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wardenred's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The people of Applekirk spend their lives concerned with their work; with falling in and out of love; with sickness and recovery; and the birth and bringing up of children. Their stories are all tiny eddies in the great story that is life. Things happen, oh, things happen and are so important that those they happen to feel their hearts will break, yet all is the same in a hundred years.
Such a strange and beautiful book. In many ways, this story has all the staples of an epic fantasy. There's a big sprawling world, divided by both distance and time. There's a delightfully complex and inventive magic system that plays a big part in the characters' daily lives. There's a big strife with a spiteful goddess. There's a siege. There's a plot about achieving godhood.
And yet, the reader is introduced to all of this through a very specific lens: a poly family living in a small corner of the vast world, keeping a house. The story never stops being domestically focused, no matter what great events unfold right in the middle of it, what powers some of the characters wield. When an ancestor arrives with a dangerous secret, the main point is not how that secret might affect the entire world; it's how it will affect this family, this community they're a part of. It's not a story about the world changing; it's a story about several lovable, loving people, and how they manage through it all. If epic slice-of-life is a genre, this book is its peak representative.
As usual, I'm in awe of what Jo Walton does with language, and how she handles her characters, bringing each of them fully to life in all their wonderfully human complexity. And the worldbuilding here! And how language becomes a part of it! And all the wonderful diversity!
Truly a wonderful read, and one that I'm sure will stay on my list of top favorites for years to come.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm
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