Reviews

Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones

Only show reviews with written explanations

pages_and_thread's review against another edition

slow-paced

Couldn’t get through it. About 100 pages in I decided to call it. Didn’t really like any of the characters and it was so slow and honestly boring for me.

itsjennie's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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? No

4.5

oshaniii's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Fire and Hemlock definitely isn't without its issues (the relationship between Polly and Tom and all of the iffiness thereof) but it's nevertheless a great book which I enjoyed reading. The writing is atmospheric, and I enjoyed the slow reveals and intricacies of the plot. For a children's book I thought it did a good job of handling the characters' painful relationships with gender and by extension with each other. And the fairytale elements were heartbreaking and poetic

Content Warnings

crazysecondname's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

kuyjac's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced

5.0

nicolemhill's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

Having very little familiarity with the folklore this is referencing, I found the story peculiar and difficult to connect with.

kaistephan's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

5.0

I read this as a child, didn't really get it, came back to it in my thirties and it looks completely different. There are so many different threads of narrative and motif and everything is connected to everything else in such intricate ways that it barely makes sense because everything makes too much sense and you're trying to comprehend it all. An absolutely genius piece of literature.

Content Warnings

onewinternight's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

good, but not as good as her other books. The ending seemed a bit vague.
All in all, a solid retelling of Tam Lin/Thomas the Rhymer that was witty and insightful.

rcarsonb's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.25

I can't believe Diana Wynne Jones has been there all along and I didn't know it until I was twenty years old.

exkahn's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging mysterious reflective tense slow-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

4.75

More...