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readingoverbreathing's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thankfully, though still a bit fuzzy, those recollections did slowly come back to me as I reoriented myself in this world. I did find the first half rather frustrating — Vasya is missing for the first 100 pages, and then we get vaulted into the past to see what she had been up to in the meantime. I didn't at all understand the point of this; simply moving back and forth between perspectives would, I think, have been perfectly adequate here. But once the group emerges out of the woods, with the initial threat seemingly conquered and still half the book to go, the intrigue really picked up, and so did my interest in the story.
Arden's writing is truly lovely, lush and descriptive, and really does make this seem like you're reading a fairytale. But I think because of that fairytale framework, there is very little here that feels original. The characters are all barely disguised stereotypes, and while the world of spirits and demons that only Vasya can see is interesting, it's nothing I haven't come across before. I remember a lot more of the domovoi and other spirits in the first book; while they do play some part in the plot here, there was not as much interaction with them as I would have liked. The generic, snowy Russian setting of these books is certainly atmospheric, but, again, just not original.
I did enjoy this, so I am willing to still give it four stars, but to be honest, I am just not invested enough to continue any further with this series. The end to this installment was dramatic and definitive enough that I feel pretty satisfied to go no further. I would definitely, however, be interested in exploring more of Arden's work outside of this series and seeing if she has developed her creativity to live up to the exquisite flow of her writing.
Graphic: Child death and Blood
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Minor: Rape, Violence, Vomit, and Trafficking
bookycnidaria's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Slavery and Kidnapping
jessversteeg's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
hilwithonel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The perfect blend of beautiful prose, engaging folklore, and well paced action.
Graphic: Child death, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Kidnapping and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Violence and Blood
olivia_piepmeier's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, and War
Minor: Vomit and Death of parent
briarcrawford's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Body shaming, Physical abuse, Sexism, Kidnapping, and Classism
toriffic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death, Sexism, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and War
Minor: Child abuse, Self harm, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
simp_librarian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, and Outing
Moderate: Kidnapping
lisa_m's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I started to love Vasya as the main character even more. I feel like she had so much more personality and drive in this book. Also I generally really love the 'girl dresses up as a boy in order to be taken seriously' trope - especially when she then comments on the things that come so easy to her just because of that small change, as well as all the things she would never have been allowed to do otherwise.
The end was a great conclusion to the story of this book. I realised that even though the story is a continuation of the first book, every book could really stand on it's own as well. They are clearly connected and part of a series, but they all tell their own stories that just happen to the same cast of charaters. I am really excited for 'The Winter of the Witch' and I really hope Katherine Arden will write more mythology retellings because she is truly doing such an amazing job!
I really like reading the Glossary at the end as well as her own reflecton upon the book. In this one she even gives secondary sources for further research into the base myths and storys of the books.
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
thewildmageslibrary's review against another edition
5.0
CW: same "it's set in the 14th century, so" as book one
Graphic: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Death of parent