applepieandeve's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Animal death and Injury/Injury detail
gregor's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jenny_librarian's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I read this in French and, while the translation was a bit patchy in places, I was ready to give this 5 stars…
… until I got to the “bury your gays” trope in the last third of the book. I was so happy to get some diversity with a sapphic couple, and then the author just decided to go there and kill one of them to further the other’s story. That is always a crappy thing to do, but it’s especially bad when it’s a queer couple in a book that has zero other queer characters.
Everything else was great and I loved it, but I am extremely disappointed in this plot twist. Authors should know better by now.
… until I got to the “bury your gays” trope in the last third of the book. I was so happy to get some diversity with a sapphic couple, and then the author just decided to go there and kill one of them to further the other’s story. That is always a crappy thing to do, but it’s especially bad when it’s a queer couple in a book that has zero other queer characters.
Everything else was great and I loved it, but I am extremely disappointed in this plot twist. Authors should know better by now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Animal death, Grief, Gore, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Lesbophobia and Racism
your_zero's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The last quarter of this book I couldn’t put down. The build up was extremely slow and boring.
trackofwords's review against another edition
4.0
When Lady Kathryn, the Baroness of Forthyn’s daughter, disappears under strange circumstances, three of the legendary Borderlands Four reunite to search for the missing noblewoman. While their best years might be behind them, these most famous of adventurers bravely (or rather reluctantly, in the case of ageing rogue Logan Lashley) head north to the town of Fallowhearth to search for signs of what caused Lady Kathryn’s disappearance.
This is very much a high fantasy setting, but a story which leans into the cold, gritty and muddy nature of adventuring. It’s a natural fit, and MacNiven’s choice of older characters gives the familiar tropes a nicely dark and modern feel. Not only is there an interesting sense of shared history, but the archetypes are cleverly switched up, with a human rogue cosseted and spoiled by retirement, a dwarf obsessed with dangerous alchemy, and a pragmatic and level-headed orc. These older, wiser, wearier characters prove to be remarkably relatable; there’s a tangible depth to their backstory, with old squabbles and easy familiarity helping to bring them to life and lending proceedings an unexpected weight of emotion that this sort of story doesn’t always possess.
As much as anything this is a story about a shared history coming back to both haunt and reward these characters, and the lengths that people will go to in the name of love. It’s quite dark and surprisingly powerful, and a far more emotional story (no spoilers) than you might expect.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2020/10/04/the-doom-of-fallowhearth-robbie-macniven/
This is very much a high fantasy setting, but a story which leans into the cold, gritty and muddy nature of adventuring. It’s a natural fit, and MacNiven’s choice of older characters gives the familiar tropes a nicely dark and modern feel. Not only is there an interesting sense of shared history, but the archetypes are cleverly switched up, with a human rogue cosseted and spoiled by retirement, a dwarf obsessed with dangerous alchemy, and a pragmatic and level-headed orc. These older, wiser, wearier characters prove to be remarkably relatable; there’s a tangible depth to their backstory, with old squabbles and easy familiarity helping to bring them to life and lending proceedings an unexpected weight of emotion that this sort of story doesn’t always possess.
As much as anything this is a story about a shared history coming back to both haunt and reward these characters, and the lengths that people will go to in the name of love. It’s quite dark and surprisingly powerful, and a far more emotional story (no spoilers) than you might expect.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2020/10/04/the-doom-of-fallowhearth-robbie-macniven/
gortrak's review against another edition
4.0
A good old get the band together to solve a mystery book.
Really enjoyed it as a filler, not as good as the Drizzt or Gotrek books...but close.
Really enjoyed it as a filler, not as good as the Drizzt or Gotrek books...but close.
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