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emfass's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
Comfort reread of one of my favorites series.
Kathleen Gati does a beautiful job as narrator, capturing the characters, the dialects, the world of medieval Rus.
Kathleen Gati does a beautiful job as narrator, capturing the characters, the dialects, the world of medieval Rus.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Minor: Rape, Forced institutionalization, and Fire/Fire injury
kylieqrada's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
3.5
Once I got used to the narrative voice of this book, I really enjoyed listening to this one on audio. It was definitely an immersive experience, with some moments near the end getting pretty creepy, TBH. While I did like this book a lot, I didn't love it on the level of, say, Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, which I was sort of expecting to based on reviews I'd heard. I think I'll pick up the next book in physical copy, just to see if perhaps this is something that needs to be enjoyed more quickly than the realities of my life allow for with audiobook listening. But overall, Katherine Arden has created a gorgeous world, with both loveable and love-to-hateable characters. The plot is very much fairy tale-esque, so if a more whimsical narrative isn't your style, I would say to steer clear of this one. I'm excited to see where we go with (hopefully) Vasya in the next installment!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis