sarah984's review
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I feel bad rating this so low because I really appreciate some of what the author was trying to do but I just did not enjoy it.
Neither the original quest (told via flashbacks that are inexplicably in first person) nor the new quest are very interesting. The romance is bland - they have a few fun moments but I have no clue why they loved each other aside from being the only teens on a life or death quest. There is SO MUCH boring exposition and every problem is solved via ridiculously convenient circumstances with basically zero effort so despite the life and death circumstances the stakes feel low. The characters are diverse but very superficially written. I feel like I know more about their hair care routines than their personalities, and some of the "diversity" is extremely clunky (the weird mention of cultural appropriation that makes it unclear whether the character/author actually understands why it is bad, a character struggling to recall the word 'bisexual' and then immediately explaining its etymology, the non-Muslim Muslim, the way the trans and aroace characters are described). Also this is oddly specific but this is the second fantasy novel I have read where a lesbian character facing an arranged marriage to a man wishes she were bi instead and that is so weirdly insulting?? Like just because she's attracted to men doesn't mean she would be into whichever one she was forced to marry?
TL;dr: I was expecting an epic fantasy and got a mediocre YA romance instead.
Neither the original quest (told via flashbacks that are inexplicably in first person) nor the new quest are very interesting. The romance is bland - they have a few fun moments but I have no clue why they loved each other aside from being the only teens on a life or death quest. There is SO MUCH boring exposition and every problem is solved via ridiculously convenient circumstances with basically zero effort so despite the life and death circumstances the stakes feel low. The characters are diverse but very superficially written. I feel like I know more about their hair care routines than their personalities, and some of the "diversity" is extremely clunky (the weird mention of cultural appropriation that makes it unclear whether the character/author actually understands why it is bad, a character struggling to recall the word 'bisexual' and then immediately explaining its etymology, the non-Muslim Muslim, the way the trans and aroace characters are described). Also this is oddly specific but this is the second fantasy novel I have read where a lesbian character facing an arranged marriage to a man wishes she were bi instead and that is so weirdly insulting?? Like just because she's attracted to men doesn't mean she would be into whichever one she was forced to marry?
TL;dr: I was expecting an epic fantasy and got a mediocre YA romance instead.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Sexual content, and Medical content
Minor: Infidelity
honeyhistory103's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An utterly enjoyable read. This book feels achingly familiar to that of a D&D campaign, which is precisely what I hoped fro when I picked it up. I loved not only reading the adventure of the party, but the thought and care that was given to the concept of afterward. The characters were charming and so, so likable - I was drawn into the story effortlessly. I wasn't a huge fan of the jumping between first and third person narration, but it did help to ease the confusion as the narration jumped between timelines.
The world of Cadria is deliciously rich without ever going into heavy world-building. Johnston lays plenty enough details to create a world that feel real without bogging the story down in creation tales or extended political issues. I was able to complete the book in a handful of hours, having to put aside other projects because I couldn't get the story out of my head each time I tried to pause.
The world of Cadria is deliciously rich without ever going into heavy world-building. Johnston lays plenty enough details to create a world that feel real without bogging the story down in creation tales or extended political issues. I was able to complete the book in a handful of hours, having to put aside other projects because I couldn't get the story out of my head each time I tried to pause.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Sexual content
Minor: Violence
autistic_dragon's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
In my humble opinion, E. K. Johnston is one of the most underrated YA authors out there right now. I started with the action-packed Star Wars: Ahsoka, before later finding the haunting but ultimately optimistic Exit, Pursued by a Bear, and was eager for more.
So then I found out she was writing a high fantasy novel. One of my favorite authors + my favorite genre? What’s that? It’s intersectional feminist high fantasy?
Needless to say, I was one very happy reader. I should note to any prospective readers reading this that while it’s a fantasy setting, there is much more emphasis on emotional arcs and not much by the way of actual violent action. The main premise of the novel is a focus on what happens after the Grand Quest to Save the World™, hence the title. Thus it deals with its heroines’ struggles of dealing with attempting to return to normalcy as both ultimately find it impossible. The cast is diverse, and Johnston chooses to make such diversity and progressiveness part of the world rather than try and create an oppressive world for the characters to rebel against, which is often the wiser choice when coming from a privileged background regarding high fantasy, where everything is up in the air for world-building and “realism” is often a fig leaf.
At the same time, Johnston doesn’t make a big fuss about how progressive the world she’s created is. There is exactly a single mention that Sir Branthear is transgender, and two that Sir Terriam is asexual. As it is a fantasy world, there are no explicit identifiers as to characters’ correspondence to real-world ethnic or racial groups, though neither heroine is white as we would understand it.
That is not to say the world is utopian. True Utopia (as opposed to False Utopia, e.g., The Giver) is boring. Class boundaries are still very evident, and there are numerous hints at darker subject matters such as prostitution and the horrific implications of the intersection of mind-affecting magic relating to sexual attraction. While Johnston is not the kind the kind of author to hide away from such matters, she doesn't dwell on them here for the sake of Grimdark Brownie Points.
The Afterward puts a delightfully modern twist on classic fantasy and its tropes, and leaves the reader with a warm and fuzzy feeling of optimism in defiance of worlds’ darkness.
So then I found out she was writing a high fantasy novel. One of my favorite authors + my favorite genre? What’s that? It’s intersectional feminist high fantasy?
Needless to say, I was one very happy reader. I should note to any prospective readers reading this that while it’s a fantasy setting, there is much more emphasis on emotional arcs and not much by the way of actual violent action. The main premise of the novel is a focus on what happens after the Grand Quest to Save the World™, hence the title. Thus it deals with its heroines’ struggles of dealing with attempting to return to normalcy as both ultimately find it impossible. The cast is diverse, and Johnston chooses to make such diversity and progressiveness part of the world rather than try and create an oppressive world for the characters to rebel against, which is often the wiser choice when coming from a privileged background regarding high fantasy, where everything is up in the air for world-building and “realism” is often a fig leaf.
At the same time, Johnston doesn’t make a big fuss about how progressive the world she’s created is. There is exactly a single mention that Sir Branthear is transgender, and two that Sir Terriam is asexual. As it is a fantasy world, there are no explicit identifiers as to characters’ correspondence to real-world ethnic or racial groups, though neither heroine is white as we would understand it.
That is not to say the world is utopian. True Utopia (as opposed to False Utopia, e.g., The Giver) is boring. Class boundaries are still very evident, and there are numerous hints at darker subject matters such as prostitution and the horrific implications of the intersection of mind-affecting magic relating to sexual attraction. While Johnston is not the kind the kind of author to hide away from such matters, she doesn't dwell on them here for the sake of Grimdark Brownie Points.
The Afterward puts a delightfully modern twist on classic fantasy and its tropes, and leaves the reader with a warm and fuzzy feeling of optimism in defiance of worlds’ darkness.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Sexual content
Minor: Blood, Death, and Sexual assault
More...