araym1317's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
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
3.5
Won in a giveaway. Different than what I’d usually pick up and enjoyable! Scenes of Cass losing her love hit me hard in the feels just a couple days after the six month mark of losing my late partner last November after an illness that physically consumed him like Ianthe, but was probably healing to read the words nonetheless.
Recommend reviewing CWs for folks 💜
Recommend reviewing CWs for folks 💜
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Chronic illness, and Death
Moderate: Xenophobia, Addiction, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent, Murder, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Abandonment
While not technically abandoned, a main character definitely struggles with feelings of abandonment, hence indicated as a minor CW, but it’s a fairly prominent theme for good sections of the novel, so could be considered moderate.tawallah's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? No
4.0
connorjdaley's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read this one for the Indie Ink Awards, but I got the book on kindle from a free event ran by the author!
The author’s Twitter says, “Books on Amazon. They’ll break your heart,” and I don’t know for sure if she meant her own, but she’s certainly still right. This is one of the most heartfelt, and heartrending stories I have ever read. Every sentence is like a gut punch. Destroying the reader with ease.
This novel is also one of the more unique stories I’ve ever read. It’s fantasy, in a fantasy world, and yet it still reads like a period piece or historical fantasy for the Wild West. It has that industrial, gritty feel of a cowboy western, and it technically has a train heist!
The boundary, an invisible line to most that demarcates the civilized from the other, is where the fantasy elements are amped up. Inside the boundary folks are imbued through all things shine. Shine is somewhat like an essence or drug-like substance like in Dune, however here it functions as so much more. It stops the aging of food, keeps it at the correct temperature, stops rot, it heals people, and yet it can also destroy. Those that live with it and intake it show its use through a variety of colors. Your skin and hair may be orange or purple, green or blue.
In many ways this novel functions as a slice-of-life story. Except that every single character is being emotional decimated over and over, with nothing good staying. Cassandra has perhaps the most hurtful experience of all. And she has over a 15 year journey to her finally reaching her max. Arlen thinks everything is fine until it’s not. Sadly he doesn’t get to choose finding this out on his own, it’s thrust at him, as it so often is in life.
The author uses such broad strokes and fanciful writing that the mundane reads magical, the typical is anything but. And every paragraph and page is truly emotionally astounding. Metaphorically, lyrically, poetically brilliant.
Personally a 5/5*. Just fantastic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
crystina_luna's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
emhamill's review
5.0
Sarah Chorn’s first novel, Seraphina’s Lament, reinforced my concept of grimdark fantasy as a potential favorite genre. You can see my review of this incredible book here. I now have to add ‘fantasy AU Western’ to that mix.
If grimdark is not your thing, you absolutely MUST read Of Honey and Wildfires instead to get a taste of Chorn’s magnificent, lyrical prose, which flows between the events of this story like its golden, sticky namesake and weaves the events together in an inescapable flood.
It is not a feel-good book by any means. Chorn explores the greed and inhumanity of the early days of the oil rush, transposed upon the mythical industry of crude shine: literally, liquid magic pumped and mined from the ground. Young Arlen Esco, heir to his father’s vast company holdings, is sent to Shine Territory ostensibly to learn the business. Instead, sensitive Arlen’s world is turned inside out when Christopher Hobson, a larger than life outlaw known as the Shine Bandit, kidnaps him and shows him the dark side of the Esco empire. What Arlen learns about himself and what his father has become is chilling.
The book contains three strands of consciousness: Arlen’s, as he is reluctantly pulled into Chris’s painful world; Cassandra’s: Christopher Hobson’s daughter, outcast by her father’s deeds; and Ianthe’s: the consumptive love of Cassandra’s life, who sees the world in glory and beauty through the haze of the shine addiction keeping her alive. Between the three of them, the painful narrative of life and death, where magic exists but cannot hold back the hand of disease or the ravages of human greed, plays out to its climax.
I absolutely loved this book. Ianthe and Cassandra’s love story is a needle-studded skein of embroidery thread, shining and beautiful but sharp with the scissors poised to cut. Beyond the mention of Arlen’s chest binder, the fact he is male goes refreshingly unquestioned in the narrative in this AU Western world, and I loved that as well. It’s a must read for anyone who loves achingly beautiful literary prose. The book comes full circle from its shocking introduction to the last page. It’s definitely a stand-alone, though I would love to see other stories set in this world.
Of Honey and Wildfires is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
If grimdark is not your thing, you absolutely MUST read Of Honey and Wildfires instead to get a taste of Chorn’s magnificent, lyrical prose, which flows between the events of this story like its golden, sticky namesake and weaves the events together in an inescapable flood.
It is not a feel-good book by any means. Chorn explores the greed and inhumanity of the early days of the oil rush, transposed upon the mythical industry of crude shine: literally, liquid magic pumped and mined from the ground. Young Arlen Esco, heir to his father’s vast company holdings, is sent to Shine Territory ostensibly to learn the business. Instead, sensitive Arlen’s world is turned inside out when Christopher Hobson, a larger than life outlaw known as the Shine Bandit, kidnaps him and shows him the dark side of the Esco empire. What Arlen learns about himself and what his father has become is chilling.
The book contains three strands of consciousness: Arlen’s, as he is reluctantly pulled into Chris’s painful world; Cassandra’s: Christopher Hobson’s daughter, outcast by her father’s deeds; and Ianthe’s: the consumptive love of Cassandra’s life, who sees the world in glory and beauty through the haze of the shine addiction keeping her alive. Between the three of them, the painful narrative of life and death, where magic exists but cannot hold back the hand of disease or the ravages of human greed, plays out to its climax.
I absolutely loved this book. Ianthe and Cassandra’s love story is a needle-studded skein of embroidery thread, shining and beautiful but sharp with the scissors poised to cut. Beyond the mention of Arlen’s chest binder, the fact he is male goes refreshingly unquestioned in the narrative in this AU Western world, and I loved that as well. It’s a must read for anyone who loves achingly beautiful literary prose. The book comes full circle from its shocking introduction to the last page. It’s definitely a stand-alone, though I would love to see other stories set in this world.
Of Honey and Wildfires is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
plot_head's review
5.0
Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Of Honey and Wildfires is a rather short book, by fantasy standards anyway, weighing in at just over 300 pages. That’s not to say that this is a bad thing. Quite the opposite, in fact, because I don’t think I could have withstood reading much more than that. Let me explain. Generally speaking, I am a bit of a bleeding heart. I will be the first to admit that I cry in almost every movie, books often leave me sobbing, stirring music will move me to tears, and so on. However, this is a book that has moved me beyond my normal emotional response and left me empty; it has scooped out my soul, laid it bare, and revealed all of my insecurities. In other words, I loved it.
My heart has broken into as many pieces as there are stars. I imagine that is why this hurts. It is not an easy thing being torn so.
Of Honey and Wildfires is about love and loss, sacrifice and, ultimately, of finding home. This is a character driven story centered around the intersecting storylines of Arlen, Cassandra, Ianthe, and Chris, as well as their relationship with Matthew Esco, the owner of Shine Company, and finally Shine Country itself. For most of the book, these lines are weaving back and forth through time, as we follow Cassandra’s upbringing and the blossoming of her relationship to Ianthe, and then Arlen and Chris’ journey deep into Shine Country. The relationships are all very believable and nuanced and I really appreciated all of the LGBTQ representation that Sarah managed to squeeze into the story. And, most importantly, it felt very natural and didn’t come across as representation for representations sake.
It takes place in Shine Country, a reimagined wild west where instead of striking gold, we struck shine. While there are references to the world outside the barrier, Shine Country is the main point of focus here, as the characters and their stories are tied to the land. Shine is a magical substance that has come to be used the world over. It is used in everything from fine textiles to food, weapons, healing, and good old fashioned drug abuse. Shine is an interesting twist on the normal magic systems found in fantasy and, while it is very loosely explained on page, it is pretty easy to understand the many uses and ways in which it could be implemented. This is a time where leaving the magic system mainly up to the reader’s imagination did not take anything away from it. The only time I was confused was when a few of the characters were referred to as half breeds, based not on their racial identity but the fact that shine didn’t affect them, and I never saw a satisfactory explanation as to what that actually means. On another note, the fact that Matthew Esco and Shine Company were the single source of shine for the entire world immediately sets them up as the BBEG in a satisfying way because who doesn’t hate the evil monopoly man?
Bloodshed is always superfluous. It is the deeper damage that is the best.
I have to mention Sarah’s prose here because it is some of the most beautiful writing I have ever experienced. She commands the written word with such skill that every sentence seems layered with meaning. The pages practically bleed emotion. Finding quotes to pull for use in this review was harder than it has ever been. If I had to nitpick, I could say that a few of the similes and metaphors that she used didn’t work for me. However, this is still some of the most evocative prose I have ever read.
I really enjoyed Of Honey and Wildfires. This has been the best start to a year of reading that I have probably ever had. Sarah has created something that is equal parts poetic and heart wrenching. I was immediately immersed in Sarah’s take on the weird west and the gut-wrenching path the novel took left me both gasping for air and begging for more. I will definitely be picking up the recently released sequel novella and waiting with baited breath for the full sequel to come.
The story of life is told through breath and blood. Poetry, as ever-present as a heartbeat, as fleeting as the blink of an eye.
Of Honey and Wildfires is a rather short book, by fantasy standards anyway, weighing in at just over 300 pages. That’s not to say that this is a bad thing. Quite the opposite, in fact, because I don’t think I could have withstood reading much more than that. Let me explain. Generally speaking, I am a bit of a bleeding heart. I will be the first to admit that I cry in almost every movie, books often leave me sobbing, stirring music will move me to tears, and so on. However, this is a book that has moved me beyond my normal emotional response and left me empty; it has scooped out my soul, laid it bare, and revealed all of my insecurities. In other words, I loved it.
My heart has broken into as many pieces as there are stars. I imagine that is why this hurts. It is not an easy thing being torn so.
Of Honey and Wildfires is about love and loss, sacrifice and, ultimately, of finding home. This is a character driven story centered around the intersecting storylines of Arlen, Cassandra, Ianthe, and Chris, as well as their relationship with Matthew Esco, the owner of Shine Company, and finally Shine Country itself. For most of the book, these lines are weaving back and forth through time, as we follow Cassandra’s upbringing and the blossoming of her relationship to Ianthe, and then Arlen and Chris’ journey deep into Shine Country. The relationships are all very believable and nuanced and I really appreciated all of the LGBTQ representation that Sarah managed to squeeze into the story. And, most importantly, it felt very natural and didn’t come across as representation for representations sake.
It takes place in Shine Country, a reimagined wild west where instead of striking gold, we struck shine. While there are references to the world outside the barrier, Shine Country is the main point of focus here, as the characters and their stories are tied to the land. Shine is a magical substance that has come to be used the world over. It is used in everything from fine textiles to food, weapons, healing, and good old fashioned drug abuse. Shine is an interesting twist on the normal magic systems found in fantasy and, while it is very loosely explained on page, it is pretty easy to understand the many uses and ways in which it could be implemented. This is a time where leaving the magic system mainly up to the reader’s imagination did not take anything away from it. The only time I was confused was when a few of the characters were referred to as half breeds, based not on their racial identity but the fact that shine didn’t affect them, and I never saw a satisfactory explanation as to what that actually means. On another note, the fact that Matthew Esco and Shine Company were the single source of shine for the entire world immediately sets them up as the BBEG in a satisfying way because who doesn’t hate the evil monopoly man?
Bloodshed is always superfluous. It is the deeper damage that is the best.
I have to mention Sarah’s prose here because it is some of the most beautiful writing I have ever experienced. She commands the written word with such skill that every sentence seems layered with meaning. The pages practically bleed emotion. Finding quotes to pull for use in this review was harder than it has ever been. If I had to nitpick, I could say that a few of the similes and metaphors that she used didn’t work for me. However, this is still some of the most evocative prose I have ever read.
I really enjoyed Of Honey and Wildfires. This has been the best start to a year of reading that I have probably ever had. Sarah has created something that is equal parts poetic and heart wrenching. I was immediately immersed in Sarah’s take on the weird west and the gut-wrenching path the novel took left me both gasping for air and begging for more. I will definitely be picking up the recently released sequel novella and waiting with baited breath for the full sequel to come.
The story of life is told through breath and blood. Poetry, as ever-present as a heartbeat, as fleeting as the blink of an eye.
liisp_cvr2cvr's review
5.0
Read any review for this book and what stands out to you most is that in each and every one Sarah’s writing gets an honorable mention. I second each word of praise for this author’s writing because it works blessed miracles.
The prologue is often that which readers particularly do not like all that much. Personally, I don’t mind them but often they feel like you could also do fine without them. OHAW has one of those prologues that actually does what prologues are meant to do – you’re caught in a web of intrigue straight away. And, straight away that writing of Sarah’s starts to set up the scene wonderfully.
Want to know what else happens straight away? You’ll feel a pinch in your insides… because this book will start to hit you right in the feels before you can utter ‘hang on, let me brace my fragile heart‘. Too late, get the box of tissues at the ready!
The story is … eh… hard to explain. In a nutshell it’s simple and yet again, it’s not. It’s complicated and complex as hell… just like humanity in its entirety… and it’s painful but also wonderful! It feels like one of many-layered types, and yet at the heart of it all, I think, is the one bittersweet beauty of love, and how love doesn’t vanquish hate, it doesn’t vanquish prejudice and it doesn’t really vanquish evil. I think this is the crux of OHAW – for me anyway – the inner strengths, the finding of one’s inner strength, the sacrifices, the heartaches, the simply having to deal and all because there is a spark of love for something or someone. Sarah basically weaves a whole lot of emotion into the story… the plot is pretty much, I feel, secondary. Don’t get me wrong – the book has a great plot, but Sarah Chorn simply sings emotional turmoil off each page, like a freaking siren! And she does it well.
Furthermore, moments of foreboding and surprising revelations keep the story progression solid and firmly in the ‘this is going to give me a coronary‘ category. And, again, the beauty here is the fact that the brawl and the “necessary” evil and heartbreak is balanced out with these incredible moments of tenderness, caring and love. Sarah writes an amazing scene full of emotion which made me feel like time was standing still.
See? I can’t simply get past the fact that this book is, whilst a really good story with solid characters, a masterpiece foremost due to the writing style. It’s unforgettable.
And, I kind of refuse to go into the detail of the story… From the blurb you can read there is a place called Shine Territory and there is something that is called ‘magic oil’ – that is all you need to know. Let the small, amazing details reveal themselves to you as you devour this book. I know I was taken unawares and was pleasantly surprised by the imaginative world Sarah has weaved in with the historical yet somehow modern feel. It’s a quirky mix for a setting but it totally works.
The characters are intriguing. Through 3 main POVs – Cassandra, Ianthe, Arlen Esco – you’ll find it hard to not feel sympathy and love for the MCs and you will be caught by surprise how much you become to care. And you will care because Sarah manages to show you the character’s hearts, bare their souls, their innermost wishes and dreams and hurts and heartaches… You are being handed a beating heart on the palm of a hand, and you cannot look away. Especially as it is a cruel world the 3 have to navigate. There are so many life altering decisions made on behalf of them and by themselves that it really can make you wonder- how on earth will this all resolve itself? In tragedy and turmoil? Or in victory after a bloody battle? Or a happily ever after? Ohhhh, which will it be… I hope you’re itching to find out for yourself.
Folks, this book will leave you in a state of silent contemplation, and with somewhat of a hiraeth. Because I have hardly mentioned the skill of the author’s writing (
The prologue is often that which readers particularly do not like all that much. Personally, I don’t mind them but often they feel like you could also do fine without them. OHAW has one of those prologues that actually does what prologues are meant to do – you’re caught in a web of intrigue straight away. And, straight away that writing of Sarah’s starts to set up the scene wonderfully.
This was love, this burning. It was not as sweet as honey; rather, it was a wild thing. A tempest. A raging forest fire. It was hungry, and it demanded. For what would a father not do for his child?
Want to know what else happens straight away? You’ll feel a pinch in your insides… because this book will start to hit you right in the feels before you can utter ‘hang on, let me brace my fragile heart‘. Too late, get the box of tissues at the ready!
The story is … eh… hard to explain. In a nutshell it’s simple and yet again, it’s not. It’s complicated and complex as hell… just like humanity in its entirety… and it’s painful but also wonderful! It feels like one of many-layered types, and yet at the heart of it all, I think, is the one bittersweet beauty of love, and how love doesn’t vanquish hate, it doesn’t vanquish prejudice and it doesn’t really vanquish evil. I think this is the crux of OHAW – for me anyway – the inner strengths, the finding of one’s inner strength, the sacrifices, the heartaches, the simply having to deal and all because there is a spark of love for something or someone. Sarah basically weaves a whole lot of emotion into the story… the plot is pretty much, I feel, secondary. Don’t get me wrong – the book has a great plot, but Sarah Chorn simply sings emotional turmoil off each page, like a freaking siren! And she does it well.
Furthermore, moments of foreboding and surprising revelations keep the story progression solid and firmly in the ‘this is going to give me a coronary‘ category. And, again, the beauty here is the fact that the brawl and the “necessary” evil and heartbreak is balanced out with these incredible moments of tenderness, caring and love. Sarah writes an amazing scene full of emotion which made me feel like time was standing still.
See? I can’t simply get past the fact that this book is, whilst a really good story with solid characters, a masterpiece foremost due to the writing style. It’s unforgettable.
And, I kind of refuse to go into the detail of the story… From the blurb you can read there is a place called Shine Territory and there is something that is called ‘magic oil’ – that is all you need to know. Let the small, amazing details reveal themselves to you as you devour this book. I know I was taken unawares and was pleasantly surprised by the imaginative world Sarah has weaved in with the historical yet somehow modern feel. It’s a quirky mix for a setting but it totally works.
I do not think it is in my nature to know peace. Some people are born with a fight in their bones. I was a rock thrown into a still pond. Already, the ripples were spreading. My very existence was a conflict.
The characters are intriguing. Through 3 main POVs – Cassandra, Ianthe, Arlen Esco – you’ll find it hard to not feel sympathy and love for the MCs and you will be caught by surprise how much you become to care. And you will care because Sarah manages to show you the character’s hearts, bare their souls, their innermost wishes and dreams and hurts and heartaches… You are being handed a beating heart on the palm of a hand, and you cannot look away. Especially as it is a cruel world the 3 have to navigate. There are so many life altering decisions made on behalf of them and by themselves that it really can make you wonder- how on earth will this all resolve itself? In tragedy and turmoil? Or in victory after a bloody battle? Or a happily ever after? Ohhhh, which will it be… I hope you’re itching to find out for yourself.
Folks, this book will leave you in a state of silent contemplation, and with somewhat of a hiraeth. Because I have hardly mentioned the skill of the author’s writing (
thebookwormsfeast's review
4.0
This was such a breath of fresh air. Not an overly happy one, as the storyline is not light, but I loved the way the world was built up. We follow along as the wild-west develops with a Victorian sense of industry, little mysteries are peppered in amongst the tale, and there is a strong sense of family relationships that bind the people to each other and the land. I also loved that despite being a historical setting, we had some great LGBTQ+ rep treated with acceptance from the other characters.
It's so beautifully written - I highlighted so many lines. Even with all the horror and strife this world has, the writing had me enchanted. I won't go too much into the nature of the narrative, as personally, I love to know as little as possible before going in - but these people are oppressed with a company putting a spin on it of "oh aren't we great for giving them jobs - you're happier this way". This leads to some haunting beautiful passages.
Pacing-wise, I did feel impatient at times - as the timeline jumps around, prolonging the details and plot points from each time and person - but I enjoyed this flitting around, and it is more just my desire to get to the heart of it. We have chapters headed with characters at different ages of their life, but also some as a few days ago and growing closer. These I was so so eager to reach as you could feel it reaching a climax.
I really enjoyed how magic was worked in with a twist on oil, but I must admit I'm a little confused over some of the mechanics concerning two central characters, but maybe I just missed something. That's all I am going to gripe over though, so it's very negligible. I loved watching the storylines all weave together to give us a feeling of hope by the end, and I do need to get onto the second book, Glass Rhapsody, which publishes this week!
It's so beautifully written - I highlighted so many lines. Even with all the horror and strife this world has, the writing had me enchanted. I won't go too much into the nature of the narrative, as personally, I love to know as little as possible before going in - but these people are oppressed with a company putting a spin on it of "oh aren't we great for giving them jobs - you're happier this way". This leads to some haunting beautiful passages.
Pacing-wise, I did feel impatient at times - as the timeline jumps around, prolonging the details and plot points from each time and person - but I enjoyed this flitting around, and it is more just my desire to get to the heart of it. We have chapters headed with characters at different ages of their life, but also some as a few days ago and growing closer. These I was so so eager to reach as you could feel it reaching a climax.
I really enjoyed how magic was worked in with a twist on oil, but I must admit I'm a little confused over some of the mechanics concerning two central characters, but maybe I just missed something. That's all I am going to gripe over though, so it's very negligible. I loved watching the storylines all weave together to give us a feeling of hope by the end, and I do need to get onto the second book, Glass Rhapsody, which publishes this week!
bory's review
3.0
3.5 stars.
This is a beautifully written book. It is saturated with a rich, vivid atmosphere that is both familiar it its Wild West inspired setting, and unique in its fantastical elements. I'm not going to lie, the story tugged on the strings of my crusty old heart towards the end. I might have even shed a tear.
That being said, the book, it's not for me. It's too melancholy, too sad, for my tastes. There is room in this world for this type of tales, but I like some levity and hope to break up the bleakness. If there were the occasional ray of sunshine here, it was too weak to make a difference. I'm also not a fan of non-linear story telling, and this is a prime example - three POV characters, three different timelines as we progress toward the now.
I can appreciate the story and what Sarah Chorn is creating. I know there is follow up novella and another book in the series and, while I'm glad to have experienced Of Honey and Wildfires, I don't think I will be reading those. I will, however, not hesitate to pick up this author again.
This is a beautifully written book. It is saturated with a rich, vivid atmosphere that is both familiar it its Wild West inspired setting, and unique in its fantastical elements. I'm not going to lie, the story tugged on the strings of my crusty old heart towards the end. I might have even shed a tear.
That being said, the book, it's not for me. It's too melancholy, too sad, for my tastes. There is room in this world for this type of tales, but I like some levity and hope to break up the bleakness. If there were the occasional ray of sunshine here, it was too weak to make a difference. I'm also not a fan of non-linear story telling, and this is a prime example - three POV characters, three different timelines as we progress toward the now.
I can appreciate the story and what Sarah Chorn is creating. I know there is follow up novella and another book in the series and, while I'm glad to have experienced Of Honey and Wildfires, I don't think I will be reading those. I will, however, not hesitate to pick up this author again.
tinyelfarcanist's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is the story of the Esco dynasty, born from one man's sacrifice. And about a man that married into it and built a family.
It's a tale of grief, and how the outside world continues even when one's own universe crumbles down.
It's told in three different POVs: A young man (Arlen) who's presented with a red pill/blue pill decision; the coming of age of a girl (Cassandra) that lived lifetimes in her young years; and a dying girl (Ianthe) who's leaving this world and taking Cassandra's with it.
I found the prose in Ianthe’s chapters a little flowery for my taste, but they are short and sparse. If you like purple prose, you’ll love them, though.
I also had trouble with some of Cassandra's chapters, especially from when she was younger. Her dialogue felt stilted and unlike how a 5yo speaks.
Arlen's chapters were definitely my favourites and the ones that drive the story forward as they take place closer to present events. In a short period, he will discover a lot about his life and experience powerful emotions for the first time.
The author created a fascinating world where the magic resource (shine) encompasses every field as it can heal, heat, conserve, and be a powerful drug. The beautiful description of the scenery made me crave an adaptation.
I was warned of Chorn's books, and this still managed to ambush me. If you're planning to read one of her books, be ready to get your heart ripped out.
It's a tale of grief, and how the outside world continues even when one's own universe crumbles down.
It's told in three different POVs: A young man (Arlen) who's presented with a red pill/blue pill decision; the coming of age of a girl (Cassandra) that lived lifetimes in her young years; and a dying girl (Ianthe) who's leaving this world and taking Cassandra's with it.
I found the prose in Ianthe’s chapters a little flowery for my taste, but they are short and sparse. If you like purple prose, you’ll love them, though.
I also had trouble with some of Cassandra's chapters, especially from when she was younger. Her dialogue felt stilted and unlike how a 5yo speaks.
Arlen's chapters were definitely my favourites and the ones that drive the story forward as they take place closer to present events. In a short period, he will discover a lot about his life and experience powerful emotions for the first time.
The author created a fascinating world where the magic resource (shine) encompasses every field as it can heal, heat, conserve, and be a powerful drug. The beautiful description of the scenery made me crave an adaptation.
I was warned of Chorn's books, and this still managed to ambush me. If you're planning to read one of her books, be ready to get your heart ripped out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Racism, Terminal illness, Drug abuse, Addiction, Bullying, Grief, Blood, Drug use, Self harm, and Suicide
Moderate: Police brutality, Abandonment, Deadnaming, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Vomit, Death of parent, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Classism, Child death, and Pedophilia
Minor: Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, and Violence