rachelmac476's review against another edition
3.0
This is my third Patricia McKillip book and the first that fell a bit flat for me.
While In the Forests of Serre and The Forgotten Beasts of Eld enchanted me, this one didn't quite have the appeal of the former two. Though I found the ending beautiful, the first 2/3rds or 3/4ths of the book weren't quite what I had hoped.
I still have a good size stack of her books waiting for me, though, and have high hopes that there will be plenty more for me to enjoy.
While In the Forests of Serre and The Forgotten Beasts of Eld enchanted me, this one didn't quite have the appeal of the former two. Though I found the ending beautiful, the first 2/3rds or 3/4ths of the book weren't quite what I had hoped.
I still have a good size stack of her books waiting for me, though, and have high hopes that there will be plenty more for me to enjoy.
emmacatereads's review against another edition
1.0
I HATE that I’m rating a McKillip so low. I feel so sad. But this book really didn’t do it for me. It was utterly gorgeous, lyrical, and poignant, much like her other books. It also made very little sense to me. There’s a line between poetic and nonsensical and I think this books crossed it just a few too many times for me personally. Honestly my favorite chapters were the ones with Saro in the kitchen, and the descriptions of the food and the daily goings-on. I didn’t much care for what was going on with Talis and Atrix for most of the book.
t_thekla's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
even when she misses… it’s still a hit
arthurbdd's review against another edition
5.0
Does wonderful things with what would otherwise be fairly cliched material. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2009/05/20/261/
just_a_touch_of_bibliomania's review against another edition
5.0
This beautiful book has sat on my shelf for years because I wanted it to be exactly what I hoped it was and wasn't ready to be disappointed. I have finally read it and I wasn't disappointed at all.
This type of slow burn fantasy is my cup of tea. The writing is so lovely and precise, that in such a short novel McKillip was still able to create a full, lush world full of interesting characters that I cared for and magic that didnt need a complex explanation for the why's and how's.
It was simply an immersive, dark story that felt such like a fairytale. I'm already counting Patricia A. McKillip as an auto-buy author and am adding some more of her stories to my thriftbooks wishlist ❤
This type of slow burn fantasy is my cup of tea. The writing is so lovely and precise, that in such a short novel McKillip was still able to create a full, lush world full of interesting characters that I cared for and magic that didnt need a complex explanation for the why's and how's.
It was simply an immersive, dark story that felt such like a fairytale. I'm already counting Patricia A. McKillip as an auto-buy author and am adding some more of her stories to my thriftbooks wishlist ❤
wendylioness's review against another edition
4.0
I won't give away the plot for those of you who want to be surprised. (: This is a 200 page story about a few elements consisting of sorrow, truth, and guilt. I understood the points of the book better when I finished it, so I may have to go back and read the book again sometime. The writing was descriptive, a little hard to understand in two or three little places, but beautiful. The ending was satisfying enough, realistic and healing.
Overall the story had a mystery and uniqueness about it, having a bit of a fairy-tale flavor.
This book invites us to think, if we're willing to, of quite a few things. But I want you to discover them yourself, as a journeyer through a story.
I like the character interactions, and near the end one of them made me grin.
It's a little sad but there is healing as well.
Now I'm off to read Les Miserables, The Book of Three, or the Canterbury Tales. Not sure which one yet.
Overall the story had a mystery and uniqueness about it, having a bit of a fairy-tale flavor.
This book invites us to think, if we're willing to, of quite a few things. But I want you to discover them yourself, as a journeyer through a story.
I like the character interactions, and near the end one of them made me grin.
It's a little sad but there is healing as well.
Now I'm off to read Les Miserables, The Book of Three, or the Canterbury Tales. Not sure which one yet.
valfreya's review against another edition
4.0
this book feels fairly confined. most of the characters spend time in small, crowded places (bustling kitchens, keeps full of ghosts), and there are only a few locations which, although large castles or sprawling woods, are described so vaguely that you have no sense of anything except the character's happening to be located here or there. some lovely descriptions, sad events, uncanny enchantments. I enjoyed it, and if there were another story in the same place or with the same characters, I would read it.
primavera's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0