ria_mhrj's review against another edition
3.0
I rather wish I had read this hype-free, but alas, the weight of expectation was upon me - authors I love, reviewers I admire, all heaping praise upon this book. And my enjoyment probably suffered as a result.
Don't get me wrong, I understand the love. It's beautifully written, with dreamy prose that normalises the magical goings on. The author's love of her family's folklore really comes across, and there's a richness to the world that really makes for sinkable reading, you get lost in the Wood as the mystery of the corruption unfolds.
The first third was strong and I found myself barrelling through, but soon the magic began to wear off. There are some pacing issues in the middle, we amble along with our heroine to one event after another with only a vague sense of purpose. And the finale was good, but I wanted a bit more.
I also had a problem with the Dragon. He was a dick throughout and effort is made to explain this, but he continually left a bad taste in my mouth. I needed some redemption, but I guess we get the truer-to-life story of a grumpy arsehole who remains a grumpy arsehole.
So all in all, I feel like a party pooper who can't get on the enthusiasm train. But honesty is a virtue - Ya hear me, Dragon?!
Don't get me wrong, I understand the love. It's beautifully written, with dreamy prose that normalises the magical goings on. The author's love of her family's folklore really comes across, and there's a richness to the world that really makes for sinkable reading, you get lost in the Wood as the mystery of the corruption unfolds.
The first third was strong and I found myself barrelling through, but soon the magic began to wear off. There are some pacing issues in the middle, we amble along with our heroine to one event after another with only a vague sense of purpose. And the finale was good, but I wanted a bit more.
I also had a problem with the Dragon. He was a dick throughout and effort is made to explain this, but he continually left a bad taste in my mouth. I needed some redemption, but I guess we get the truer-to-life story of a grumpy arsehole who remains a grumpy arsehole.
So all in all, I feel like a party pooper who can't get on the enthusiasm train. But honesty is a virtue - Ya hear me, Dragon?!
acrues's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
hoppocalypse's review
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
chikara67's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
amethyst_hearts_books's review
1.0
I'm starting to wonder if I even LIKE fantasy anymore.
Things I didn't like about this include:
- Agnieskha. Mostly because of the way she was written, particularly how we're always meant to be very aware that she's a complete mess, can't keep herself clean, and is always wearing something torn and inappropriate. I got tired of that real fast. She is also such a Mary Sue. It is not interesting that she comes out of nowhere, doesn't need 7 years of training, and is 18 and can improvise magic spells that wizards and witches who have decades or centuries of experience can't do. It's too easy and cheap. Also, why do the villagers in these books always love being in the woods and going to village dances? Can't we get some variety?
-Stockholm syndrome. About halfway through the book, just before they had that spell turned make-out session, I thought "well this might get better as long as the author doesn't have them hook up..." and then BAM. That was a really gross scene. I don't care that it wasn't rape, it was still gross. Then the sex scene much later.
- War, war, war, war, war. I get bored reading long fight scenes, and half of this book was a fight scene. I try to avoid books like this, but I didn't realize this was an Epic Magical Battle book until it suddenly was one.
- The Dragon wasn't actually a dragon! I was disappointed in the book already in the first 10 pages when I learned that. He also wasn't a particularly interesting character to me. Which brings me to another point:
- If he needs a villager to live in his tower, and he finds young people annoying (which he very much seems to), why doesn't he look for villagers who are a little older, live alone, and would LIKE to live in his tower for about 10 years or so, keeping to themselves? He could find a painter, a writer, someone who is disabled and can't farm/work. It doesn't even have to be 10 years, he could keep them for 5 years, or if they really got on, longer. He wouldn't even have to share a living space (the kitchens) with them, he could set up a sort of apartment.
Things I didn't like about this include:
- Agnieskha. Mostly because of the way she was written, particularly how we're always meant to be very aware that she's a complete mess, can't keep herself clean, and is always wearing something torn and inappropriate. I got tired of that real fast. She is also such a Mary Sue. It is not interesting that she comes out of nowhere, doesn't need 7 years of training, and is 18 and can improvise magic spells that wizards and witches who have decades or centuries of experience can't do. It's too easy and cheap. Also, why do the villagers in these books always love being in the woods and going to village dances? Can't we get some variety?
-Stockholm syndrome. About halfway through the book, just before they had that spell turned make-out session, I thought "well this might get better as long as the author doesn't have them hook up..." and then BAM. That was a really gross scene. I don't care that it wasn't rape, it was still gross. Then the sex scene much later.
- War, war, war, war, war. I get bored reading long fight scenes, and half of this book was a fight scene. I try to avoid books like this, but I didn't realize this was an Epic Magical Battle book until it suddenly was one.
- The Dragon wasn't actually a dragon! I was disappointed in the book already in the first 10 pages when I learned that. He also wasn't a particularly interesting character to me. Which brings me to another point:
- If he needs a villager to live in his tower, and he finds young people annoying (which he very much seems to), why doesn't he look for villagers who are a little older, live alone, and would LIKE to live in his tower for about 10 years or so, keeping to themselves? He could find a painter, a writer, someone who is disabled and can't farm/work. It doesn't even have to be 10 years, he could keep them for 5 years, or if they really got on, longer. He wouldn't even have to share a living space (the kitchens) with them, he could set up a sort of apartment.
ththalassocracy's review
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
daisyhinchy's review
4.0
I found this book enticing from the moment I picked it up of the shelf. I love the idea of natural magic, or magic imbued in nature, so this book seemed like an obvious read.
From the blurb I had a vague idea of how the story would start, but I was pleased to see the curveball of Agnieszka holding the power of magic, even more so that her methods of spell casting enraged the so called “Dragon” because by all known rules they shouldn’t have worked.
I loved the dynamic of a stuck up wizard being constantly proved wrong by a teenager, and could sense he was intrigued by her but was clearly distancing himself. I like the way that Agnieszka describes magic, as a path. And I especially like that she doesn’t describe one as better than the other, just that they are different.
I also adored the relationship between Agnieszka and Kasia, the one everyone thought would be picked. I love how their friendship stood the test of whatever was thrown at them, despite the understandable way Kasia could have turned that into hatred. I love that they show her feelings, for living a life believing she would be chosen, and then dealing with the effects of not being chosen.
Aside from Sarkan (the Dragon), I found all over male characters of importance to be gross and sleazy people, the crown prince? Tried to rape Agnieszka purely to get the upper hand over Sarkan in court. Solya, wanted Agnieszka’s power to be shared with him, to keep her locked up in the capital. Sarkan was the only one who sought to contain her not out of selfish disgusting needs, but out of desire to heal the land. He also didn’t try to force her to share her magic, in fact was reluctant to do so at first.
I am content with how this book ended, it wrapped up loose ends nicely, and finishing with this book as an individual read wouldn’t trouble me with answers, as almost every question I had or every secretive part of the book was completed by the last few pages. The woods? Cured of evil. The potential war from neighbouring kingdom? Kasia saw to their peace. The romance between Agnieszka and Sarkan? Well he appears to meet her family at last at the end.
From the blurb I had a vague idea of how the story would start, but I was pleased to see the curveball of Agnieszka holding the power of magic, even more so that her methods of spell casting enraged the so called “Dragon” because by all known rules they shouldn’t have worked.
I loved the dynamic of a stuck up wizard being constantly proved wrong by a teenager, and could sense he was intrigued by her but was clearly distancing himself. I like the way that Agnieszka describes magic, as a path. And I especially like that she doesn’t describe one as better than the other, just that they are different.
I also adored the relationship between Agnieszka and Kasia, the one everyone thought would be picked. I love how their friendship stood the test of whatever was thrown at them, despite the understandable way Kasia could have turned that into hatred. I love that they show her feelings, for living a life believing she would be chosen, and then dealing with the effects of not being chosen.
Aside from Sarkan (the Dragon), I found all over male characters of importance to be gross and sleazy people, the crown prince? Tried to rape Agnieszka purely to get the upper hand over Sarkan in court. Solya, wanted Agnieszka’s power to be shared with him, to keep her locked up in the capital. Sarkan was the only one who sought to contain her not out of selfish disgusting needs, but out of desire to heal the land. He also didn’t try to force her to share her magic, in fact was reluctant to do so at first.
I am content with how this book ended, it wrapped up loose ends nicely, and finishing with this book as an individual read wouldn’t trouble me with answers, as almost every question I had or every secretive part of the book was completed by the last few pages. The woods? Cured of evil. The potential war from neighbouring kingdom? Kasia saw to their peace. The romance between Agnieszka and Sarkan? Well he appears to meet her family at last at the end.
leonkleinveld's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars.
Decent to great novel. The character depth and the depth between the main characters was deeper than I expected. Sad that Novik decided that the relationship between the best friends didn't turn into a romantic one.
Full review to come
Decent to great novel. The character depth and the depth between the main characters was deeper than I expected. Sad that Novik decided that the relationship between the best friends didn't turn into a romantic one.
Full review to come