belgatherial's review against another edition
4.0
I predicted the ending about a quarter in but it was still fun.
veerac's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
dreamofbookspines's review against another edition
5.0
Wilkins is a fantastic writer! This is my first time reading her stuff, and won't be the last. The characters are complex, sometimes naive, sometimes mean, but very human. It's a well-wrapped gift of a book. 10/10 recommend, particularly if you've enjoyed things by Libba Bray, Charles de Lint, or Seanan McGuire.
christythelibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
After enjoying Kim Wilkins’ novel Veil of Gold last year, I decided to seek out her backlist. Similar to how Veil of Gold pulled from Russian folktales, The Autumn Castle delves into German folklore, with overtones of Grimm fairy tales. It is not a retelling of any particular Grimm fairy tale, but characters’ backstories contain familiar elements: a bargain too eagerly made and soon regretted, quests to undo curses, talking magical animals.
Kim Wilkins apparently has a knack for creating characters that burrow into my affection. In Veil of Gold, it was Em Hayward. In The Autumn Castle, it was Christine as well as May’s faithful wolf advisor, Eisengrimm. I loved how Christine and Eisengrimm quickly developed a companionable rapport.
I did look at some Goodreads reviews before writing my own. Of course, when I do that, it makes me want to respond to some of the criticisms other readers had. I remember a few reviews complaining about predictability, which surprised me. I guess it depends on one’s past reading experience. Having read Veil of Gold, I knew that there were no guarantees about characters’ safety from Wilkins. I knew what I hoped would happen in The Autumn Castle, but I didn’t know if it would, and if so, how that would be accomplished. Wilkins foreshadowed some events, but there was enough left ‘up in the air’ to keep me wondering what was going to happen next.
Also, a certain level of predictability doesn’t seem out of place for a book which consciously evokes Grimm fairy tales. That’s my take anyway.
One thing I liked in both Veil of Gold and The Autumn Castle is how Kim Wilkins dealt with unprepared humans encountering fantasy worlds for the first time. I’ve read a fair amount of urban fantasy and fantasy novels, and though it makes sense that humans would react with disbelief to magical worlds, I get impatient if this adjustment period extends too long, or remains throughout most of the book. I appreciate that Wilkins dispatches of this stage quickly and in a way that works with the characters and setting.
The Autumn Castle is less bleak and desperate than Veil of Gold, but there are still high stakes in play, and not just of lives, but of love and memory. The villain is utterly creepy, psychotic and dangerous, but the rest of the characters are quite capable of causing hurt to each other in regular human ways (even if they are faery.)
So chalk this one up to another good fantasy read. And I just found out while writing this review that The Autumn Castle and Veil of Gold are books 1 and 3 respectively of The Europa Suite. Apparently book 2, Giants of the Frost, is based around the tales of Scandinavia. So I guess I know which Wilkins book I’m going to read by next.
Kim Wilkins apparently has a knack for creating characters that burrow into my affection. In Veil of Gold, it was Em Hayward. In The Autumn Castle, it was Christine as well as May’s faithful wolf advisor, Eisengrimm. I loved how Christine and Eisengrimm quickly developed a companionable rapport.
I did look at some Goodreads reviews before writing my own. Of course, when I do that, it makes me want to respond to some of the criticisms other readers had. I remember a few reviews complaining about predictability, which surprised me. I guess it depends on one’s past reading experience. Having read Veil of Gold, I knew that there were no guarantees about characters’ safety from Wilkins. I knew what I hoped would happen in The Autumn Castle, but I didn’t know if it would, and if so, how that would be accomplished. Wilkins foreshadowed some events, but there was enough left ‘up in the air’ to keep me wondering what was going to happen next.
Also, a certain level of predictability doesn’t seem out of place for a book which consciously evokes Grimm fairy tales. That’s my take anyway.
One thing I liked in both Veil of Gold and The Autumn Castle is how Kim Wilkins dealt with unprepared humans encountering fantasy worlds for the first time. I’ve read a fair amount of urban fantasy and fantasy novels, and though it makes sense that humans would react with disbelief to magical worlds, I get impatient if this adjustment period extends too long, or remains throughout most of the book. I appreciate that Wilkins dispatches of this stage quickly and in a way that works with the characters and setting.
The Autumn Castle is less bleak and desperate than Veil of Gold, but there are still high stakes in play, and not just of lives, but of love and memory. The villain is utterly creepy, psychotic and dangerous, but the rest of the characters are quite capable of causing hurt to each other in regular human ways (even if they are faery.)
So chalk this one up to another good fantasy read. And I just found out while writing this review that The Autumn Castle and Veil of Gold are books 1 and 3 respectively of The Europa Suite. Apparently book 2, Giants of the Frost, is based around the tales of Scandinavia. So I guess I know which Wilkins book I’m going to read by next.
reeshadovahsil's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25