All Our Hidden Gifts

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I won’t get too much into the plot as I worry about spoiling the first two books, which I so want more people to read, but I think this was the perfect rounding off of the series. Recommend to: Legit everyone. Don’t be put off that this is a YA, other than the characters age this isn’t something that you’ll notice at all. The dedication to "all the unlikeable main characters" was a cute nod, but the one thing I'll have to disagree with. Maeve is so very likeable. There are many unlikeable characters in books (I'm looking at you, Holden Caufield), but Maeve isn't one of them. Her flaws, her bitchiness, her internal dialogue and fear of her own cruelty is not only relatable, but intrinsic in being a teenage girl. What makes her truly likeable and lovable is her constant desire to act AGAINST those thoughts. Her immediate regrets of speaking without thinking, and her standing her ground when she knows she's right. Being an outspoken girl is not a sentence to being unlikeable and Maeve feels like a love letter to all girls who are demonized for not being "perfect". I support women's rights....AND women's wrongs!! The LGBTQIA representation, discussion and relationships was second to none. Caroline O’Donoghue deeply intertwined these aspects into the plot, character development and overall discussion, which is so refreshing and missing from some many books. Not just your typical ‘omg she's gay?!?!’ *eye roll*. Whilst cleaning she comes across an old walkman with a tape titled ‘Spring 1990’ and some Tarot cards. Maeve takes both items home with her. It isn’t long before she is learning all about Tarot. She feels like the cards talk to her and she has a gift, so much so that she starts to give out Tarot reading at school to the girls in her year with strong accuracy.

Fiercely, furiously good. An utterly seductive read. -- Melinda Salisbury The talented O'Donoghue turns her hand to young adult fiction with this engrossing story of tarot, magic and teen friendship that recalls the best of Diana Wynne-Jones. - The i caroline o'donoghue's all our hidden gifts series has swiftly become one of my favorite young adult fantasy series. there is so much this series is doing well, from the diversity and queerness of the characters, the fascinating magic system, and the nuanced explorations of society, feminism, religion, and power, all threaded together with beautiful prose and lovely illustrations. I've always had a love for books surrounding tarot cards and witches, so I was compelled enough to buy the second book (which had just come out as well, thank you for your spectacular timing past me). This series is what I wished the Raven Cycle to be. Thankfully, All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline manages to present a non-binary character with subtlety and warmth. Perhaps it works so well because, being an occult-tinged mystery-romance steeped in Irish folklore, there's a lot else going on. [...] O'Donoghue's intriguing story takes in myth, history, tensions between Catholic and Protestant, and race in Ireland. Helping the repentant Maeve search for the missing girl is Lily's nail-polish wearing brother Roe, formerly Rory, who is the essence of fluidity in a novel that's all about the power of liminal spaces. - The Financial TimesReview: When I tell you I am OBSESSED, not only does All Our Hidden Gifts follow a complex plot with dynamic characters, but also includes so many open and essential conversations, including those about sexuality, gender, race, self esteem and mental health, all in the context of internal pressures and external prejudice. As some would say : "All Our Hidden Gifts is an enchanting read, blending the chatty charm of Maeve Binchy with the imaginative scope of Diana Wynne Jones". Oh, what a brilliant ending to a brilliant series. I don’t tend to read much YA anymore, but this series reminds me that there are some absolute gems within the genre, that really can be read and enjoyed at any age. Fiona is struggling, everyone has these high expectations of her and it's too much when she still has trauma to process. She's started self harming and why does it matter? She can heal herself with her new gift. She's not "one of those girls with a problem". Nearing the end maybe she realises she does have a problem, when her powers are fading she still self harms even though she can't heal. It's become a routine of hers. I hope she can find the help she needs in the next book.

The synopsis of this book gave me major Stranger Things vibes combined The Craft and Sabrina the Teenage Witch and what I got was…a mash up of all three but it somehow was so freaking bland.Synopsis: Maeve and her friends explore and develop their individual gifts. As word gets out about their magical abilities strange things start happening in town and the group become extremely vulnerable in the place they call home. Who can they trust? What is changing with their abilities? While I appreciated her growth, I still struggled to sympathise or like her. I found Roe and Fiona to be much more likeable and interesting characters. Maeve was the classic 'I'm not beautiful like x or intelligent like y' self-pitying kind of gall. She was boring and sounded much younger than her allegedly sixteen years of life. Which brings to my next 'criticism': there is a discrepancy between the tone and content of this novel. The tone, which is mainly created by Maeve's direct narration, would have been more suited to a middle-grade book while her narrative's content—the issues and discussions that came up in the story—are more tailored towards a YA audience. Both Maeve and the other sixteen-year olds sounded like they were twelve a lot of the time. Which made it weird when things like sex came up. Boek twee en drie zijn wel echt downers. Er ligt heel veel nadruk op tienerdrama en afscheid en zware/nare onderwerpen. En de enige reden waarom ik boek drie écht wilde lezen, is vanwege het verslaan van the Children en het achterhalen van het verhaal achter the Housekeeper. Beide gebeurt helaas niet echt. Het blijft allemaal nogal open en/of vaag. Dat is de grootste reden dat ik boek één liever als standalone had gelezen: de mysterie rondom het open einde blijft intact zonder dat je de illusie hebt dat alles afgerond gaat worden. Met twee extra boeken heb je die illusie wel en kom je van een koude kermis thuis. All Our Hidden Gifts is a beautiful, multi-layered book which combines a magical fantasy, gripping mystery and coming of age story, as we follow Maeve discover the true extent of her spiritual abilities. Lily O’Callaghan and Maeve once we’re best friends but had grown apart. You should always be careful for what you wish for. As when Maeve does a reading for Lily it goes horribly wrong, Maeve tells Lily ‘I wish you would disappear’.

I appreciated that the author went with a 3 book series, I can't imagine squishing all of this content into a duology. The end of this book got me really excited for book 3 so the setup was certainly there. There are certainly enough reveals in this second book that I don't feel it was too stretched out. Where the first book centers around Maeve learning her way around tarot cards and her sensitivity (moreso a contemporary coming of age than fantasy), the second book fully embraces the extents of the group's magic. god, and then you’ve got the other three of the core four, fiona, lily, and roe. i think lily really grew into her own during this book as in the second book she kind of drove me mad, but in this one you can really see her development and i loved her. fiona has been a joy to read about since book one and that didn’t change with this book, the love i have for her is boundless. and finally, roe. i am so incredibly proud of them. their journey from book one, all the way through to this book was something so incredibly personal and being able to watch them grow and come into themself was truly beautiful. This is the final book in O’Donoghue’s much beloved “Gifts” series and readers I am delighted to report that she did not come to play and that I also finally warmed to Maeve fully as a character because it was feeling like a bit of a struggle there for a while.Maeve ist schon eine etwas anstrengende Protagonistin, die mir nie so richtig sympathisch wurde, aber ich würde schon sagen, dass sie einer stereotypischen, trotzigen Teenagerin entspricht, die erst noch herausfinden muss, was sie vom Leben eigentlich will. In dieser Zeit fällt ihr dann ein Tarotkartenspiel in die Hände und sie hat nicht nur Spaß daran, sie ist auch unglaublich gut im Karten legen und kann immer gut spüren, was sie bedeuten. An wahre Magie glaubt sie eigentlich nicht, aber dann häufen sich die Mysterien. The book’s ending leaves the door open for a sequel, and readers are sure to clamor for one. . . . All Our Hidden Gifts is grounded and realistic, even when it’s got a foot in the supernatural, and it captures the complex, emotional nature of teen relationships with ease.