Scan barcode
clevermird's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I've read and reviewed plenty of books by Robin McKinley before, and by now, I'm well-familiar with her signature style. A plucky but down-to-earth heroine (often with a love of horses), a fairytale-esque ambiance, a light romance plot, and a happy (if somewhat rushed) ending. In many ways, Deerskin is more of the same, but in just as many, it's completely different.
The most beautiful woman in the seven kingdoms is in need of a husband. Her father sets many tasks for the suitors, but in the end, the prince of another land wins her hand. Although the two are madly in love, the queen falls ill, leaving behind their young daughter and a plea for her husband to never marry again unless it is to a woman as beautiful as she is. As the princess grows into womanhood, her similarity to her mother becomes increasingly evident and her father makes a horrific choice. Beaten, traumatized, and half-mad with fear, the princess runs away and begins trying to survive in a world that she has never experienced before.
This book was rough. While I'm no stranger to dark and disturbing content, seeing it written out here in such a dreamy, restrained style added to the horror in ways I was not prepared for. From the very first page, we're hit by something "off" and the first segment of the story is extremely effective, slowly unwrapping the self-centered and shallow nature of the royal parents and the life their daughter leads, culminating in the horrific violation that provides the incitement for the rest of the book.
From there, the story follows the princess' survival and recovery - the two are inextricably intertwined - as she struggles through a winter alone in the woods and then seeks out a new life in another land. Each of these segments I think I enjoyed a bit less than the last, although I didn't dislike any of them. The climax is satisfying and, while perhaps I would have preferred a slightly more extended conflict, it didn't feel as rushed as some books by this author and I rather liked the slightly open-ended nature of the final scene. Healing, like many things in life, is not something that simply ends with Hallmark-movie neatness. McKinley's typical attention to horses as companions and protectors for the protagonist is swapped here for a focus on dogs, but the featuring of animals as characters in their own right is still endearing and brings a much-needed softness to an otherwise deeply sad story.
There are a few things to dislike, however. The story drags a bit toward the 2/3 mark and, while many of the more coincidental or "easy" moments in the story are acceptable in its nature as a fairytale retelling (this one being based on the story known in various iterations as "All Furs" or "Donkeyskin"), there were times when I found the resolutions slightly straining to disbelief. While I wasn't as bothered by it as I often might be - the focus here is on the princess' inner journey, not the events of the plot itself - it is still a mark against the book.
While Deerskin is a far cry from much of the authors' other work, I think it will wind up becoming one of my favorites, a portrayal of tragic and horrific circumstances suffused with hope and affection.
The most beautiful woman in the seven kingdoms is in need of a husband. Her father sets many tasks for the suitors, but in the end, the prince of another land wins her hand. Although the two are madly in love, the queen falls ill, leaving behind their young daughter and a plea for her husband to never marry again unless it is to a woman as beautiful as she is. As the princess grows into womanhood, her similarity to her mother becomes increasingly evident and her father makes a horrific choice. Beaten, traumatized, and half-mad with fear, the princess runs away and begins trying to survive in a world that she has never experienced before.
This book was rough. While I'm no stranger to dark and disturbing content, seeing it written out here in such a dreamy, restrained style added to the horror in ways I was not prepared for. From the very first page, we're hit by something "off" and the first segment of the story is extremely effective, slowly unwrapping the self-centered and shallow nature of the royal parents and the life their daughter leads, culminating in the horrific violation that provides the incitement for the rest of the book.
From there, the story follows the princess' survival and recovery - the two are inextricably intertwined - as she struggles through a winter alone in the woods and then seeks out a new life in another land. Each of these segments I think I enjoyed a bit less than the last, although I didn't dislike any of them. The climax is satisfying and, while perhaps I would have preferred a slightly more extended conflict, it didn't feel as rushed as some books by this author and I rather liked the slightly open-ended nature of the final scene. Healing, like many things in life, is not something that simply ends with Hallmark-movie neatness. McKinley's typical attention to horses as companions and protectors for the protagonist is swapped here for a focus on dogs, but the featuring of animals as characters in their own right is still endearing and brings a much-needed softness to an otherwise deeply sad story.
There are a few things to dislike, however. The story drags a bit toward the 2/3 mark and, while many of the more coincidental or "easy" moments in the story are acceptable in its nature as a fairytale retelling (this one being based on the story known in various iterations as "All Furs" or "Donkeyskin"), there were times when I found the resolutions slightly straining to disbelief. While I wasn't as bothered by it as I often might be - the focus here is on the princess' inner journey, not the events of the plot itself - it is still a mark against the book.
While Deerskin is a far cry from much of the authors' other work, I think it will wind up becoming one of my favorites, a portrayal of tragic and horrific circumstances suffused with hope and affection.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Incest, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death
fabphryne's review against another edition
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Miscarriage, Rape, and Blood
bespectacledone's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A very difficult story told beautifully and with great care, but it still could be triggering to many people so please heed the content warnings. McKinley handles her dark subject matter so well though, that I really enjoyed this story of growth, and I found the ending very satisfying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Miscarriage, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Medical content, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Excrement
rungemaille's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Miscarriage, Rape, and Grief
coris's review against another edition
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Miscarriage, and Rape
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Fatphobia
gracefully_jk's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
mrgattman's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Miscarriage
smuttymcbookface's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Princess Lissla is daughter to the most loved couple in the Kingdom. Unable to take their eyes off one another, it looks like a fairytale to everyone. Except, they, and their kingdom, overlook their only child.
When the most beautiful woman in all the Kingdoms, the Queen, dies, and makes the King promise never to remarry unless the person is more beautiful than she is, he falls into a grief. A different kingdom gift Lissla a fleethound to help with her grief, and through this fleethound, Ash, she finds strength to be seen by those she wishes.
Years later, when she's just turned 17, the King realises that she is just as beautiful as her mother was, and so demands that she marries him in three days. Despite her attempts to lock herself away, he attacks her before their marriage.
Clinging onto her last piece of strength, she leaves the castle to a forest, where she and Ash are reborn, though with lasting scars from her trauma.
Deerskin was a beautiful story, told in a fairytale narrative. It was easy to feel what the characters felt, and to understand the hurt, the loss, and the bonds that formed. In addition, it was so sweet to read about the fleethound, and how the character quirks line up exactly with the sighthounds of these ages.
I have two things that I didn't like about this story. The first is that I found it too long-winded in certain parts. Thoughts and ideas were often repeated to show a train of thought, but when this happened consistently through scenes, it became difficult to read. My second issue was with the fantastical elements; I sometimes found these quite hard to follow, or when I did follow, a little ridiculous (such as when she bled a tree from her vagina in the throne room? ). I loved the premise of the moonwoman, and her escape through her, but some things were taken a little too far.
When the most beautiful woman in all the Kingdoms, the Queen, dies, and makes the King promise never to remarry unless the person is more beautiful than she is, he falls into a grief. A different kingdom gift Lissla a fleethound to help with her grief, and through this fleethound, Ash, she finds strength to be seen by those she wishes.
Years later, when she's just turned 17, the King realises that she is just as beautiful as her mother was, and so demands that she marries him in three days. Despite her attempts to lock herself away, he attacks her before their marriage.
Clinging onto her last piece of strength, she leaves the castle to a forest, where she and Ash are reborn, though with lasting scars from her trauma.
Deerskin was a beautiful story, told in a fairytale narrative. It was easy to feel what the characters felt, and to understand the hurt, the loss, and the bonds that formed. In addition, it was so sweet to read about the fleethound, and how the character quirks line up exactly with the sighthounds of these ages.
I have two things that I didn't like about this story. The first is that I found it too long-winded in certain parts. Thoughts and ideas were often repeated to show a train of thought, but when this happened consistently through scenes, it became difficult to read. My second issue was with the fantastical elements; I sometimes found these quite hard to follow, or when I did follow, a little ridiculous (
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Miscarriage, Rape, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, and Pregnancy
thewileyseven's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Miscarriage
lavenderdolmeh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Dark fairytales and dogs. Very good
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Miscarriage, and Rape