womanon's review
2.0
I so badly wanted to love this, but after finishing it, I still don't know what happened.
cableguy13's review
3.0
I really enjoyed this book, with its fun characters and fae magic. I just wish it was a little bit longer, particularly to give it more time to dwell on the aftermath of the climax, as I wanted to see how certain things impacted this more fantastical Sherwood Forest and those that lived within it.
chloeinbooksland's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
An historical fantasy murder mystery re-imagination of Robin Hood set a decade later with fae, witches and magic.
Having a general knowledge of Robin Hood meant I didn’t have any expectations about the story nor the characters. It ended up being a good thing since I didn’t mind a zealot asshole Robin Hood! I loved that Marian was a hedge witch, that the story was basically a murder mystery and that there were fae and magic.
Having a general knowledge of Robin Hood meant I didn’t have any expectations about the story nor the characters. It ended up being a good thing since I didn’t mind a zealot asshole Robin Hood! I loved that Marian was a hedge witch, that the story was basically a murder mystery and that there were fae and magic.
shanaqui's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.0
Brightfall mingles Robin Hood stories with Fae stories, providing a sort of murder mystery where someone is killing Robin Hood's men -- years after their time as a band -- and Marian sets forth to deal with it. She's a witch, long-separated from Robin, who has retreated into a monastery to hide from his sins, and put her aside. Despite the bad blood between them, they have to travel together in order to find out what's happening, and it quickly becomes obvious that Robin's sins and his desperate desire to withdraw from the world are at the heart of what's happening.
This honestly isn't the sort of story you're expecting if you stumble into Robin Hood from the Disney version, for sure. (Though there is a fox: her name is Bridget, and she travels with and helps to protect Marian.) Robin's petulant man-child behaviour reminds me of the Robin of some of the old ballads and stories, though his particular guilt and any entanglement with the Fae is pretty unique to Brightfall (as far as I know; I didn't study Robin Hood-related stories for as long or as in-depth as I did Arthurian legends).
Marian is the narrator, and we see the world through her eyes, learning about her witchcraft, her love for her children, her grief over her lost lovers -- and her determination to put things right. Robin looks pretty small through her eyes, and he proves to have wronged her even more than she originally thought, but there's a glimmer of hope there for him, to my mind. I enjoyed her narration, her intent to do good in the world, her determination to protect the things important to her.
I'm left pretty curious about the Fae lord she names "Bert" -- she gives him that name for an uncle she once had, and he seems to find it terribly appropriate. I guess the implication is that they are related somehow, but I'd love to have heard that story. I'm also curious where things go with Jack, although that can be left to be imagined, and how exactly Robbie came to do certain things in the last couple of chapters.
I really enjoyed this, in any case; it's rare enough lately that I can steam straight through books without taking many breaks. Brightfall captured me with its spell.
This honestly isn't the sort of story you're expecting if you stumble into Robin Hood from the Disney version, for sure. (Though there is a fox: her name is Bridget, and she travels with and helps to protect Marian.) Robin's petulant man-child behaviour reminds me of the Robin of some of the old ballads and stories, though his particular guilt and any entanglement with the Fae is pretty unique to Brightfall (as far as I know; I didn't study Robin Hood-related stories for as long or as in-depth as I did Arthurian legends).
Marian is the narrator, and we see the world through her eyes, learning about her witchcraft, her love for her children, her grief over her lost lovers -- and her determination to put things right. Robin looks pretty small through her eyes, and he proves to have wronged her even more than she originally thought, but there's a glimmer of hope there for him, to my mind. I enjoyed her narration, her intent to do good in the world, her determination to protect the things important to her.
I'm left pretty curious about the Fae lord she names "Bert" -- she gives him that name for an uncle she once had, and he seems to find it terribly appropriate. I guess the implication is that they are related somehow, but I'd love to have heard that story. I'm also curious where things go with Jack, although that can be left to be imagined, and how exactly Robbie came to do certain things in the last couple of chapters.
I really enjoyed this, in any case; it's rare enough lately that I can steam straight through books without taking many breaks. Brightfall captured me with its spell.
emilyofthegreenwood's review
4.0
This book is good. It's not great, but it's good. Usually when a book or movie claims to be a new interesting Robin Hood story, it doesn't live up to that promise. Brightfall does! It is genuinely different, and I was surprised by outcomes and plot points.
It's missing one star because I found Robin's character to be too distasteful. He's supposed to be in this story. The reader is not meant to like him, and I don't really mind that, but it felt a bit overdone. Or maybe I was just thrown off my well-loved and familiar understanding of the story, and found it to be a little too different.
I'm particular with Robin Hood novels, what can I say? I did genuinely enjoy the fantasy elements here, though! I haven't see too much Robin Hood mixed with fantasy, and this might be the best of what I have seen.
It's missing one star because I found Robin's character to be too distasteful. He's supposed to be in this story. The reader is not meant to like him, and I don't really mind that, but it felt a bit overdone. Or maybe I was just thrown off my well-loved and familiar understanding of the story, and found it to be a little too different.
I'm particular with Robin Hood novels, what can I say? I did genuinely enjoy the fantasy elements here, though! I haven't see too much Robin Hood mixed with fantasy, and this might be the best of what I have seen.
tfrohock's review
4.0
This is one of the few non-horror/dark fantasy books that I've read this year, but I've always enjoyed Jaime's writing, so I didn't think twice about picking it up.
Jaime's style draws me in with her emotionally centered female characters and Brightfall is no exception to this rule. Told from Marian's point of view, the book puts a neat twist on the Robin tale with lots of references to Celtic magic and Robin Hood lore. The characters and their motivations are solid and believable, yet wrapped in a magical world that is hidden just beneath our own.
One part murder mystery, one part fairy tale, Brightfall will satisfy lovers of high fantasy who are looking for a new twist on the Robin Tale legend.
Highly recommended.
Jaime's style draws me in with her emotionally centered female characters and Brightfall is no exception to this rule. Told from Marian's point of view, the book puts a neat twist on the Robin tale with lots of references to Celtic magic and Robin Hood lore. The characters and their motivations are solid and believable, yet wrapped in a magical world that is hidden just beneath our own.
One part murder mystery, one part fairy tale, Brightfall will satisfy lovers of high fantasy who are looking for a new twist on the Robin Tale legend.
Highly recommended.
aselkiereads's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
sarahknowsthestory's review
4.0
A truly enjoyable and quite wonderful book. I was fully immersed in Marian’s “sequel” world, at once so familiar but also slightly different by way of the addition of old magic to the story. This integration of a well-known Tale with the world of the pagan and Fae was seamless, and I particularly liked the way that the conflict between the old ways and new (the church) was integral to the plot. I was cheering on our heroine throughout and fell in love with the cast of characters, right down to cheeky Bridget the fox. The action sweeps the reader along, building the tension until a satisfying final confrontation. The only criticism I have is that I do not understand the title of the book - I don’t remember the word Brightfall being used anywhere in the text!
king_lefay's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5