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wayward_flowers's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"That’s how you get deathless, volchitsa. Walk the same tale over and over, until you wear a groove in the world, until even if you vanished, the tale would keep turning, keep playing, like a phonograph, and you’d have to get up again, even with a bullet through your eye, to play your part and say your lines.”
I'm broken and shattered. Finishing this book wasn't like breathlessly running through the fire but rather as though you've plunged into the depth of the coldness of the ocean-- a different kind of intensity and breathlessness.
Deathless has yet to be one of the most tragically beautiful tales I've read.
In it we follow our beloved classical fairytale characters and aspects of them, that we have grown up with. But, It is also the story of Russia during the 20th century and the tragedies that occurred in its history. Intertwining both elements together,
It is a world that possess the beauty and richness of fairytales but is entailed with the inevitability of war and death.
It talks about War and Grief. Love and Lust. War and Love.
"All the human world is the Country of Death, and in thrall, and finally, after all this time, we are just like everyone else. We are all dead. All equal. Broken and aimless and believing we are alive. This is Russia and it is 1952. What else would you call hell?”
The delivery of the story was immaculate. The writing and atmosphere was absolutely stunning.
The relationship dynamics between Koschei the Deathless and Marya Morevna was told beautifully but had the care to not conceal the terror or toxicity of it. And than seeing her navigate through this strange yet seemingly beautiful relationship, her heart and head in a constant argument, her fairytale life eclipsed over the one she lived when she was young.
"Oh, I will be cruel to you, Marya Morevna. It will stop your breath, how cruel I can be. But you understand, don’t you? You are clever enough. I am a demanding creature. I am selfish and cruel and extremely unreasonable. But I am your servant. When you starve I will feed you; when you are sick I will tend you. I crawl at your feet; for before your love, your kisses, I am debased. For you alone I will be weak.”
"Do you know, Masha, how revelation comes? Like death. So sudden, though you knew all along it must occur. A revelation is always the end of something. It might even be cause for grief.”
One of the things that Catherynne portrayed in this book that had me experiencing moments of realisation and reflection, were the aspects of..what does it truly mean to be good or bad.
Koschei, though in Russian folklore is a menacing and wicked creature, and while the author did not strip that element from the story, she, in my eyes, kept his true intentions hidden. I, as the reader at times tried to place Koschei as the character that is.."wicked" or whatever that is supposed to mean. Often times, especially in fairytales, it is obvious as to who is the wicked and virtuous. The good or the evil. But taken into consideration. It is much more complicated. I suppose IF taken simply, it really comes down to your intentions and what you do with them.
At the end of the day, no one is rightfully either when it comes to the play of Life and Death.
Other than that, I think the various topics and discussions done in this book, were quite meaningful and, once again, beautiful.
"The rapt pupil will be forgiven for assuming the Tsar of Death to be wicked and the Tsar of Life to be virtuous. Let the truth be told: There is no virtue anywhere. Life is sly and unscrupulous, a blackguard, wolfish, severe. In service to itself, it will commit any offense. So, too, is Death possessed of infinite strategies and a gaunt nature—but also mercy, also grace and tenderness. In his own country, Death can be kind. But of an end to their argument, we shall have none, not ever, until the end of all."
I shall end my review here. I could go on and on raving about this book. Every aspect of this book was enthralling and heartbreaking. I truly loved this.
"I will not let her have the whole thing. I have this power. I will not let her speak because I love her, and when you love someone you do not make them tell war stories. A war story is a black space. On the one side is before and on the other side is after, and what is inside belongs only to the dead. Besides, what happened between the two hands I am holding up is squeezed between the pages of the books of the dead, which are written on my hands."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and War
zydecovivo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Kidnapping, and War
Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, and Death of parent
semlan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I found the book to be very confusing and had a hard time connecting to the characters. I liked the beginning of the book though, but unfortunately it went downhill from there.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and War
beanaroni's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Alcohol, and War
Moderate: Sexual assault, Torture, and Abandonment
Minor: Cannibalism
lanarkunas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
hanz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, Pregnancy, and War
wordsbyzahra's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This wasn't the book for me. I can appreciate the writing. There are certainly some beautifully crafted passages in this book, but I suppose, it was not what I expected. Contrary to some reviews, particularly included on the blurb of my copy, I did not find this romantic. This is a story about many things: death, love, life, suffering, war, and the ways in which the impacts of war on people tend to manifest. I enjoyed the immersion of Russian fairy tales into 20th Century Russia, but I did not enjoy the exploration of the relationships between Marya and Koschei nor Marya and Ivan. Essentially I did not enjoy the supposed 'romance/love story' which was one of the main reasons picked it up, in addition to the immersion of Russian Fairytales. I'm disappointed that I did not enjoy the story as much as I anticipated, but I think that is more of a 'me' issue. This just wasn't the book for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and War
cedence's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, and War
Moderate: Animal death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Cannibalism
abominablesnowaro's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Starvationthewordsdevourer's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
1.0
deathless was one of my most anticipated reads this yr, so it rly rly pains me to give it this rating, making it prolly my most disappointing read of the yr so far. i didnt hate it and the book wasnt in any way bad, but it could've been more. the book's dense and got great and affecting--oft even lyrical--writing; adeptly utilizes its fairytale elements, resulting in an organic fusion of russian fairytale and factual history; original worldbuilding esp for buyan and the territorial war (how even a single leaf, a single rock is divided into the country of life's or death's); it's strangely romantic; and important, thought-provoking themes and msgs that are explored in a complex way.
however, i personally feel that this focus on hammering home the themes might have taken a toll on the story and its ~purely story~ aspect. the book's jam-packed w/ themes and while it's indeed--as a review puts it--bold and subversive, it's also confusing and somehow confoundingly lacking. while marya and koschei def deals w/ themes of love and power, i feel that their scope of story is not expansive enough to deal w/ life and death. the story's partly set in russia during world war ii, led by characters who fight decades long battles, yet a majority of it reads like a domestic drama of an open relationship. i wouldve liked more depiction of the gap between the end of part 2 and start of part 3: what was koschei and marya's relationship like during at least some of the interim 13 yrs? how was marya during her first few battles? a lot went into the start of the leads' relationship, but not enough was illustrated of its everyday meat and subtance. it just feels like a good chunk of the book shows things after they happen, and the few action it shows is not very substantial.
also i dont truly like any of the characters?? not asking for black-and-white characters who are all good or bad, but somehow they're all at least a lil unlikable lol. and after a winding path towards the end, i dont even rly get the ending either, and idk if it's bc im too dumb to understand or if the msg's too obfuscated at that point. this had a lot more potential and im just very sad that it wasnt explored.
however, i personally feel that this focus on hammering home the themes might have taken a toll on the story and its ~purely story~ aspect. the book's jam-packed w/ themes and while it's indeed--as a review puts it--bold and subversive, it's also confusing and somehow confoundingly lacking. while marya and koschei def deals w/ themes of love and power, i feel that their scope of story is not expansive enough to deal w/ life and death. the story's partly set in russia during world war ii, led by characters who fight decades long battles, yet a majority of it reads like a domestic drama of an open relationship. i wouldve liked more depiction of the gap between the end of part 2 and start of part 3: what was koschei and marya's relationship like during at least some of the interim 13 yrs? how was marya during her first few battles? a lot went into the start of the leads' relationship, but not enough was illustrated of its everyday meat and subtance. it just feels like a good chunk of the book shows things after they happen, and the few action it shows is not very substantial.
also i dont truly like any of the characters?? not asking for black-and-white characters who are all good or bad, but somehow they're all at least a lil unlikable lol. and after a winding path towards the end, i dont even rly get the ending either, and idk if it's bc im too dumb to understand or if the msg's too obfuscated at that point. this had a lot more potential and im just very sad that it wasnt explored.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, and War
Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Stalking
Minor: Child death, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail