nanceoir's review
3.0
Maybe this is more of a three-and-a-half star book for me, but I'm not sure that it's something that I would jump to reread, which I now realize is part of my four-star requirement.
brokenfiction's review
4.0
A stunning debut from [a:Stina Leicht|3095890|Stina Leicht|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1286748705p2/3095890.jpg], who as of this review is now nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. A nomination that is very well deserved. I couldn't put this book down, and read it within a day. I read it while cooking. I read it while waiting in the car to pick the kids up at school. I read it at work (shhh!) as well.
The setting of the Troubles in the mid 70s was unique to me, and painted a great backdrop against an ages old battle between the Fey and the Fallen - demons. I'm no reviewer, but I enjoyed this debut tremendously, and I'm looking forward to getting to the sequel - AND BLUE SKIES FROM PAIN soon.
The setting of the Troubles in the mid 70s was unique to me, and painted a great backdrop against an ages old battle between the Fey and the Fallen - demons. I'm no reviewer, but I enjoyed this debut tremendously, and I'm looking forward to getting to the sequel - AND BLUE SKIES FROM PAIN soon.
kurenai's review
4.0
I'm giving this a 4-star rating because this was the very first fae book that seemed to really feel like something that would happen in reality. This is definitely not pretty and sweet and full of gorgeous men and dumb buxom women (or more likely, girls) but the story of a man growing up in 1970s Northern Ireland who grew up Irish Catholic but in reality is half puka on his father's side. It is a realistic and amazingly gritty story. There are no sunshine and rainbows here but the inexplicable pull of the main character, Liam, as he gets dragged down and mired into two wars - one present in the human world, the other in the land of the fae.
I've put this book and picked it up a number of times because it is not a particularly easy book for me to read - too realistic for my fantasy preferences - but it was so well done in it's telling of a very complex story. We watch Liam grow up, become a man, go to prison, marry, and learn so many different ways of loss and grief.
I cannot say that I really liked this book but the portrayal was so amazingly realistic that I knew I had to finish it - I wanted to know what happened! - but I can't say that I really want to continue on this journey with Liam. I don't particularly want to read the next book because honestly it's just not my cup of tea. Good thing there is a lot of tea choices out there and if you are looking for something more than just pretty fae and silly plots I would highly recommend giving Of Blood and Honey a try.
I've put this book and picked it up a number of times because it is not a particularly easy book for me to read - too realistic for my fantasy preferences - but it was so well done in it's telling of a very complex story. We watch Liam grow up, become a man, go to prison, marry, and learn so many different ways of loss and grief.
I cannot say that I really liked this book but the portrayal was so amazingly realistic that I knew I had to finish it - I wanted to know what happened! - but I can't say that I really want to continue on this journey with Liam. I don't particularly want to read the next book because honestly it's just not my cup of tea. Good thing there is a lot of tea choices out there and if you are looking for something more than just pretty fae and silly plots I would highly recommend giving Of Blood and Honey a try.
realbooks4ever's review
3.0
Please read my review here: http://realbooks4ever.tumblr.com/post/60655220617#disqus_thread
megandawn's review
2.0
(Re-posted from http://theturnedbrain.blogspot.com/)
I finished this book a while ago, but I’ve held off on writing a review on it. Mostly because I was trying to figure out what I didn’t like about it, because while it’s clear to me that Stina Leicht’s debut and I didn’t connect, I can’t for the life of me figure out why. I think I can confidently say that the issue is between me and the book, and not with the book its self. Blood and Honey has garnered itself a slew of positive reviews across the internet, many from sources I trust.
It was these positive reviews that led me to picking up the book in the first place. When it was first released I gave the blurb a once over and disregarded the book as another urban fantasy, yawn. But then the reviews started coming in, painting the story as something much more. The book is set in 1970's Ireland, an era not exactly known for its stability, and revolves around a young kid called Liam. Liam has a real knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and despite being mostly innocent, can’t seem to keep himself out a string of really nasty prison camps. On top this, and unbeknownst to poor Liam, it turns out that he’s part fae. Part nasty, violent, hard to control, beast shaped fae.
This is a dark, gritty book. Normally when a fantasy novel is described as dark or gritty you might expect a certain kind of style. But 'Of Blood and Honey' is not dark in that over saturated, hyper realized Abercrombie/Tarantino kind of way, it’s dark in a much more realistic, human kind of way. This might be at the root of why this book did not work for me. I make no apologies for the fact that I read to escape and be entertained, and there’s little escapism to be found in a book so deeply rooted in the muck and mire of the real world. Reading, for example, about Jant Shira of Steph Swainstan’s Castle book’s drug addiction was entertaining, reading about Liam’s addiction to heroin was just depressing.
The fantasy aspects of this book were fairly limited. This was a consequence of Liam being in the dark as to his true heritage for almost the whole novel, and I think we’ll see a lot more of the other worldly stuff in the sequels. What we do see certainly held promise. We have the fae and fallen angels at war with each other, and an order of human priest who think all other world creatures are on the same team, and are trying to eradicate them. Often in these books the ‘ancient order” or what have you has all the answers, and probably my favourite aspect the book was watching the priest assigned to watch over Liam trying to figure things out. The fallen angels, what little we see of them, are delightfully creepy.
But as I said, this novel definitely leans more on the urban than it does on the fantasy. Which is another aspect that probably effected my enjoyment. Knowing that the sequel is going to be more fantasy heavy is all well and good, but it doesn’t help with the book I’m reading now.
The characters are well drawn. We see the most of Liam, and he’s likeable enough and well meaning, but also a bit of an idiot. He’s definitely more passive than a usually like my characters to be, he tends to do what others tell him or to react to what others do, instead of ever taking the initiative for himself. The character I liked most, who we saw only little of, was Liam’s fae father Bran. Here’s a character with spark and wit, one who makes things happen. We see glimpses of a fascinating backstory, and more importantly, we get the impression that his current story, playing out almost entirely off page, is even more interesting. At the risk of repeating myself, I think book two is where a lot more of Bran will be seen.
The question is, can I forget how overall meh I found this book enough to pick up the sequel?
I would like to stress one last time that my feelings for this book were hugely subjective. Leicht writes very well, and despite my misgiving I never considered not finishing this book. I think this is one that you’ll have to try for yourself.
I finished this book a while ago, but I’ve held off on writing a review on it. Mostly because I was trying to figure out what I didn’t like about it, because while it’s clear to me that Stina Leicht’s debut and I didn’t connect, I can’t for the life of me figure out why. I think I can confidently say that the issue is between me and the book, and not with the book its self. Blood and Honey has garnered itself a slew of positive reviews across the internet, many from sources I trust.
It was these positive reviews that led me to picking up the book in the first place. When it was first released I gave the blurb a once over and disregarded the book as another urban fantasy, yawn. But then the reviews started coming in, painting the story as something much more. The book is set in 1970's Ireland, an era not exactly known for its stability, and revolves around a young kid called Liam. Liam has a real knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and despite being mostly innocent, can’t seem to keep himself out a string of really nasty prison camps. On top this, and unbeknownst to poor Liam, it turns out that he’s part fae. Part nasty, violent, hard to control, beast shaped fae.
This is a dark, gritty book. Normally when a fantasy novel is described as dark or gritty you might expect a certain kind of style. But 'Of Blood and Honey' is not dark in that over saturated, hyper realized Abercrombie/Tarantino kind of way, it’s dark in a much more realistic, human kind of way. This might be at the root of why this book did not work for me. I make no apologies for the fact that I read to escape and be entertained, and there’s little escapism to be found in a book so deeply rooted in the muck and mire of the real world. Reading, for example, about Jant Shira of Steph Swainstan’s Castle book’s drug addiction was entertaining, reading about Liam’s addiction to heroin was just depressing.
The fantasy aspects of this book were fairly limited. This was a consequence of Liam being in the dark as to his true heritage for almost the whole novel, and I think we’ll see a lot more of the other worldly stuff in the sequels. What we do see certainly held promise. We have the fae and fallen angels at war with each other, and an order of human priest who think all other world creatures are on the same team, and are trying to eradicate them. Often in these books the ‘ancient order” or what have you has all the answers, and probably my favourite aspect the book was watching the priest assigned to watch over Liam trying to figure things out. The fallen angels, what little we see of them, are delightfully creepy.
But as I said, this novel definitely leans more on the urban than it does on the fantasy. Which is another aspect that probably effected my enjoyment. Knowing that the sequel is going to be more fantasy heavy is all well and good, but it doesn’t help with the book I’m reading now.
The characters are well drawn. We see the most of Liam, and he’s likeable enough and well meaning, but also a bit of an idiot. He’s definitely more passive than a usually like my characters to be, he tends to do what others tell him or to react to what others do, instead of ever taking the initiative for himself. The character I liked most, who we saw only little of, was Liam’s fae father Bran. Here’s a character with spark and wit, one who makes things happen. We see glimpses of a fascinating backstory, and more importantly, we get the impression that his current story, playing out almost entirely off page, is even more interesting. At the risk of repeating myself, I think book two is where a lot more of Bran will be seen.
The question is, can I forget how overall meh I found this book enough to pick up the sequel?
I would like to stress one last time that my feelings for this book were hugely subjective. Leicht writes very well, and despite my misgiving I never considered not finishing this book. I think this is one that you’ll have to try for yourself.
christytidwell's review
4.0
Twitter review: Fairies, angels, & 1970s Irish politics = compelling commentary on violence, healing, & choice in @stinaleicht’s Of Blood & Honey.
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I think my reading of this book suffered a little bit by my starting it at a conference and reading it in hotels and airports and on trains and planes; however, I was definitely drawn into both the supernatural and historical conflicts Leicht describes. I look forward to reading the sequel to learn more about both and to see how Liam, the central character, deals with the violence he has endured and inflicted on others.
______________
I think my reading of this book suffered a little bit by my starting it at a conference and reading it in hotels and airports and on trains and planes; however, I was definitely drawn into both the supernatural and historical conflicts Leicht describes. I look forward to reading the sequel to learn more about both and to see how Liam, the central character, deals with the violence he has endured and inflicted on others.
tachyondecay's review
2.0
Sometimes you just know you and a book aren’t going to get along. I debated giving Of Blood and Honey a miss after a few chapters, and I’m still not sure I made the right call to soldier on. I finished the book, and I kind of understand the plot. To say that I enjoyed it or got much out of the story would be an overstatement, though, and that’s a shame. Stina Leicht is a good writer, and the book itself is not poor. It just wasn’t what I was expecting or what I needed.
The marketing hype for this book doesn’t do it any favours, because it implies a tone and supernatural emphasis that simply isn’t present here. This is the first in a series called The Fey and the Fallen. There are Fey, and there are Fallen, but they are few and far between. The cover copy, the reviews, the author promotional material I saw … it all promises an epic conflict between these two supernatural sides, set amidst the chaos and recrimination of 1970s Ireland. I was all for that. Instead, Of Blood and Honey is more about the chaos and recrimination of 1970s Ireland, with a main character who happens to be of Fey descent.
Liam’s Fey blood allows him to transform into a werewolf-like creature when threatened, as well as providing a few other perks. As he navigates his way through a rocky adolescence, ending up in jail a few times before marrying his childhood sweetheart, Liam knows he is different. He doesn’t understand how different, however, because his mother and the town priest, Father Murray, have concealed the true identity of his father from him. Liam ends up joining a cell of the IRA and committing terrorist acts in the name of Irish independence. All the while, his father hovers on the sidelines, committed to protecting Liam and Liam’s mother from his own Fallen enemies.
I feel bad complaining that too much of the book focuses on Liam and the independence conflict. I don’t want to minimize the importance of that conflict to history, and I knew it would be the setting for this book going into it. Nevertheless, it was overwhelming compared to the scant supernatural elements that Leicht invokes. Be warned that this is more historical than fantasy, and be happy if that is what you want.
Also, I had a difficult time feeling much sympathy for these characters. My favourites were probably Father Murray, and maybe Liam’s mother. Though I don’t fault Leicht’s style, it doesn’t quite work for me.
Perhaps the best thing I can say about Of Blood and Honey is that it provides a very detailled, personal account of what it’s like to be involved in the Irish independence conflict. And there happen to be Fey in it. A bit. And Fallen angels. Kind of.
The marketing hype for this book doesn’t do it any favours, because it implies a tone and supernatural emphasis that simply isn’t present here. This is the first in a series called The Fey and the Fallen. There are Fey, and there are Fallen, but they are few and far between. The cover copy, the reviews, the author promotional material I saw … it all promises an epic conflict between these two supernatural sides, set amidst the chaos and recrimination of 1970s Ireland. I was all for that. Instead, Of Blood and Honey is more about the chaos and recrimination of 1970s Ireland, with a main character who happens to be of Fey descent.
Liam’s Fey blood allows him to transform into a werewolf-like creature when threatened, as well as providing a few other perks. As he navigates his way through a rocky adolescence, ending up in jail a few times before marrying his childhood sweetheart, Liam knows he is different. He doesn’t understand how different, however, because his mother and the town priest, Father Murray, have concealed the true identity of his father from him. Liam ends up joining a cell of the IRA and committing terrorist acts in the name of Irish independence. All the while, his father hovers on the sidelines, committed to protecting Liam and Liam’s mother from his own Fallen enemies.
I feel bad complaining that too much of the book focuses on Liam and the independence conflict. I don’t want to minimize the importance of that conflict to history, and I knew it would be the setting for this book going into it. Nevertheless, it was overwhelming compared to the scant supernatural elements that Leicht invokes. Be warned that this is more historical than fantasy, and be happy if that is what you want.
Also, I had a difficult time feeling much sympathy for these characters. My favourites were probably Father Murray, and maybe Liam’s mother. Though I don’t fault Leicht’s style, it doesn’t quite work for me.
Perhaps the best thing I can say about Of Blood and Honey is that it provides a very detailled, personal account of what it’s like to be involved in the Irish independence conflict. And there happen to be Fey in it. A bit. And Fallen angels. Kind of.
rayirving's review
4.0
This is something refreshingly different: a werewolf tale set against the backdrop of 1970s Northern Ireland during the troubles. Additionally, in this universe, the church is waging a war against fallen angels and in a sort of friendly fire are also taking out the fey - which is fun for our protagonist, Liam, who gets his shape changing ability from a fey bloodline... Life is nasty, brutish and sometimes short, and our anti-hero born to an impoverished Protestant family goes through hell as forces known and unknown manipulate his life and never in a good way (even when well intentioned). His lightning reflexes make him a perfect hire for the IRA and in such a meta it seems impossible to build a good and honest family life. The author is American but the Irish setting feels very authentic and takes me back to 1970s news reels. The whole book seems to be setting things up for an interesting #2 as various forces come together right at the end. I'll definitely check that out. Does contains scenes of violence, torture and even molestation - life is beyond gritty and far into grim, so avoid if that's not your thing. I could not find this as an ebook, cheapest paper version is at the bookdepository.co.uk with free worldwide shipping.
athenalindia's review
3.0
Of Blood and Honey managed to win me over despite relying far too much one of the literary tricks that drives me batty every single time I see it. That's saying something. But still, it was at times an aggravating read. There are so many things that are good here, and then so many things that I want to be just that little bit better to make this awesome. The book got the author a nomination for the Campbell Award, so this is obviously very early in her career. I have high hopes for her future books, because she's got really unique ideas and I want to read more of them. Just a little less of a couple of things.
Note: The rest of this review has been withheld due to the recent changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
Note: The rest of this review has been withheld due to the recent changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook