Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC**

I didn’t read the first book in the series however the author does a great job recapping and explaining the storyline and characters so I didn’t feel lost at all.

The author writes with such description that the characters and world were easy to imagine and dive into. The story was great and has me interested in reading more from the author.

Loved it! Loved it! Loved it! This is so good. The plot, the characters, the story line. I recommend everyone to read this.

The author creates a lush, vivid world filled with music and fantasy in Ballad for Jasmine Town. The description of the setting, the characters, and the story will draw you in from the first paragraph to the conclusion. I absolutely loved it and will definitely recommend it.

This cosy fantasy tells the tale of two lovers, a nineties band, a magical island, a gang of malevolent fae and a town completely overtaken by plants.

It's full of the soft, vulnerable yet extremely powerful characters Molly Ringle writes so well, and brims with the strength of family and community in the face of divisive politics and discrimination.

I love the central couple. They're adorable from the moment they meet. Their chemistry is undeniable, they support each other through trauma and they manage to stay kind even when they disagree or fail to understand each other. The side characters pull on your heartstrings in relatable ways too, from perfectionist water fae Tash to brave mayor Amaris, to the ever-helpful rock giant Mukut, who is definitely the MVP.

The magic is brilliantly varied, with each character having skills, traits and abilities as unique as they are. Watching groups of them solve problems is always interesting and it's clear how much creative thought has been put in by the author. The magic system is also a great way of weaving in a lot of great representation, and sensitively acknowledging the challenges faced by marginalised groups.

You don't have to have read Molly Ringle's other book, Lava Red Feather Blue, in order to pick this up, but I fully recommend it because the overlap is awesome. Check out my review of that one on goodreads if you're interested! The world building is done so well that no matter the order you read them in you'll be glad to find mentions of your favourite characters, magic systems and locations in both books.

This is a special fantasy novel about finding your other half when the world around you is crumbling.You will feel all the feels with the LGBTQ+ fantasy!

I loved this so much! The world was fascinating, the characters were so lovable and complex, and I was rooting for the relationships the whole time. The Wikipedia entries at the beginning were a super interesting start because in some ways it tells you how the book will end, but really it just leaves you slightly tense the whole book waiting for what you (kind of) know is coming.

I'd highly recommend this book, especially to fantasy and romance fans. I hadn't read Lava Red Feather Blue before this and now I'm excited to!

Thank you to Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the chance to read and review this ARC.

I loved the first one and I loved this one as well! One thing I appreciated were the parallels with some real world politics, social issues, etc which in my opinion, is using the full potential of one's fantasy world to create some sort of parallel/commentary. Great story. 5 stars

I found this book a little slower paced - which is in no way a bad thing! The writing was wonderfully descriptive and I enjoyed the world building. The characters were enjoyable and at times, relatable, as well.

I hadn't read the first book in the series, but didn't feel like I was missing anything because of this. There's enough upfront explanation that you can follow along with no issues.

*Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review*