I was swept away by this magical love story. I could stay in this world for a long time. So beautiful.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was very interesting and was a great read.

I enjoyed this book, the story was interesting and fun to follow. I liked the characters a lot.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

There was so much I loved about The Vermilion Emporium. What I really liked was how it all began. I liked being thrown right into the thoughts and emotions of the two protagonists, Quinta and Twain, and the similarities and differences between them. It was a day for finding things and both of them were searching for things and the finding something very unexpected: each other.
When the two of them meet in front of a magical curiosity shop, they are both orphaned, both hoping to change their lives. But they have different motives and different wants for what they want from life. And yet, they are drawn to each other immediately. I’m not usually a fan of insta-love but I liked how it was done here. I liked that their connection comes from deep within them, from a place they don’t really understand yet.
They are fascinated with each other but they already know that there is something about the other they can trust, something that binds them together, a deep understanding that resonates in the other. I loved the magic of their relationship, both the actual magic involved and how magical their relationship in general felt. How their relationship progressed and how they get to know each other was also beautifully written. They not only get to know each others stories and hopes and dreams but who they truly are at their core.

I liked how fierce they were individually and how they were flawed and made mistakes, yet always stayed true to themselves. They both are such warm persons but they also protect themselves and try to protect their loved ones.

Another thing I really liked was the magic system. I loved the concept of magical starlight and how to wield it. I loved how its magic was woven into the story like lace, how the characters discover more about it strand by strand, how the full pattern of its magic, the beautiful and the dangerous, are shown.

The atmosphere was also very fitting for the rest of the book and I could just imagine everything very well. The city of Severon by night, the air full of possibilities and a hunger for knowledge, people being hungry for more, yet a feeling of safety and security for most of them. It was a bit of a contrast to the protagonists’ emotions and I really liked that contrast and how it all came together to one beautiful, magical story. The Vermilion Emporium, the shop the book is named after, was such a great addition to the story with its magical rooms and artifacts, with its secrets and workings nobody truly understands. It houses exactly the things and people you’d expect to find a magical emporium.

The Vermilion Emporium felt like a long, magical dream you don’t necessarily want to wake up from. You want to explore more of the world and the shop itself, you just want to continue reading Twain and Quinta’s story and what they make of their little world. While the story is wrapped up wonderfully with a very fitting ending, I still crave more of the world. I’d love to explore more of its magic, maybe with other characters. It’s such a rich world, brimming with possibilities and dreams and I really, truly loved this story!

This was pitched as a combination of three things I like very much: erin morgenstern, howl's moving castle, and radium girls. Objective #1: accomplished. Vibes, immaculate. Lots of potential for character development that I was ultimately unsatisfied with, check. Words, lovely. #2: sort of. Magic rooms and all that, and the warmth that howls filled me with was there. Definitely a little more serious though. #3: nope. I get that the point was she wanted the radium girls to be happy, which I can appreciate, but I was never too concerned from them. I absolutely loved the lacemaking and mystery surrounding the magic system. One quibble: I understand the urge to put sea shanties in everything, but in a world with no New Zealand, you can't have Wellerman. 3.5 stars.

Read if you like: The Night Circus, In a Garden Burning Gold, Strange the Dreamer

The Vermilion Emporium is a great YA book about a young woman named Quinta who learns to weave starlight and her adventures with her companion Twain. Quinta finds out that all magic comes with a cost, even weaving starlight. While I found the middle a bit slow, I really enjoyed the story. The characters were very well-written, and the relationship between Quinta and Twain is wonderful. The story alternated chapters with POV which I always find enjoyable. However, one of the coolest things about the book is the mysterious Vermilion Emporium. It is such a magical place and is written perfectly. I loved when they began exploring it and truly hope that there will be more books with these characters and the Emporium. It is a fantastic read that is well worth your time.

I loved the premise of this book, and I was excited for the historical nod to the Radium Girls. When the two main characters were still separate from one another (hadn't met yet), this book was very well written and suspenseful. However, once Twain and Quinta met, the dialogue deteriorated and the characterization just felt awkward. I also thought that some plot points seemed to just happen with little buildup or explanation--the resolutions felt too simple. One character seemed to exist only to move the plot along/save the day/tell one of the main characters exactly what they should do. I was also disappointed by the ending and how sudden it was, especially considering that a complex international conflict had just broken out and the ramifications of the big reveal. I was expecting to read about how Twain and Quinta would deal with the fallout, but instead, the story just ended. I would recommend this book for middle-grade readers who are interested in magical atmospheres, love stories, and the history of the Radium Girls.

One word: magical! Magical story telling, magical chemistry between characters, magical world filled with magical love and heartbreak and loss and everything else that is pure and terrifying about what it means to be human!

Loved the atmosphere surrounding this book. It gave me slight night circus vibes with the dark but also a kind of whimsical or fantasy vibe. I think the world and the magic were very unique and well done. Very creative with the lease and how that was done. Personally I do think I needed a bit more time for the romance to develop but over I enjoyed it

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for the eARC!

I dnf’d this book 20% in because I realized (and this is the case of it being very much me and not the book!) that I am not going to enjoy The Vermilion Emporium. I’m not a fan of insta-love and the characters feel a bit shallow. I do feel that other readers will enjoy this book, the premise is very promising! Just not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for sending me an ARC of the Vermilion Emporium to read and review honestly.

I was SO excited when I first read the premise of this book (magical curiosity shop, The Night Circus vibes, romance, you get the gist), but unfortunately, it fell a bit flat for me. Bits and pieces of the story were still whimsical and unique, but there were several aspects of the story, like pacing and worldbuilding, that felt underdeveloped and/or rushed.

Now, to be fair, I was expecting this to be an upper YA book, so my expectations weren't entirely in the right place: this book definitely reads like more of a middlegrade story. While that isn't inherently a bad thing, it felt odd to have characters that felt juvenile with the romance/mentions of relationships in the story. Nothing too explicit is mentioned, but it still felt like the ages of the characters did not match the content of the story.

The pacing also felt too quick for me. I don't mind plots that move quickly, but it felt as if every time an event happened or a new destination was mentioned, we were immediately pulled to the next part of the story. With a book as centered on magic and curiosity as this one is, I felt like more time could've been spent allowing readers to immerse themselves in the world. Admittedly, I'm also not a fan of insta-love, so the relationship felt somewhat forced.

(3.5) this book was so sweet and whimsical! i fell in love with the setting (i wish i could find a "mysterious curiosity shop") though i found the characters, especially quinta, to be a bit flat. i wish both characters underwent more development. the romance: while i dislike the insta-love trope on principle, it seemed appropriate in this case. overall enjoyable read! thank you netgalley for the arc!

Upon reading the premise for The Vermillion Emporium, I instantly requested an arc. The imagery is reminiscent of The Night Circus by Erin Morginstern.

Though TNC didn’t quite live up to my expectations or tastes, I did rather enjoy the world/setting and I’ve been searching for a book that will serve this. The black and white imagery, fancy dresses, and magical rooms of TVE called me back to the memories of TNC. I savored the clothing, tents, food, and overall world building. However, most all other aspects fell short.

Character description was a bit spotty. I couldn’t properly envision the ethnicities of the MCs as they had inconsistent descriptions. Particularly with skin color. Also, side characters would be randomly called out as “black man” or “white girl.” I wasn’t sure if this was just flat out lack of sensitivity readers or if it had to do with the language of this fantasy world. It was never explained therefore I have to assume the former.

Character emotion lacked over all. Most notably in the beginning chapters. The ML causes multiple deaths and is then seen in the next chapter to flirt with the FL. For that reason, I lost respect for him. The romance was too instant for me. They were holding hands within seconds of meeting each other. And the male lead was overly friendly and flirty in a way that made me uncomfortable.

The exposition is laid out in awkward chunks rather than cleverly woven in. There is zero subtext, the characters say exactly what they feel. Often, they’re feeling way too much, way too fast.

I found that the political aspects of the world were not fleshed out in a way that made much sense. And all of the authority figures were conveniently dull–minded. Many plot devices were included to make the MCs mission easier. Ex: the making of starlight lace. It’s this easiness that prevented them from having any sort of character growth at the end of the novel. I’m a character reader, and they were the same at the start of the story as they were at the end.

Overall, this story has a lot of potential, but it is either shelved in the wrong genre or needs some editing to get it up to modern day YA standards. Would be cute as a MG if edited for sexual content (which didn’t elevate the story anyways.)

When I came upon the phrases "strand of starlight" and "mysterious curiosity shop" in this book's official blurb, I was immediately intrigued. Then I saw a few reviews mention how "The Vermilion Emporium" is reminiscent of Erin Morgenstern's "The Night Circus" and I knew I had to read it! (I found out later that Jamie Pacton was actually inspired to write this after reading "The Night Circus"!)

While I expected to enjoy this book, I had no idea I would become so utterly immersed in it. I loved the characters, the world-building, and the descriptions of all the indiosyncratic magical curiosities.

Quinta and Twain both live in the vibrant and bustling city of Severon, which is home to many magical and scientific scholars. Both orphans, they do whatever it takes to survive, keeping mostly to themselves until a chance encounter in front of the Vermilion Emporium entangles their lives together. They embark on a quest to find the elusive starlight strands and discover how to weave them into starlight lace, encountering a number of enemies and challenges along the way, as well as gaining magical expertise and close friendships.

I don't normally enjoy "insta-love" stories, but the romance in this book seemed to develop relatively naturally from Quinta and Twain's initial attraction and friendship, and I felt that their relationship did enhance the overall story. That being said, I honestly would have been fine with them just staying friends, but the romance didn't detract from my enjoyment of the plot or anything.

My favorite aspects of the book were the descriptions of the magical curiosities within the shop, and I really hope the author is working on a sequel that goes into more detail about some of the rooms, or shares with us new rooms that Quinta and Twain have not yet explored!

I would say that the book is a little bit cheesy and obviously written for a younger audience, as you might expect from YA, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I would most definitely recommend this to most YA fantasy/romance lovers!

Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for the Advance Reader Copy!!

to preface: i think this is sincerely a case of "it's not the book, it's me." i imagine that there are people out there who will adore this! i just regret that i'm not one of them.

i think my main dilemma with this book is that a lot of it reads like a middle grade story—and i get why it couldn't be marketed as that, what with the swearing and blood and implied sex, but a lot of its other aspects just don't fit with the expectations that i have for YA books.

(this will contain spoilers)

(+) on the bright side, i did really, really like the premise! i always love unique magic systems, and i thought the setting and culture that the author created was so interesting. i wouldn't go so far as to compare it to howl's moving castle, personally, but it did have it's own sense of whimsy nonetheless. the opening scene—with the ML scaling a cliffside to retrieve bird feathers—was so nice and atmospheric!

(-) that said, there was far too much exposition in the first few chapters. world building is a necessity, of course, but when it's all crammed in at the beginning and spouted off like a history lesson, it comes across as unnatural.

not just that, but the character exposition—the MCs' tragic backstories, their life history, etc.—was treated similarly. i feel like that sort of thing should be conveyed throughout the course of the story; otherwise, it just comes across as forced and doesn't make the characters feel realistic.

(-) i also didn't like the way emotions were written. the author did a lot more telling than showing, which is something that i associate with middle grade fiction (hence my earlier remarks).

also, i felt that some reactions to shocking situations were just... not well done. at one point the ML causes a dude to fall from a great height, and this is the reaction of the dude's friend:

"'You killed my friend!' [he] roared, fumbling to put his glasses back on. 'Do you know who his father is? You're dead!'"

it that a normal reaction? no crying, no despair, no frantically running down to check if he is, indeed, dead? even the ML wasn't fazed for very long. it felt unnatural, but it might just be me.

(-) the FL was a bit too inconsistent for my tastes. at the start of the book, she was this dour, love-hating girl whose mentality was (for some reason) that she was "someone who always let you down." i don't know why she thought this way, because there was nothing to suggest that she had ever let anyone down her entire life? but whatever.

she also only ever did one-night stands, which i guess made her an awful person. as she put it to the ML:

"You don't understand. I always leave the people I sleep with. I'm a one-night girl."

i'm not sure why she had to say this in the absolute cringiest way ever, nor why she acts like she is the root of all evil for it. it's absolutely normal to NOT want to be buddy-buddy with people who you had a one-night stand with. but she's a teenage girl, so i guess i can let it slide; we all thought the world was falling down around us at that age.

(-) the romance... oh, the romance. i admittedly do not like insta-love, but this is an aspect that i'm sure some other readers might actually enjoy.

the ML and FL were holding hands literally minutes after meeting each other. maybe an hour or two after that, the FL thought she was falling in love with the ML. like, what? for a girl who thought that people in love were "fools" just earlier that day, she sure is quite the romantic, saying stuff like:

"She wanted to go to him, wrap him in her arms, and tell him that since they'd found each other, perhaps they'd never be alone again."

the fact that the book tried to acknowledge this absurdity does not, in fact, make it easier to stomach. actually, i think it makes it worse:

"It was totally ludicrous to be feeling anything for someone she'd known for less than a day, but that was the way of things sometimes, wasn't it?"

no. no, that's not the way of things.

(-) i also didn't find the FL's motivations... at all motivating? the gist of it is that her now-dead mother told her that she was going to be great one day, so the FL is obsessed with becoming rich and powerful. that feels a bit extreme considering the fact that "great" can mean literally anything—i think it's a pretty subjective word. either way, her life goal is to fulfill her interpretation of the weird destiny that her mother spoke into existence.

because of this, in almost every single chapter from the FL's POV, the phrase "You are meant for great things" is there, written in italics like it's supposed to mean something deep. literally—nearly EVERY chapter.

(-) also, the FL and ML didn't face any major hurdles, so they never grew, and i found that boring.

the FL had never made lace in her life but did it perfectly on the first try; the ML and FL agonized over how to find more starlight, and in the end the ML just had some innate ability to do so. they never had to grow, or better themselves, or change in any way to accomplish their goals. where is the fun in that? they had some minor struggles (being kidnapped, being attacked and harassed), but even that didn't really cause any character growth?

(-) the whole situation with their country's queen was also not well done, imo.

for context: the queen saw the ML and FL holding a piece of lace made from starlight. when they told her that they had made it, she immediately whisked them away to her palace so that they could make her a dress.

this, specifically, felt very middle grade fantasy to me. why didn't the queen ask for ANY proof of their skill? the fact that the MCs immediately agreed to her request can be excused as them being seventeen years old and foolhardy, but the adult queen taking them at face value is a bit... unrealistic?

for all she knows, they could be lying. they could have stolen or just found the handkerchief. i find it difficult to believe that she would just accept their story without any sort of concrete proof of their abilities. if a magical art has been lost for centuries, i feel like most sane people aren't going to believe that two random teenagers are the ones who found it again.

(-) the villains were another thing that felt middle grade. they almost read like caricatures; i half expected them to start twirling their mustaches and monologuing about their nefarious plans. one did, indeed, start saying his evil aspirations aloud, although thankfully it was only like one sentence.

(-) this isn't that big of a deal, but i also noticed that the way characters were described was oddly inconsistent? for the first few chapters, people were described by their race—"white woman," "black girl"—and then for the rest of the book there was no mention of race at all, even for newly-introduced characters; instead they were described as having freckles, or light-brown skin, etc. i personally feel like the latter is better for fantasy, but at the very least the way of describing characters should remain consistent throughout the book.

at the end of the day, this book was just not for me! i can see why some enjoyed it, but while the premise was there, the execution left something to be desired.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

This book wasn't at all what I was expecting and I was very pleasantly surprised! Each scene kept me hooked and I adored how involved each character was in the plot. And I know that insta-love isn't a popular trope but it was done so fantastically in this story that it was hard to remember how quickly the romance was moving. I highly recommend this book!

The Vermilion Emporium is a tale about magic, adventure, life and mischief. I won't lie and say this book blew me away, but I am hopeful this was meant to be a base for a very interesting and fun filled series.

I really liked the main characters and their backstories. I found some sections of the book to be very repetitive, especially when it came to the antagonists in the book. How many times does one have to avert certain people....cant we just defeat them after the second or third interaction??? I got tired.

I do think the author set this up for more interesting and meaningful contacts in future books. Lets hope so! All in all, I enjoyed this book and look forward to see how the story progresses.

Thank you Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for the Advance Reader Copy in exchange for a review!

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Quinta and Twain connect at the Emporium, with plans to use a book to turn starlight into lace. They are shortly expected to fashion a dress with promises of great fortune/wishes.

Decent read, a little slow and too much exposition, but overall enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read Pacton's The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly over COVID lockdown a few years ago and posted about it on my Bookstagram story. Pacton was kind enough to acknowledge the post and send me some Kit Sweetly signed merchandise. I will never forget this above and beyond gesture!

Which is partly why I was extremely excited when I saw this new story from Pacton that seemed very different than Kit Sweetly and boy was I in for a treat. The balance of history and magic throughout the book is endearing with the story captivating you and urging you to keep turning the pages. The 2 MC's are full of life and both bring so much to the table that you simply can't help but fall in love with them.

The one setback I felt in this book was the pacing, which often felt rushed, especially in key moments. I think because Pacton's writing is so lush and vivid, you want to revel and marvel in it and when those iconic scenes feel rushed, it disappoints.

Regardless, this is another incredible book from Pacton that caught my eye with the title and truly held its own throughout the journey.

A hugely surprising hit of the summer for me, in that I did not expect to love this book as much as I did. The relationship between the two main characters is stunning and the Howl's Moving Castle vibes are just glorious.