marsh_mall0w's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Bullying
Moderate: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Animal death
cgreenstein's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
I often enjoy one perspective a lot more than another when reading books with multiple narrators, but all 3 of these were good. They were also distinct from each other, which is another thing that I often do not find to be the case in books with multiple narrators. This is definitely a Juliet Marillier book, with the hallmarks of her work that you'd expect and want if you're picking up a novel of hers. She delivers so consistently, it's impressive!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Child abuse, Animal cruelty, and Violence
amaboo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Classism
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
cehood's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Minor: Sexual assault
clarabooksit's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Sexism, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
kirstym25's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
thoughtsstained's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Likes:
Character growth. I was really pleasantly surprised by the character growth. I always liked Liobhan, but I really disliked Dau at the beginning. Yet, he ended up being one of my favorite characters as we got to learn more about him and as he was challenged and grew. I thought the character growth (for all three of our main characters, including Liobhan's brother, Brocc), was really, really well done.
Character growth. I was really pleasantly surprised by the character growth. I always liked Liobhan, but I really disliked Dau at the beginning. Yet, he ended up being one of my favorite characters as we got to learn more about him and as he was challenged and grew. I thought the character growth (for all three of our main characters, including Liobhan's brother, Brocc), was really, really well done.
Multi-POV structure. Similar to the vein above, I don't think this could have been told well without the multi-POV structure that it used. Getting to see the perspectives of all three characters was vital to me understanding them and growing to root for them.
Dislikes:
Pacing. I did find myself struggling at times to want to read this book, because it just felt like it took forever to really get the plot moving.
Dislikes:
Pacing. I did find myself struggling at times to want to read this book, because it just felt like it took forever to really get the plot moving.
Myself (again). Also, I pulled a me and didn't look into anything about this book, aside from, "Hey, book bloggers I know like it, so imma like it, too." I didn't realize it was YA until I started reading it and was like, "Um, wow, I know it can blend, but this really feels like a YA read to me...". Obviously confirmed my own suspicions when I actually looked at the book description. *facepalm* (Not that YA is bad! I just haven't been into YA as much in the past few years, so I think that's why I didn't enjoy this as much.)
Rating:
Again, another solid 3.5 gem read! Though I felt like it dragged in spots and I had to check my expectations after not doing any digging into the novel, I did generally enjoy it. Plus, it's the first book that made me cry in a LONG time--like, sitting in my office at work and having to pause to try and not cry harder, type crying. That was really unexpected, but when Dau becomes your favorite character and you learn more about him and a certain, unexpected childhood tragedy, you'll know why (please head content warnings above, though).
Rating:
Again, another solid 3.5 gem read! Though I felt like it dragged in spots and I had to check my expectations after not doing any digging into the novel, I did generally enjoy it. Plus, it's the first book that made me cry in a LONG time--like, sitting in my office at work and having to pause to try and not cry harder, type crying. That was really unexpected, but when Dau becomes your favorite character and you learn more about him and a certain, unexpected childhood tragedy, you'll know why (please head content warnings above, though).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Animal death, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Rape
ergative's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
NB: spoilers follow.
There were parts about this that worked well. I liked how the tasks that these trained warriers needed to undertake didn't actually demand that they call on their training, but their other skills: Liobhan and Brocc's music and familiarity with the fae; Dau's ability with animals. The real challenges they have to face do not demand that they be strong and skilled at fighting---that's taken for granted, and testing it would be redundant---but that they not be strong when required. Liobhan has to keep her mouth shut and play a meek damsel who can't look after herself or speak her mind; Dau has to stand and take insults and beatings and isn't even allowed to speak at all, since his role is as a mute. Given his history of abuse and helplessness as a child, this is harder for him than Liobhan's tasks, since Liobhan's forced inaction is merely frustrating, whereas his is genuinely triggering of flashbacks from PTSD. I found this novel and refreshing. (Although, given that it seems that Swan Island warriers need to be spies often enough that their facial tattoos are no longer employed as a marker of membership, it's odd that their training seems to ignore spycraft entirely and focus solely on combat. But maybe the trainees just hadn't started that module yet.)
Despite these points, which worked well, I found the plot slow and frustrating. I'd figured out everything well before Dau sits down with Juniper and they exchange stories to make everything plain. I knew who Phelan was already: the scenes in the nemetons make it clear that people can be hidden from the outside world by joining a brotherhood; Aislin makes it clear that she had someone she loved who disappeared; the conversation in the conference chamber made it clear that there was a second son of the king who three years ago became unavailable for the kingship---everything was perfectly plain! The unhappy tale of Dau's poor puppy, too, was already known from his flashbacks. Putting it all out there in Juniper's cabin was redundant, and the fact that Liobhan hadn't put it all together yet just made her seem rather dense.
There was also some unthinking sexism that bugged me. Rodan is a bad king, and to make it clear he's a bad king we must have him be a rapist and an abuser. And to make that clear, we not only see the results of his behavor towards Moira, but we also have him try to rape Liobhan. Why, why, why must threats to women always take the form of sexual assault? Can't Liobhan, as a Swan Island warrior, face non-gendered violent threats? Ugh. Also, why must the only non-male on the mission be the person who gets child-nurturing duties? Even leaving aside the gendered nature of this plot point, the characters themselves would work better if it was Dau who befriend Aislin, given how much he needed kindness when he was a lonely child himself. Liobhan gives Aislin whistle-playing as an amusement, but couldn't Dau give her a puppy? Wouldn't that be a really nice exorcism of his own demons, since it would allow him to replay the key parts of his own childhood with a happier ending? Surely the tasks that Liobhan needed to complete could have been rethought in order to make that work---especially since they're all arbitrary and symbolic anyway. The court might not have been as happy at Aislin making friends with a male stablehand, but given that Liobhan spends much of the book in disgrace anyway for hurting the prince, that shouldn't prevent a secret friendship from developing.
Also, the bits from Brocc's viewpoint were so boring that I almost forgot to say how boring they were.
There were parts about this that worked well. I liked how the tasks that these trained warriers needed to undertake didn't actually demand that they call on their training, but their other skills: Liobhan and Brocc's music and familiarity with the fae; Dau's ability with animals. The real challenges they have to face do not demand that they be strong and skilled at fighting---that's taken for granted, and testing it would be redundant---but that they not be strong when required. Liobhan has to keep her mouth shut and play a meek damsel who can't look after herself or speak her mind; Dau has to stand and take insults and beatings and isn't even allowed to speak at all, since his role is as a mute. Given his history of abuse and helplessness as a child, this is harder for him than Liobhan's tasks, since Liobhan's forced inaction is merely frustrating, whereas his is genuinely triggering of flashbacks from PTSD. I found this novel and refreshing. (Although, given that it seems that Swan Island warriers need to be spies often enough that their facial tattoos are no longer employed as a marker of membership, it's odd that their training seems to ignore spycraft entirely and focus solely on combat. But maybe the trainees just hadn't started that module yet.)
Despite these points, which worked well, I found the plot slow and frustrating. I'd figured out everything well before Dau sits down with Juniper and they exchange stories to make everything plain. I knew who Phelan was already: the scenes in the nemetons make it clear that people can be hidden from the outside world by joining a brotherhood; Aislin makes it clear that she had someone she loved who disappeared; the conversation in the conference chamber made it clear that there was a second son of the king who three years ago became unavailable for the kingship---everything was perfectly plain! The unhappy tale of Dau's poor puppy, too, was already known from his flashbacks. Putting it all out there in Juniper's cabin was redundant, and the fact that Liobhan hadn't put it all together yet just made her seem rather dense.
There was also some unthinking sexism that bugged me. Rodan is a bad king, and to make it clear he's a bad king we must have him be a rapist and an abuser. And to make that clear, we not only see the results of his behavor towards Moira, but we also have him try to rape Liobhan. Why, why, why must threats to women always take the form of sexual assault? Can't Liobhan, as a Swan Island warrior, face non-gendered violent threats? Ugh. Also, why must the only non-male on the mission be the person who gets child-nurturing duties? Even leaving aside the gendered nature of this plot point, the characters themselves would work better if it was Dau who befriend Aislin, given how much he needed kindness when he was a lonely child himself. Liobhan gives Aislin whistle-playing as an amusement, but couldn't Dau give her a puppy? Wouldn't that be a really nice exorcism of his own demons, since it would allow him to replay the key parts of his own childhood with a happier ending? Surely the tasks that Liobhan needed to complete could have been rethought in order to make that work---especially since they're all arbitrary and symbolic anyway. The court might not have been as happy at Aislin making friends with a male stablehand, but given that Liobhan spends much of the book in disgrace anyway for hurting the prince, that shouldn't prevent a secret friendship from developing.
Also, the bits from Brocc's viewpoint were so boring that I almost forgot to say how boring they were.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Minor: Rape and Domestic abuse
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