Challenge Corner discussion

Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. Haunted by visions of the Fairy King since childhood, she’s had no choice. Her tattered copy of Angharad—Emrys Myrddin’s epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him—is the only thing keeping her afloat. So when Myrddin’s family announces a contest to redesign the late author’s estate, Effy feels certain it’s her destiny.

But musty, decrepit Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task, and its residents are far from welcoming. Including Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar determined to expose Myrddin as a fraud. As the two rivals piece together clues about Myrddin’s legacy, dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspire against them—and the truth may bring them both to ruin.

Chapters 1 - 4
(view spoiler)[ I was a bit confused when I started the book, but when the different words were explained more, I read what was on the poster again and I understood it better.

What happened with Master Corbenic? Is that what's causing her discomfort or something else? Is Effy a fae or maybe a mermaid because of all the talk of her feeling like she's underwater? This book feels like the sort of story where some slightly magical things happen and then at the end, the characters go back to normal life (with no magic), and it's as if nothing ever happened.

While I usually don't like a lot of description, the atmosphere in this book makes it easy to imagine that the house is by the sea with everything being damp and cold.

I'm curious about Preston and if they're going to work together somehow, and what they're going to discover.

Also, what was the creature that Effy saw? Is Ianto's mother alive?
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Chapters 5 - 8
(view spoiler)[ I don’t really like the vague sense of magic you get without any real explanations on if the magic actually exists and how it works.

Effy and Preston are fine but I want more out of their interactions - them exploring the house and evidence more and getting to know each other.
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Chapters 9 - 12
(view spoiler)[ The story is fine, but it still feels like not enough has been revealed - about Effy’s nightmares, Preston’s past and the mystery.

The tone of the book isn’t for me. The way the magic is vague or might not even really exist and it might just be Effy’s hallucinations. The amateur sleuths trying to find out the truth but not getting far.
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Chapters 13 - 17
(view spoiler)[ I don’t think I understand what time period this book is supposed to be in - they have cars, it talked about some medically advanced situations with Preston’s father, but women can’t go to universities.

Effy and Preston finally get something that seems to be vital and time is running out and yet the first thing they do is sleep with each other. How does that make sense?

This book makes me think of magical realism, which isn’t a genre I usually like.
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