I think the overall concept of this book was very interesting. However, I didn’t find myself caring much about what happened to the characters because they were so underdeveloped and the plot had no real conclusion. There were several loose ends that I feel would have made me actually care about the story.

Thank you so much to netgalley for this arc!!
First of all this wasn't so bad but I honestly found it confusing most of the time it was very easy to read, lacked a bit of immersion but would definitely be someone's cup of tea!!

I was intrigued by the book's description, and liked the cover artwork. The initial premise of a frozen, post-flood world was interesting, and I wish more time was spent in showing how that world works. The younger-YA sapphic dystopian theme also had potential, and at first the young teenage first-person protagonist's curiosity in documenting her new home and brash behavior reminded me of Ellie from Last of Us. Unfortunately, there was little character development or internal dialogue/emotion to explain her choices (what's the obsession with a random adult in a red coat?), and she didn't read like an early-teen girl... at times, simplistic like a 8-year-old, but then she has a 16-year-old(?- "I've lived here 16 years") love interest. Repetition and conflicting information in the writing (like with the blueprint-like drawing--simultaneously "haven't really given it much thought" but "trying to make some sense of it for days") made the intent difficult to figure out. Ultimately, I didn't enjoy it enough to keep reading beyond halfway.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lloyd Hall for providing the free eARC in return for an honest review.

This story was set in a world that is very different from ours in a few ways. I was curious to explore this world and to get to know what was different about is. The main character was fun but I didn't know enough about her to really connect with her. I did really like the dynamic between Olivia and Ava. I liked the plot but the pace of the book was sometimes a bit too slow and sometimes a bit too fast.

The universe developed in this book was really intriguing, and I would have liked to have seen more world-building that dives deeper into the history of June. While this book is a standalone, I understand there are other books in this "series," so perhaps they contain more information about this universe. There was a lighthearted and cozy feel throughout, but the plot lacked substance and the characters were completely underdeveloped, coming across as very juvenile even for a YA novel. There was no real resolution, and the reader is left holding a great number of loose ends. It feels as though this is a rough draft of a potentially very compelling story.

A good book for kids to read about mysterious city set hundreds of years in the future seen through the eyes of two girls as they uncover the secrets that lie beneath. I also enjoyed the art and thought it really gave a feel for the world around them and the things they uncovered and felt that it had good queer representation.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

This was quite the messy read for me especially because it was less than 150 pages. The writing was all over the place and messy, disjointed and clunky. The characters - I honestly couldn’t care for them, I couldn’t connect with them and at times they felt quite childish unfortunately. I think younger readers will definitely enjoy this more!

(Actual: 2.75⭐, rounded up) Ugh, dammit— I really wanted to like this one but I just couldn't get into it, which is a true shame because I thoroughly enjoyed Hall's previous book, MERCURY. I had such a hard time connecting to any of the characters, and the writing here left much to be desired (very awkward(?), idk if that's the right word, but just very.... odd; also, way too much telling, not enough *showing*). This book may not have been for me this time around, but I look forward to Hall's next work and hope it returns back to his signature form!

Edelweiss is romance and mystery blended together in soft and reflective manner. I enjoyed the suspenseful tension and emotional stakes suspended over the story. The romance between the protagonists was fine, and the mystery had enough intrigue.

Although, yes, the pacing was at times too slow for my liking, and suspenseful it was not as much as I would have liked it to be. Although the book did have some very good things going for it, it never quite had me completely engaged along the way.

Reader of a slow-burning, introspective mix of romance and mystery will find this a good read.

The world that is established in Edelweiss is dynamic, and draws you in to its mysteries. I enjoyed the story from the perspective of a school aged girl. The romance poly seemed to happen out of nowhere, but was handled well. The central mystery was compelling, and left me wanting to know what happens next with the crystals!

I requested a copy of this book because I loved the cover. Then I read the description, a queer YA romance set in space? Sign me up.
Unfortunately I did not love this book. It is the third in a series but can be read as a standalone. I didn't have any problem understanding the world building that I'm sure is more prevalent in the earlier two books and that was definitely a plus! The story and plot were intriguing for sure!
I did have a problem with the writing. It felt formulaic and jerky. The dialogue all fell flat. It felt almost like a middle grade book (possibly younger) instead of a YA about a high school kid.
The story also moved along very slowly until toward the end where it was everything all at once and then ending didn't feel like an ending at all.

Overall this story had a lot of potential and with some tweaks to the dialogue and maybe fleshing out the story more I think it could be great!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I'm adding a gentle disclaimer that I always try to find 5 things (stars, if you will) that I enjoyed in every book I read. So here are 5 things I liked about Edelweiss, with a broader opinion in the end.

1) This book had a really good setting. The World was intriguing and the way Hall introduced it to us was easily digestible.

2) The illustrations were beautiful and complimented the story well. I'm quite picky with illustrations, because I often feel like they are a bit distracting, but these were delicate, well drawn, and suited the general flow of the book.

3) The romance plot was sweet. It felt like innocent teen love, and didn't need to be more than that. I found myself rooting for them from the moment Ava was introduced.

4) The plot itself was intriguing. I didn't know where the story was going, and I'm usually a good guesser. This was a pleasant surprise, and kept me reading for longer hours than I anticipated.

5) It didn't reveal too much. Everything was introduced in small segments, as the story naturally progressed. Hall was not afraid of letting the characters sit in a scene and letting them breathe between the progression.

Alright, so my 5 stars out of the way - this book was refreshing, and I thought it was overall very sweet. I struggled a bit as I couldn't pinpoint the age of the main character and her love interest, and I do think they came off as a lot younger than Hall might have intended for them to be. Some of the dialogue was a bit stiff, and occasionally I thought the phrases and word choices were a bit repetetive (though keep in mind I read an ARC and this might be before final edits).

A gentle, simple story and a quick read. I think I would’ve loved this as an elementary school student for the atmosphere and female characters.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for this review.

I mostly requested this book because the cover is gorgeous. The art throughout the book is gorgeous as well, and I thought that was a nice touch.

I want to put it out there that I have not read the other two books in this series, since this one is a standalone. I was still kinda able to understand the background without reading them, but it is possible that some things flew over my head because of this.

The story and plot of Edelweiss itself was interesting, but also a little confusing and did not seem fully resolved by the end of the book? I know that there is supposed to be another book released after this one, so maybe the plot will be resolved in there?

The writing itself needs more description, in my opinion. It seemed to tell me how the characters felt and what was going rather than showing me.

The characters were flat to me. Olivia herself is not a likeable character. She is incredibly reckless and also read as pretty selfish to me. She constantly makes reckless decisions and she also doesn’t seem to feel remorse over the consequences of her actions.

Saffron also confused me. I didn’t understand what her goals were. Parts of the story with her in it were also really confusing to me

Ava, Olivia’s love interest, felt like more of a concept or a trope than a fully fledged person. I didn’t understand why they were dating in the first place. Olivia kinda just seems to latch onto Ava because she’s pretty and Ava just kinda seems to accepts her feelings for some reason.

TLDR: The art, the plot, and the setting are interesting, but the characters make it hard to enjoy those things.

June is a peaceful town in the aftermath of earths destruction. Olivia is the newest resident to June, and things will never been the same. Enamored with her classmate Ava, the two soon begin uncovering Junes secrets- secrets that were never meant to be told. Intriguing, futuristic and mysterious this was an enjoyable read.

This book was interesting and the world was intriguing. The plot moves rather slowly, and the writing was simplistic, but seeing the characters move throughout the world was fun.

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for an arc copy.

This was a lovely story with a likable main character. Olivia’s interest and curiosity are a joy to read about. This is a third book in a series. But it reads like a novella in many parts and can be a standalone. It was a quick read and there were many times I wanted more. I like the world and characters so in some regards I wish it was a longer publication.

All in all a solid 3.5 stars.

The plot ideas in this book are pretty interesting, and definitely up my alley. However I thought the execution was lacking. For being a short book I felt as though chapters in this book moved fairly slowly. It was slow and then all at once. Which I found a little confusing. Near the end when saffron discovers them in this cave area, and forces them to help her in the ship, she gets injured and all of a sudden one of our main characters is all torn up about it? I just didn’t see the progression of their relationship in order to warrant this type of response. I’m also a bit confused as to how old our main characters were? Were they in grade school or university? The relationship with her parents suggests younger kid, like middle school to grade 9. However the relationship between the main characters suggests late teens/university age. I think if more time was spent developing the plot this could actually be an interesting read. But unfortunately it fell flat for me.

This book is delightfully quiet and a lyrical read about memory and loss. Beautifully written and emotionally resonant that seems to linger long after the final page. Subtle, nostalgic, and deeply human. Great character development!

Thank you NetGalley and Lloyd Hall for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

As I was reading I noted down some thoughts down as I wanted to be as honest as I could.

Plot:
- I didn’t realise this was a third in the series! It reads well considering this, it doesn’t make you feel like you have missed out on anything
- Sometimes there are some unnecessary sentences that don’t relate to later in the book
- A lot of telling and not showing
- Sometimes things happen without any setup

Writing Style:
- Repetitive use of words e.g., “wood[en]” in the first chapter
- Sentences are often explained too much “each painted with brightly coloured paint”

Dialogue:
- The dialogue can sometimes be a bit of an information dump

Punctuation/Grammar/Proofreading:
- Sometimes there is a comma at the end of the sentence rather than a full stop
- There were also some spelling errors throughout that caught me off guard

Character:
- The main character reads like she is younger than she is
- Some of the characters feel quite 2D, like the main characters love interest and her mother

Art work:
- I love the pictures that are included!

Overall, I feel as though this book had great potential but it just wasn’t executed to its fullest potential. I also don’t think that it helped that this ARC was shorter than what the book actually is so I appreciate that I didn’t get the full story and so can’t review it in full.

Thank you again to NetGalley and Lloyd Hall for this opportunity!