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mardie's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-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? No
5.0
This book is astounding! I enjoyed every moment and became more and more caught up in the story and with the characters as each page passed. It's a good, long novel, but I could have happily kept reading and am so glad there is another long story to wind up the series.
The author's writing style is the perfect vehicle to solidly and colourfully build this world and develop the characters who fill it. I liked that we saw the MC's each endure adversity, then grow through and move past it. We watched as they were forged into determined and resilient people, and as each was given their own first person POV chapters, having the insight into their thinking cemented them as real, nuanced people.
There is a strong found family arc, which I loved. Pirates and tavern workers and patrons make for a light-hearted, passionate and memorable foundation. I also appreciated the diversity of the characters and the acceptance shown to them - except by the baddies, who I sincerely hope get a huge portion of well deserved come-uppance in the next book.
There are quite a few trigger warnings accompanying this book, and while none of those incidents upset me, I appreciated the advance warning. I would suggest readers visit the author's page to check that list before commencing their read.
Woodborn is a rare fantasy novel that is able to transport readers to a highly unique world without losing them in detail-heavy prose. The language is concise but vivid, the flow and tension are perfect to build empathy, and the story is enthrallingly layered. This author and book deserve much more attention and I only wish I could give more stars.
The author's writing style is the perfect vehicle to solidly and colourfully build this world and develop the characters who fill it. I liked that we saw the MC's each endure adversity, then grow through and move past it. We watched as they were forged into determined and resilient people, and as each was given their own first person POV chapters, having the insight into their thinking cemented them as real, nuanced people.
There is a strong found family arc, which I loved. Pirates and tavern workers and patrons make for a light-hearted, passionate and memorable foundation. I also appreciated the diversity of the characters and the acceptance shown to them - except by the baddies, who I sincerely hope get a huge portion of well deserved come-uppance in the next book.
There are quite a few trigger warnings accompanying this book, and while none of those incidents upset me, I appreciated the advance warning. I would suggest readers visit the author's page to check that list before commencing their read.
Woodborn is a rare fantasy novel that is able to transport readers to a highly unique world without losing them in detail-heavy prose. The language is concise but vivid, the flow and tension are perfect to build empathy, and the story is enthrallingly layered. This author and book deserve much more attention and I only wish I could give more stars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Rape, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
sknselena's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Blood and Murder
krows_ink's review against another edition
The characters were two dimensional and the SA was simply too much for me. I wasn’t getting hooked into the storyline and the characters and their relationships weren’t compelling enough for me to continue reading. Also the incest between Jynn and Ceci was atrocious. I’m sorry but if characters are raised as siblings they are siblings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Incest
jeaniegreenie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Woodborn by Heather Nix
To preface my review, I urge you to look into the content warnings prior to dabbling in this novel, as there are quite a few graphic and triggering scenes right off the bat. These scenes are handled with extreme care, but please be forewarned.
Thank you Heather Nix for an ARC copy of your debut novel in exchange for an honest review!
I was in a serious book rut when I began reading Woodborn. I honestly asked myself, "why did I sign up for an ARC right now?" But, it turns out that Woodborn is just what I needed! While a little slow to start, once things got started, I was enamored! High fantasy has always been my genre of choice and Heather Nix made me fall in love with the genre all over again.
In a market saturated with fae-centric plots, the incredible world and diversity of Idythia is a breath of fresh air. The worldbuilding that Heather Nix has accomplished is absolutely incredible. Idythia has real depth and life, which grows more and more over the course of the novel. The magic systems are unique and fleshed out and definitely have a DnD vibe, which I know heavily influence Nix. You definitely feel like you are along for the journey with the characters, many of whom are also discovering the different parts of the world with you.
The story is told from multiple points of views, with each character really coming to life with Heather Nix's words. Her writing style changes a bit from character to character, which was beautifully done and really added to their personalities. Every love story, every interaction, their journies with their pasts and traumas, each one of them are so dear to me! But especially Jynn ;) Even the minor, non-POV characters are so well-done. Not only is there great diversity in fantasy creatures in this book, but also in character representation -- varying body types, LGBTQIA+ / sapphic representation, gender identity journeys, etc. The spicy scenes are also so good! I hate spice for the sake of spice, but you will not find that here! The spicy scenes are beautiful, fun, and super well-written.
I am so excited to see where the rest of the Song of Gods series takes us and SO crushed for the impending wait I will suffer from :')
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child death, Drug use, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexism and Dysphoria
knockoffrainbow's review
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Blood, Dementia, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
Minor: Child death
laraslitreads's review
adventurous
dark
inspiring
tense
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
If you’re looking for a sapphic fantasy read with found family, magic, and a host of lovable characters (including faun, witches, humans, and pirates), then look no further.
Woodborn is told in multiple POVs, with really four main POVs; Maelwen, Jynn, Cicerine, and Shell. Throughout the book as the story unravels through these POVs we see that these seemingly unconnected storylines are really interwoven together. Along the way we meet a host of diverse characters, experience their traumas, and witness the aftermath (mainly PTSD and some extracurricular activities from Maelwynn that we fully support). All of these really sensitive topics are handled with extreme care by the author and I really appreciated that.
While yes there are some darker themes in this book there are also so many incredibly sweet moments. We get a little bit of everything from tender moments shared over a meal, game nights at Shell’s tavern, and several different romantic scenes that vary in levels of spice. These moments really made me connect even more with the characters and turned this into a book that I just didn’t want to end (sadly it does but it’s okay because it’s part of a series).
Overall I think this book has a little bit of everything and makes for a fantastic read. That being said please check the trigger warnings. There are some potentially triggering topics in this book including sexual assault, sexual harassment, murder, gore, consumption of blood, dementia, and drug use. A full list can be found on the authors website and I very highly recommend you read them.
Thank you to the author for allowing me to be an arc reader for this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Dysphoria