Books
Sci Fi & Fantasy | Teens & YA
This was an enjoyable read for me. There was enough adventure and world building to keep me interested, and the characters had enough life in them to get me invested. I feel the level of intrigue and evil plotting was appropriate for the Teens & YA category, without being too juvenile or too adult. I would recommend Clover to others and would be willing to read more of Nicole Kilpatrick's work in the future.
Thank you , to NetGalley and Melange Books for granting my wish and providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks to Nichole Kilpatrick, Victory Editing, and Netgalley for the ARC.
Colver is a young woman, who at 18, suddenly finds herself without any luck. She meets the leprechaun Finn, who, unbeknownst to her, has been taking care of her since she was a baby. Clover learns that her jailed father sold her naming to another Fae in exchange for a debt owed. Clover, Finn and other Fae beings must stop Alistair from completing the job he set in motion 18 years earlier.
This was a fun read. There are leprechauns, shape shifters and Fae all mashed together. It has a very YA feel and the romance is tame so this would be an excellent read for anyone interested in the fae world.
Overall, I'm giving it 4.5 stars!
Let it be known that I have a weak spot when it comes to anything fae fantasy fiction and Clover was a wonderful surprise. Kilpatrick offers such a refreshing look into the leprechaun world. The characters were artistically thought out and her plot was captivating.
I look forward to reading more from Nicole Kilpatrick
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thank you so much to net galley for sending me a copy of clover. This book sounds extremely exciting and I was very interested in it. Unfortunately I wasn’t into the book and ending up not finishing it, I don’t know why I wasn’t a fan but I just wasn’t
Clover who has been 'charmed' all her life loses her luck on her 18th birthday. She finds out the reason is leprechauns who not only exist, they are also not little men in green, but gorgeous human-looking specimens of supernatural beings. At least Finn is. Now she is immune to luck, there is a curse attached to her name that includes an evil plan, so she must travel to the Fairy Realm to undo the spell.
The multiple POVs flesh out the story, with a distinct voice for each character, while the frequent back and forths grasp your attention and make it more exciting. We feel like we're in the loop, even though all intentions are not clear from the beginning and the mystery of the reason for the spell lingers. I really like that we see the POV of the villain. There is no denying Alistair is a conniving and intelligent one.
A wonderful mythology, the author expertly puts together existing myths and her own creativity. I really enjoyed how different histories of characters, some unexpected, were depicted as private musings. Richly embellished with great secondary characters, Diana the cat is a delight. Haven't loved a pet so much since Bernie Kosar in I Am Number Four.
Liz was, in my opinion, an unneeded cliche and really didn't serve any purpose to the plot. Instead of tension she brought irritation. Her last scene was cringe-worthy. Also a declaration of love feels a little rushed, but you realize it's needed to further the story, and you don't really mind cause you like the couple. Unless this ends up being the first of a series, some things went unresolved.
Key themes here are loyalty and the need to do what is right.
Utterly charming with a welcoming narrative, the author obviously has a great sense of humor and an even greater sense of adventure. Full of surprises, just when you think you've figured out the catalyst, a reveal bomb torches whatever you were thinking. The final conflict is done admirably and I finished this book with a smile on my face.
It’s a cute novel but I honestly didn’t really connect with the characters. I’d say it’s a perfect read when you’re in between really intense books. I was a bit disappointed tbh
This started out well but fell away for me. It just lacked a really powerful hook that I really wanted.
I do think that this book had a lot of potential and the writing did seem well. The topic of the book didn't really jive well with me as it just seemed to not have e a solid grounding for me.
*I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Melange Books and Nicole Kilpatrick*
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS (however none are too big to ruin the main plotline)
Clover is a reimagination of the leprechaun trope, in this book they are not the short creatures that they are widely known as they are instead more like high fae. Clover has had eighteen years of good luck thanks to a leprechaun that her dad met before she was born. However, now it is her eighteen birthday and that luck is about to run out. As this leprechaun named her she is in danger of falling to the mercy of the dark magic used.
Teamed up with Finnegan Ryan, the leprechaun assigned to her for her good luck, she must travel to Ireland to seek the help of the Seelie queen. With her help, she will try to uncover the dark leprechaun’s plans and find a way out of the spell.
I really loved this twist on the classic leprechaun tale. The interpretation of this is probably the best thing about this book. It quite well-known now that I absolutely love a good fae story and this one is almost on par with some of my favourites.
One part that I really did not like and actually found a little bit creepy was the fact that Finn is in love with Clover. Now I bet you’re wondering why that is creepy. Well, Finn has watched over Clover since she was a baby which to me is a little unsettling. I really wanted to like them together because well the book really pushes you to, but it made me feel quite uncomfortable at times.
There are not really any characters that I didn’t particularly like, but this is mostly down to the fact that we don’t really get to know any of them very well. I’m guessing this is something that we will get more of in the second book as this one was definitely more of a setting up the plot line and character relationships kind of book. With that being said, I am looking forward to seeing what will happen in the next book and I’m excited to learn more about this interesting leprechaun twist.
Overall, Clover was a fun and interesting read which is perfect for anyone looking for an easy to follow story. It is a reasonably quick read and the plot one is one that should be of interest to anyone who loves books about the fae. Check out Clover when it is out on December 1st.
A cute and charming book. Some of the characters weren’t explored very well. This may have been unintentional or the author may have future books planned in this world. I would have preferred a bit more resolution for all characters but I was left with the impression that some characters were just going to have to move on with the pain and unknown of the past.
This new modern take on the world of the Fey was great! I loved Clover and just couldn't stop hoping that everything was going to turn out ok. I just fell so hard for these characters and really hope we get another story set in this world.
What power is there in a name? How much does luck play in ones life and what happens if you suddenly lose it?
This is a story about luck, love family and coming of age.
The story takes place in the real world and crosses into the Fairy Realm. If you are looking for a fantasy with hard magic system and in depth world building this is probably not the book for you, but if you are young at heart and are looking for a fun, flirty, feel good story this is the book for you.
This book is full of fairy, gnomes, sprites, merfolk, leprechauns and the like and Nicole Kilpatrick turns the trope on its ear. Specifically, the leprechauns. We tend to think of them as mischievous little imps, hoarding and protecting their gold. Or the Lucky Charms leprechaun. In Kilpatrick’s world they are tall, handsome/beautiful beings that use glamour's to tone down their beauty when they in the human world so that they can blend in among us.
The story was a little choppy in the beginning, I will admit I was a little lost at a couple points but around 30-35 pages in it smoothed out and it became a wonderful, fun, feel good fantasy with a lot of twists, turns and a few surprises thrown in. If you like a light fantasy and a need a fun pick-me-up this is the book for you. I challenge anyone to finish book without a smile on their face
Clover is on the verge of her 18th birthday and they had been 18 years of extraordinary luck. This luck did not apply to her family life. Clover’s mother left when she was incredibly young, her father had sent her to live with his mother because he felt he could not give her a good home. But sending her to Momma Ruth had been the best choice her father had made in his life.
The reason for her luck and her father’s downfall were connected. A fact she learns on her 18th birthday when her luck turns bad and Finnegan Ryan appears to her for the first time and changes Clover’s life forever.
Finn was the leprechaun assigned to her as her guardian leprechaun, her constant companion, invisible to the household, with the exception of, Diana the cat and when Finn appears to her for the first time it is for a reason, a curse. She is in danger and only a trip to the fairy realm with him could possibly save her.
So buckle your seat belt because the trip starts here and it gonna get wild, with twists, turns, and bumps.
Clover is a debut novel by Nicole Kilpatrick is to be published by Melange Books / Fire and Ice Youth Books as a YA-Teen SciFi/Fantasy and I give it 4 stars.
this was a really unique read of a leprechaun story. I loved the use of magic and the other characters, I enjoyed going on this journey and had a lot of fun reading this. I enjoyed reading this and look forward to more from the author.
Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Clover in exchange for an honest review.
Clover spends the first 18 years of her life as a normal, if not extremely lucky girl. Or so she thinks. Unbeknownst to her, her now incarcerated father made a deal granting her 18 years of good luck granted at the hands of leprechaun guardian named Finn who's been tasked with watching over her. When Clover reaches her 18th birthday and the deal is coming to a close, Finn releases that the deal he was helping carry out may have been more sinister than he previously thought and does the unthinkable by revealing himself to Clover in an attempt to keep her safe.
This was all in all, a fun, unique take on your standard 'normal girl thrown into Faerie' story. The emphasis on leprechauns made it stand out from other similar stories in the genre and I liked the way the narrative was structured.
I get age gaps are kind of a given in the paranormal/magical-creature romance genre, but something about Finn having literally watched Clover grow up made me a tad uncomfy. I can normally suspend my disbelief and buy into the 'the fae age different so its not predatory!' but Finn originally falls for Clover through watching her grow up which obviously felt paternal so it shifting to romantic felt extra icky to me.
So initially what intrigued me about Clover was the synopsis. That in this interpretation leprechauns were more like high Fae. Overall the entire plot line was very interesting, it could have used a bit more character development for my personal taste. Overall a very original story and was enjoyable especially for an Irish descendant like myself. It could use a few tweaks, one being a cover upgrade in my opinion.