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rileybeez's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? Yes
2.75
For such a rich potential concept, I found the narration shallow. When the story is narrated by the protagonist it's the perfect opportunity to deeply explore the emotions of them - especially when communication is so limited as in this case. The writing was clinical and detatched. The motivations and actions were never explained, and the emotions seemed false. I couldn't ever really tell how the main character felt about the love interest - whether they were genuine or just in denial about something.
This story takes the "finding your voice" plot arc a bit literally - especially when the main protagonist literally cannot physically speak but ultimately finds out she can.
This story takes the "finding your voice" plot arc a bit literally - especially when the main protagonist literally cannot physically speak but ultimately finds out she can.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, and Death of parent
Minor: Confinement, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
tatyana_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
fast-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
This was my first adult fantasy book of this nature and I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I flew through it in literally two days and it was all I could think about for weeks to come. It tells the story of a young woman, Lark, who “lost” her voice when she witnessed her mother’s death as a child. She becomes weighed down by grief and the expectations of those around her including her father. Many people think little of her due to her lack of voice and she is constantly underestimated. When Lark gets tangled in the web of those vying for the throne and the mysterious enemy destroying the kingdom, she discovers that there is more to her than anyone ever realized. The book has magic with many people falling into four main Gifted categories in some way. However, due to fear and persecution for hundreds of years, most people hide their gifts. So I think you can imagine Lark’s difficulty with having no voice while also having the Gift of being a teller who can use words to shape reality through suggestion. Lark spends the book slowly growing into herself and I really came to care for her. This is now one of my favorite books. I’m excited to read the second book that follows different characters from this world who we’ve been introduced to previously. I am curious about how the books will connect because to me it seemed like the epilogue of this book takes place further in the future than the events of the next book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War
Minor: Death of parent