penguingin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Rape
Minor: Misogyny
napthenknit's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Fun and lighthearted fantasy romance. There were lots of interesting breadcrumbs of world building that I am excited to explore more in future books.
I was very impressed with how the author wrote a character missing a hand, and another character experiencing.
I was a little less impressed with the stereotypically naive Fawn, but she learned and grew throughout the book, so I can forgive it.
Audiobook narrator: Bernadette Dunne. I thought she did a good job, she has a very expressive voice.
I was very impressed with how the author wrote a character missing a hand, and another character experiencing
Spoiler
a miscarriageI was a little less impressed with the stereotypically naive Fawn, but she learned and grew throughout the book, so I can forgive it.
Audiobook narrator: Bernadette Dunne. I thought she did a good job, she has a very expressive voice.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage
flyfree86's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Adult/minor relationship
the_mad_bird_diaries's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Miscarriage
sylda's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Child death
bansheebooks's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage and Sexual assault
Minor: Sexual content
thebookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage
firstbreaths's review
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This is a really hard book to review because I'm honestly not sure what to make of it.
I really enjoyed the first two-thirds of this book and thought the premise was fantastic. The Lakewalkers are necromancers of a sort, who are seen as evil sorcerers by the local farming communities, but who actually play an important role in protecting local communities against supernatural enemies. There's some fascinating, if macabre lore regarding the construction of their weapons - the eponymous sharing knives. There's a lot of the usual fantasy tropes - brooding older man with a dark past, wise older mentors, and long treks through the forest - but with enough of a twist to keep things interesting.
Unfortunately, the last third of this book is solely about the romance, and the already glacial pacing starts to feel like an ice age.
The romance itself is exactly the kind of romance I would love if there wasn't a 20+ year age gap: it's sweet, respectful and mutually beneficial, providing opportunities for both characters to grow and heal the wounds of their respective pasts. There's also some really respectful treatment of Dag's missing arm - Fawn helps Dag work around his disability, but it's never done out of pity, only love. But there's also a lot of emphasis on Fawn's sexual inexperience, particularly relative to the depths of Dag's previous marriage, that left a weird taste in my mouth. Not helped by their first encounter literally involving Fawn as the damsel in distress, who's saved from almost being raped by a bandit.
It's possible (probable) that a lot of my questions about the world-building are answered in the sequels, but there wasn't enough forward momentum or suspense in this book to make me likely to prioritise reading them, so... what can you do?
I really enjoyed the first two-thirds of this book and thought the premise was fantastic. The Lakewalkers are necromancers of a sort, who are seen as evil sorcerers by the local farming communities, but who actually play an important role in protecting local communities against supernatural enemies. There's some fascinating, if macabre lore regarding the construction of their weapons - the eponymous sharing knives. There's a lot of the usual fantasy tropes - brooding older man with a dark past, wise older mentors, and long treks through the forest - but with enough of a twist to keep things interesting.
Unfortunately, the last third of this book is solely about the romance, and the already glacial pacing starts to feel like an ice age.
The romance itself is exactly the kind of romance I would love if there wasn't a 20+ year age gap: it's sweet, respectful and mutually beneficial, providing opportunities for both characters to grow and heal the wounds of their respective pasts. There's also some really respectful treatment of Dag's missing arm - Fawn helps Dag work around his disability, but it's never done out of pity, only love. But there's also a lot of emphasis on Fawn's sexual inexperience, particularly relative to the depths of Dag's previous marriage, that left a weird taste in my mouth. Not helped by their first encounter literally involving Fawn as the damsel in distress, who's saved from almost being raped by a bandit.
It's possible (probable) that a lot of my questions about the world-building are answered in the sequels, but there wasn't enough forward momentum or suspense in this book to make me likely to prioritise reading them, so... what can you do?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
kalany's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage
Misogyny
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