The Potion Diaries | a reread

The Potion Diaries by Amy McCulloch
Published by Simon & Schuster on October 29, 2020
Goodreads

A SPELLBINDING ADVENTURE FOR TEEN READERS, perfect for fans of Holly Smale, Zoe Sugg and Rainbow Rowell. Look out for Amy McCulloch's THE MAGPIE SOCIETY series, co-written with Zoe Suggs and COMING SOON!
(Contains: potions, princesses, peril, a magical quest and a serious crush)
When the Princess of Nova accidentally poisons herself with a love potion meant for her crush, she falls crown-over-heels in love with her own reflection. Oops. A nationwide hunt is called to find the cure, with competitors travelling the world for the rarest ingredients, deep in magical forests and frozen tundras, facing death at every turn. Enter Samantha Kemi - an ordinary girl with an extraordinary talent. Sam's family were once the most respected alchemists in the kingdom, but they've fallen on hard times, and winning the hunt would save their reputation. But can Sam really compete with the dazzling powers of the Zoro Aster megapharma company? Just how close is Sam willing to get to Zain Aster, her dashing former classmate and enemy, in the meantime? And just to add to the pressure, this quest is ALL OVER social media. And the world news. No big deal, then.

I have been loving rereading some of my old favourites and seeing as this one fell in line with one of my challenges it was an added joy to pick up The Potion Diaries again. I am sad to say that this one didn’t hit me as hard as it did when I was younger and I think that’s because I’m obviously a little older than I was when I read it last. My taste has changed quite dramatically in what I looked for in a book, and it tends to lean on the darker side where this is very much happy and rainbows. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy this book, I did, there were some really great moments and the characters are still brilliantly written it just didn’t strike me as brilliant as it had once upon a time.

The Potion Diaries follows the Kemi and the Aster families as they compete in the newest Wilde Hunt to cure the Princess. I will say these characters are brilliantly written and there are definitely depth to each of their stories and I loved that about this book. There was scope to end up with 2D characters but they never transpired and I enjoyed the pressures that were placed upon seemingly young shoulders and the use of social media that shaped their lives. There is a full cast of characters and they each have their own roles that add to the story in a completely different way, they are just beaut.

My favourite character when I think about it was probably Kirsty the Finder, I adored her attitude all the way through this, she pushed forward and shows exceptional strength of character. I’m not sure that this book would have been dull without her but she definitely adds some spice and interesting moments, aka the unicorn, if you know you know. I would genuinely love to be friends with Kirsty and go on trips around the world with her and leave my fate in her hands.

The best bits was definitely the integration of social media into a world of princes and princesses it was an odd contradiction and I really loved watching the two worlds collide and try and live with each other. It was an odd pairing but one that worked and really complimented the story and plot that was being told. It made me unbelievably happy to read about the different way everything worked and how they both worked in sync. It was expected but it still surprised me how easily it all worked together.

The worst bits for me was the romance, it felt as though it was fake and over thought, there were definitely moments where I thought that it was all going to fall apart but then insta-love came back into play. It just made it very frustrating to read and I really wished that there had been a little less of it to deal with if I’m being completely honest.

I would recommend The Potion Diaries, however probably to a slightly younger audience, because I think this one hit below standard for me because of my age and how I now perceive the world.

What books have you reread that leave you a little underwhelmed? Let me know in the comments!