indigomoonzebra's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
river24's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5
3.5/5
There was a kind of violence that went with such vanity, an unwillingness to let anything else in the world be beautiful.
There was a kind of violence that went with such vanity, an unwillingness to let anything else in the world be beautiful.
bookbrig's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
This was a random shelf discovery, and I'm really glad I picked it up. First, the audiobook reader was excellent and then I fell in love with so many of the characters. They're prickly and stubborn and weird-just interesting to read about. I think maybe Claude and Margriet were my favorites, and I enjoyed how their respective stories wrapped up. But there wasn't a character perspective I didn't like reading, and I feel like this strange little story is going to stay with me for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Body horror
Moderate: Transphobia, War, and Misogyny
Minor: Animal death and Antisemitism
pacardullo's review against another edition
5.0
Historical fiction is not usually in my wheelhouse - even if it is historical horror/dark fantasy, such as this. That said, this book grabbed me. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Fantastic stuff. Great characters. Fascinating read. This is one of those books where I was almost sad that I had finished it.
caitsidhe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tilly_and_the_books's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
kblincoln's review against another edition
4.0
Sometimes reading multiple books at the same time burns you out, sometimes there are serendipitous overlaps between themes. I have come to accept that much of any review is solidly based in the reading environment in which I have encountered that book.
I am encountering Armed in Her Fashion in the context of some feminist theory books and podcasts. And so the collection of women who form the main ensemble of this cast appealed to me as embodying many of the issues I was hearing about in the other books.
We have Margriet, who is a dying widow just trying to get back what is legally hers under Flemish law, her daughter Beatrix who truly loved her husband but is devastated by the practical reality of being without him, Jacquemine who must protect her children while still offering help to her sisterhood of refugees, and Claude, who is a man in a woman's body offered the potential to change his form physically.
And, of course, the Chatelaine, who has risen out of the ground in the very mouth of a Hellbeast and who takes men & women and forges them into chimerae to fight her battles. There is much unplumbed backstory in her character-- she lets on that she as locked her husband (commander of the hellbeast) away in an oubliette and intimates he is much worse than she!
Heartfield brings a medieval Bruges to life, complete with crazy medieval theories about religion and grotesque consequences (such as Bruges' soldiers being made into revenants by the Chatelaine and sent back to Bruges at nightfall calling the names of their loved ones...who if they accept the revanants into their houses, fall dead to a plague.)
It was viscerally brought home to me the limited resources and recourses women of that time had to make their way if they were unattached to a man. Even the powerful Chatelaine must make nice with Kings in order to have enough power to attack Bruges.
The book definitely has a somewhat dry and historical tone throughout. There is a lot of planning and going over plans that sometimes slowed the pace of the book at points, but I definitely think its an interesting mix of history, the fantastic, and looking at how women must sometimes resort to incredible lengths to make their way in a chaotic world.
I am encountering Armed in Her Fashion in the context of some feminist theory books and podcasts. And so the collection of women who form the main ensemble of this cast appealed to me as embodying many of the issues I was hearing about in the other books.
We have Margriet, who is a dying widow just trying to get back what is legally hers under Flemish law, her daughter Beatrix who truly loved her husband but is devastated by the practical reality of being without him, Jacquemine who must protect her children while still offering help to her sisterhood of refugees, and Claude, who is a man in a woman's body offered the potential to change his form physically.
And, of course, the Chatelaine, who has risen out of the ground in the very mouth of a Hellbeast and who takes men & women and forges them into chimerae to fight her battles. There is much unplumbed backstory in her character-- she lets on that she as locked her husband (commander of the hellbeast) away in an oubliette and intimates he is much worse than she!
Heartfield brings a medieval Bruges to life, complete with crazy medieval theories about religion and grotesque consequences (such as Bruges' soldiers being made into revenants by the Chatelaine and sent back to Bruges at nightfall calling the names of their loved ones...who if they accept the revanants into their houses, fall dead to a plague.)
It was viscerally brought home to me the limited resources and recourses women of that time had to make their way if they were unattached to a man. Even the powerful Chatelaine must make nice with Kings in order to have enough power to attack Bruges.
The book definitely has a somewhat dry and historical tone throughout. There is a lot of planning and going over plans that sometimes slowed the pace of the book at points, but I definitely think its an interesting mix of history, the fantastic, and looking at how women must sometimes resort to incredible lengths to make their way in a chaotic world.
senqin's review against another edition
5.0
When the Devil puts up walls, men smash them, and if they cannot smash them, they despair, or they walk away. But women must trickle through the cracks, they find a way through because they have no choice, because they have nowhere to go, and nothing to smash with.
★★★★½
Armed In Her Fashion was such a fun and creative read with a lot more heart than what I was initially expecting. Margriet de Vos is an amazing main character, a sassy middle aged woman who's just trying to do right by her only surviving child. There's a lot that can be said about this book underneath the surface plot of a group of widows + a trans mercenary raiding Hell to recover what is rightfully theirs in 14th century Bruges. It's also a story about the depths of a mother's love, and the parts of the book that really focused on Margriet's oftentimes turbulent relationship with her daughter Beatrix were the ones that really left the biggest impression on me. I was also particularly impressed by how some of the various issues were tackled in a way that felt appropriate to the historical context rather than having modern sensibilities be imposed onto the characters.
Apparently, Armed In Her Fashion was partly inspired by the figure of Dulle Griet/Mad Meg which makes a lot of sense because this painting just about perfectly sums up the vibes of this book.
emosheeran's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
3.75
This is one of the most random stories I have ever read, but I’m glad I did! An interesting premise to do with Hell on earth, and a relatively diverse group of characters. Fair warning the trans character does get misgendered here and there.
I thought going into it that it would be more horrorish, but it truly isn’t in any way. I wish the story was more intense, it definitely had room to be more lively.
I thought going into it that it would be more horrorish, but it truly isn’t in any way. I wish the story was more intense, it definitely had room to be more lively.
lamusadelils's review against another edition
4.0
Es hermoso.
Me recordó, de manera extrana, a Hell is the Absence of God. Por supuesto, en este caso se trata de una historia medieval donde el infierno existe y las ocurrencias sobrenaturales no son tan indiferentes.
Pero hay una atmósfera similar a la gente presenciando eventos infernales en la vida cotidiana y actuando acorde, experimentando aún así los dramas normales de sus vidas.
Puntos extra por tantos personajes femeninos, tan variados y complejos. También hay un personaje trans y se aprecia mucho que se muestre lo que pudo ser, lo que seguramente fue en muchos casos, antes de tener el nombre que tiene ahora.
Aunque el infierno por supuesto tiene sus horrores, este libros es como una brisa de aire fresco en un mar de horror que más o menos se mueve de maneras similares. No que todos los libros que he leído en este Barrifest sean iguales, al contrario, pero esto se sale aún más de lo normal de la burbuja que normalmente elijo para este mes y considero que la decisión de incluirlo fue un éxito.
Me recordó, de manera extrana, a Hell is the Absence of God. Por supuesto, en este caso se trata de una historia medieval donde el infierno existe y las ocurrencias sobrenaturales no son tan indiferentes.
Pero hay una atmósfera similar a la gente presenciando eventos infernales en la vida cotidiana y actuando acorde, experimentando aún así los dramas normales de sus vidas.
Puntos extra por tantos personajes femeninos, tan variados y complejos. También hay un personaje trans y se aprecia mucho que se muestre lo que pudo ser, lo que seguramente fue en muchos casos, antes de tener el nombre que tiene ahora.
Aunque el infierno por supuesto tiene sus horrores, este libros es como una brisa de aire fresco en un mar de horror que más o menos se mueve de maneras similares. No que todos los libros que he leído en este Barrifest sean iguales, al contrario, pero esto se sale aún más de lo normal de la burbuja que normalmente elijo para este mes y considero que la decisión de incluirlo fue un éxito.