★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
4.25

This is a story between Quinta and Twain, who leads two very different lives in Severon and they were destined to encounter each other at The Vermilion Emporium, a mysterious curiosity shop that appears in town out of nowhere. And then their lives were bound together eternally.

The book is full of magic and love, the perfect mixture of Howl's Moving Castle and The Radium Girls. The characters were excellently written, it was so fascinating to read about them, especially Twain and Quinta. I liked the insta love gesture between these two and reading about them and their adventures throughout the book were quite exciting! I do love the slow lyricism of this book but it felt like the story dragged on a little bit. Or else it’s a totally five star for me!

The Vermilion Emporium is a YA Fantasy novel, pitched as Howl's Moving Castle meets The Radium Girls. As I'm a fan of these both, I felt so happy while reading this book. Hope to read more books by the author more in future.

Thanks to NetGalley, Peachtree Teen, and Jamie Pacton for this e-ARC!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for access to the eARC in exchange for a review

On the same day a reckless boy finds a mysterious strand of starlight, a magical curiosity shop suddenly appears in a perfectly unsuspecting alleyway. And later on that same day, the ordinary daughter of an extraordinary performer chases rumors of the shop no-one can seem to find.

When Quinta and Twain first meet outside The Vermillion Emporium, an adventure like no other begins to unravel before them. With the starlight Twain’s discovered and the magic hiding within Quinta, the two set out to learn lacework, a secret craft that’s been lost to history - and begin weaving the silvery threads into magical garments that have their own magical capabilities. Their talents catches many an eye, but not all those who want Quinta’s magical lace have the most noble intentions, and they’ll do anything to discover her secrets.

I’m convinced magic was woven into the very threads of this story. Pitched as Howl's Moving Castle meets The Radium Girls, The Vermillion Emporium is a marvelous blend of fantasy and romance, complete with shimmering moments that are tinged with a lurking darkness around the edges.

While some may not like the insta-lovey dynamic between the two main characters (i myself not minding), it just felt right for this kind of story. Quinta and Twain are such captivating characters, and i really enjoyed watching them fall in love with each other and explore their world together. Watching these two interact read and felt like a daydream.

For rep: the main characters consist of a white bi fmc and poc mmc. There are lesbian side characters who are in a relationship, and there are various minor and major characters of color. Few if any vague skin color descriptions are given, and most often if a character was introduced their race was described in terms of White, Black, Tan, and Brown.

The opening hook of this book was great, and I loved the echo of the same first line in the second chapter, tying the two characters together from the start. However, I DNFed at 13%. The interior monologues felt repetitive, and it made the story drag for me, and once I started to see how many similes there were I couldn't unsee them. That said, I think there are lots of readers who would really love the slow lyricism of this book because it wasn't bad, it just wasn't for me.

I really enjoyed this book. It has been a while since I read a YA book, but the world that Jamie Pacton wrote was so enthralling. I could not put it down. This book felt really nostalgic to me, and it just made me so happy. I think this is a great book for any age to read!