emialexa's review
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
gracerichards11's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
tense
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
4.0
witchystitches's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
disabledbookdragon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-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
3.75
ellenmegan123's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
lorithereadingfairy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
wardenred's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-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? Yes
4.75
Listen to me, Helvig. I understand how important it is for a growing girl to have, well…a companion, of her own age. Someone to share her interests and celebrate her successes. I am sorely sorry that pickings are so slim among the castoffs of genteel society. So I don’t begrudge you feeling the need to rope a girl out on the road and carry her home as plunder. But that…isn’t how most young ladies make the acquaintances of other young ladies.
I'm pretty sure Gerda and the Robber Girl were the first f/f ship I ever shipped, back when I was a little kid reading Andersen's fairy tale. I re-read those parts of Snow Queen way too many times, I spend hours imagining a version of the story where the Robber Girl joined Gerda on her adventures instead of just letting her go with the reindeer and becomes a part of Gerda and Kai's happy ever after, or where once Gerda saves Kai she is somehow reunited with the Robber Girl and maybe they all become really well-meaning Robin Hood-style bandits together, or, or, or. In all that unwritten fanfic, the Robber Girl became kinder with Gerda's influence while still retaining her sharp edges, and she always helped Gerda figure out where she was going next, once she saved Kai and no longer had that single driving purpose to guide her.
So it's no wonder that I absolutely loved this book—it's practically wish fulfillment! That little kid I used to be kept squeeing at the back of my mind as I read, because wow, this is exactly what I wanted this story to be, except of course written for an older reader than I used to be then. It's a delightful wintry fairy tale that's such a joy to escape into in the middle of a hot summer. There are traces of folk horror, truly beautiful prose, and a slow, slow burn romance where both heroines gradually open up to each other. The bandits are pretty much a found family where people may bicker and fight but will ultimately have each other's backs. Helvig's relationship with her adopted father is painted so vividly and nicely in just a few scenes that focus on it. The atmosphere is so thick and the supernatural imagery is so vividly painted, especially in that one scene with the ghosts in the church. And all those bits where characters told each other stories and reminisced on all the way real-life events turn into fairy tales! Just. So, so much to love here.
The one thing that very slightly hindered my enjoyment was the leap of action at the end. The entire story is fairly slow-paced, but then the action spikes up significantly in the last few chapters. It felt like the author thought she was running of space and tried to hastily pack all that remained of the story into too little space. I would have appreciated it if the book was just 30-40 pages longer to allow for a more satisfying, more steadily paced conclusion with a spike less sharp. Even so, Robbergirl absolutely goes on my list of my favorite retellings!
christmas42's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0