Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'
Point of Hopes: A Novel of Astreiant by Lisa A. Barnett, Melissa Scott
3 reviews
hexe_19's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Minor: Rape, Violence, and Death
sarahmiller98's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping
krilves's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I didn't realise before going into this that this is more of a crime novel/police procedural than a fantasy novel, or even a romance novel. (It's not a romance novel at all. The marketing department owes me answers. <.< )
ANYWAY, I enjoyed it a lot! It's been a long time since I've read a fantasy novel with such a steep learning curve (e.g. none of the magic or terminology is explained, the only exposition is <i>historical</i> stuff) but it was great, actually. Sometimes I don't want to be spoonfed stuff, sometimes I actually want to work it out myself. As a result the world felt expansive and rich and complex and like this book was only scratching the surface. I liked the characters and how obvious it was that Philip and Nico were starting to fall for each other, and I liked the plot. I'm glad it's the first in a series, because now I just want to stay in this world for a while and see what else they get up to.
Also, and this deserves a whole paragraph of its own, this feels like the queerest novel I've ever read, in the sense that....it's just queer through and through. it's baked into the world building. It feels real. There aren't any token queer side characters (often I feel like even if the protagonist is queer there'll only be their queer love interest and possibly one other queer friend.), this is more of an, everyone is queer until proven otherwise kind of situation. it feels safe. I don't know how else to explain it. it's just. this is what I want books to be like, this is how I want to see myself reflected: as an intrinsic part of the world.
ANYWAY, I enjoyed it a lot! It's been a long time since I've read a fantasy novel with such a steep learning curve (e.g. none of the magic or terminology is explained, the only exposition is <i>historical</i> stuff) but it was great, actually. Sometimes I don't want to be spoonfed stuff, sometimes I actually want to work it out myself. As a result the world felt expansive and rich and complex and like this book was only scratching the surface. I liked the characters and how obvious it was that Philip and Nico were starting to fall for each other, and I liked the plot. I'm glad it's the first in a series, because now I just want to stay in this world for a while and see what else they get up to.
Also, and this deserves a whole paragraph of its own, this feels like the queerest novel I've ever read, in the sense that....it's just queer through and through. it's baked into the world building. It feels real. There aren't any token queer side characters (often I feel like even if the protagonist is queer there'll only be their queer love interest and possibly one other queer friend.), this is more of an, everyone is queer until proven otherwise kind of situation. it feels safe. I don't know how else to explain it. it's just. this is what I want books to be like, this is how I want to see myself reflected: as an intrinsic part of the world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
The mass abduction/kidnapping of children is a central part of the plot. No children are harmed or murdered and they are all safely recovered.
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