haewilya's review against another edition
5.0
So awesome! Goodness gracious. It won't be for everyone as there are some stretches of seeming like nothing is happening (as can be seen by my start date). But push through it, the parts that are good, are really, really good. It's not an entirely happy tail though.
taffy_sea's review against another edition
4.0
This fairy tale is long and dark, but magically told, set in mythical early Ireland and Britain.
myjourneywithbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't really know anything else about the book when I started reading it, so the Irish setting came as quite a pleasant surprise. I loved the descriptions of the surroundings throughout the book and the details on the forest setting made me feel like I was right there myself!
The characters were so well crafted, especially Sorcha and her brothers. Sorcha's feelings, mainly of desperation and helplessness, during her quest were expertly conveyed and I couldn't help admiring her for her resilience in the face of all the obstacles and setbacks she suffered. One of the things I loved about Sorcha is that she's not a "badass heroine" like those spilling out of books today, but she still exhibits a great amount of strength in her own quiet way. Speaking of which, I thought I should put in a trigger warning here for a horrific rape scene about halfway through the book which can be quite difficult to read.
I loved that the story centered around the task Sorcha had to complete, and also that things never seemed to fall into place easily. The romance in the story was slow to develop and wasn't guilty of any of those cringe-worthy tropes like insta-love, for which I was very grateful.
If you'd like an old-timey fantasy novel filled with magic and a bit of Irish folklore mixed in, I'd definitely recommend this one. It is quite a slow read though, so be warned!
Now if only it wasn't so difficult to find the next two books in the series!
The characters were so well crafted, especially Sorcha and her brothers. Sorcha's feelings, mainly of desperation and helplessness, during her quest were expertly conveyed and I couldn't help admiring her for her resilience in the face of all the obstacles and setbacks she suffered. One of the things I loved about Sorcha is that she's not a "badass heroine" like those spilling out of books today, but she still exhibits a great amount of strength in her own quiet way. Speaking of which, I thought I should put in a trigger warning here for a horrific rape scene about halfway through the book which can be quite difficult to read.
I loved that the story centered around the task Sorcha had to complete, and also that things never seemed to fall into place easily. The romance in the story was slow to develop and wasn't guilty of any of those cringe-worthy tropes like insta-love, for which I was very grateful.
If you'd like an old-timey fantasy novel filled with magic and a bit of Irish folklore mixed in, I'd definitely recommend this one. It is quite a slow read though, so be warned!
Now if only it wasn't so difficult to find the next two books in the series!
cathik411's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
4.75
miaholli's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-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? No
5.0
northwestbooksies's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
among_tomes_and_tales's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood and Rape
naomipetrash's review against another edition
5.0
“For the others, it was still just a tale, like all the tales we told, night by night, tales comical and strange, tales heroic and awe-inspiring, the tales that formed the fabric of our spirits.”
jennaem27's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Rape
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Animal cruelty, and Bullying
Minor: Pregnancy