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augustrogue's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
A bit disappointed and frustrated with this book, which I fully expected to be at least a 4-star read based on my enjoyment of the rest of this series. Unfortunately it was "just okay" overall - the prose itself flowed well and was generally pretty good, and there were a few moments I really enjoyed, but not enough to get past a lot of the worldbuilding and character motivation issues.
Things I did enjoy:
* Some of the world building was pretty cool! I liked the concept of the ambles, the description of the landscape, and the politics of the different airship fuel sources.
* Enjoyed getting more Giddon and Hava! Their parts were probably my favorite; I wish there was a bit more of it.
* The action, when it happened, was exciting. Like the escape from Lovisa's family home, and the fox figuring out how to help Bitterblue. Actually, Adventure Fox was one of my favorites too.
Here are some of the things that bothered me about this book:
* Why does it seem like all world exploration is happening during the main characters' lifetime, despite things like boats and apparently airships already being in existence? Bitterblue and Co. really didn't know the Dells or Winterkeep even existed, nor had anyone ever visited from those places, until just now? I repeat, there are AIRSHIPS.
* Apparently the language of the Middluns is called Lingian, after Gracelings. This is like if a country's language was named after like, a unique disease or mental health condition. But an outsider named their language. Did they not have a name for their own language before? What.
* Okay, so. Let's talk about race. The first couple of books only had white people and vaguely tan Lianid people. Sure. So in this book, the 4th in the series, you introduce a continent where everyone is dark-skinned/brown. Sure. They live in the far north, where it snows all the time and has glaciers. ...Pardon? (If this was the only worldbuilding issue, I'd shrug because I don't really care if having POC in particular settings "makes sense." Representation and diversity is a good thing. But it just feels like.. kind of a weird geographical choice, I don't know. The map in general has a clear "making this up as I go" vibe, especially with how squared off the Middluns are.)
* The blue foxes. Did you know they're not actually blue, they're gray? If you didn't know, you'll be told about 3 or 4 times. They definitely feel, hmm, a bit derivative of His Dark Materials daemons, though I do understand that Pullman's books don't have a monopoly on bonded animals that talk to you and spy on people. But honestly Lavisa's parents feel a lot like Lyra's parents, too. Down to the fur coats and traveling around on airships and uh, the abuse.
* Almost all of the characters have dialogue that has a shallow, slightly ditzy and childish vibe, to the point that I couldn't tell the difference in maturity between a 16 year old protagonist and the ones in their 20s or 30s.
* Characters have a... strange relationship with casual sex in this book. Don't get me wrong, I am 100% pro-casual sex if a person wants that. But what feels like a disproportionate amount of time is spent thinking about it compared to the actual plot. The way Bitterblue is like "oh yes, I have so many lovers but I don't actually care about any of them" doesn't really fit with how otherwise sensitive and empathetic she is. It at least makes more sense for Lovisa to kind of have a fucked up relationship with it, considering her upbringing and how manipulative the people around her are. There is also a very odd exchange where Nev asks her grandfather if he has "ever experienced sexual jealousy" and he's like, oh yeah, totally, your grandmother slept with lots of guys before me. (... Okay?) And then Lovisa leaves the room because it's making her feel weird/bad. There's really no point to this exchange other than that.
I feel a bit bad that this review is so negative, I really enjoy the Graceling series normally, but this one just wasn't it for me. Will I read Seasparrow? Upon reflection, even though I think it features Hava, who I do like... probably not. I think I'll stick with my nostalgia for the first book, as if it were a standalone.
Things I did enjoy:
* Some of the world building was pretty cool! I liked the concept of the ambles, the description of the landscape, and the politics of the different airship fuel sources.
* Enjoyed getting more Giddon and Hava! Their parts were probably my favorite; I wish there was a bit more of it.
* The action, when it happened, was exciting. Like the escape from Lovisa's family home, and the fox figuring out how to help Bitterblue. Actually, Adventure Fox was one of my favorites too.
Here are some of the things that bothered me about this book:
* Why does it seem like all world exploration is happening during the main characters' lifetime, despite things like boats and apparently airships already being in existence? Bitterblue and Co. really didn't know the Dells or Winterkeep even existed, nor had anyone ever visited from those places, until just now? I repeat, there are AIRSHIPS.
* Apparently the language of the Middluns is called Lingian, after Gracelings. This is like if a country's language was named after like, a unique disease or mental health condition. But an outsider named their language. Did they not have a name for their own language before? What.
* Okay, so. Let's talk about race. The first couple of books only had white people and vaguely tan Lianid people. Sure. So in this book, the 4th in the series, you introduce a continent where everyone is dark-skinned/brown. Sure. They live in the far north, where it snows all the time and has glaciers. ...Pardon? (If this was the only worldbuilding issue, I'd shrug because I don't really care if having POC in particular settings "makes sense." Representation and diversity is a good thing. But it just feels like.. kind of a weird geographical choice, I don't know. The map in general has a clear "making this up as I go" vibe, especially with how squared off the Middluns are.)
* The blue foxes. Did you know they're not actually blue, they're gray? If you didn't know, you'll be told about 3 or 4 times. They definitely feel, hmm, a bit derivative of His Dark Materials daemons, though I do understand that Pullman's books don't have a monopoly on bonded animals that talk to you and spy on people. But honestly Lavisa's parents feel a lot like Lyra's parents, too. Down to the fur coats and traveling around on airships and uh, the abuse.
* Almost all of the characters have dialogue that has a shallow, slightly ditzy and childish vibe, to the point that I couldn't tell the difference in maturity between a 16 year old protagonist and the ones in their 20s or 30s.
* Characters have a... strange relationship with casual sex in this book. Don't get me wrong, I am 100% pro-casual sex if a person wants that. But what feels like a disproportionate amount of time is spent thinking about it compared to the actual plot. The way Bitterblue is like "oh yes, I have so many lovers but I don't actually care about any of them" doesn't really fit with how otherwise sensitive and empathetic she is. It at least makes more sense for Lovisa to kind of have a fucked up relationship with it, considering her upbringing and how manipulative the people around her are. There is also a very odd exchange where Nev asks her grandfather if he has "ever experienced sexual jealousy" and he's like, oh yeah, totally, your grandmother slept with lots of guys before me. (... Okay?) And then Lovisa leaves the room because it's making her feel weird/bad. There's really no point to this exchange other than that.
I feel a bit bad that this review is so negative, I really enjoy the Graceling series normally, but this one just wasn't it for me. Will I read Seasparrow? Upon reflection, even though I think it features Hava, who I do like... probably not. I think I'll stick with my nostalgia for the first book, as if it were a standalone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
themoodreader's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
traceyanderson's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
megbeth25's review
adventurous
challenging
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death of parent
kbairbooks's review against another edition
At first when I started reading I thought okay wrap it’s been years since this author added to this world makes sense it would be in the same POV but im 19% and I have no idea what’s going on and this mother is horribly abusive and I can’t stand another moment plus I don’t care what’s going on. Not enough intrigue perhaps? I don’t know I don’t want to continue reading. This book is putting me in a bad mood. Also the addition of sexual things was not a bonus in the story in fact it made me quite uncomfortable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content
thedevouringbookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting
Minor: Animal cruelty
g_c_geeks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Love this series and really enjoyed seeing an expansion of the world we already knew of.
The addition of a new magic system and whole new set of political relations was really cool. I am always a fan of political intrigue.
I also really enjoy the different approaches to relationships that all the characters have, and I particularly enjoyed the difference in attitudes regarding sex. It’s really cool to see these topics discussed, however briefly, in YA.
However I do think the pacing was a little off in this book. Some plot lines were dragged out too much, others not enough. I also think the structure could be improved upon with a multiple POV story because it was not as clear as it could have been. And the switching of the POVs was not always at the best time imo.
Omg also I’m so confused at who has what skin colour in these books. Maybe I’m just dumb or maybe it’s because of conflicting cover art but I stg some characters were described as very pale and now all of a sudden they have brown skin?? I now just look at fanart and trust the general consensus there haha but ig the character descriptions do confuse me sometimes.
Overall I still enjoyed it and will pick up the next book when it comes out. Just probably won’t reread this one as much as the others, particularly Graceling and Fire.
The addition of a new magic system and whole new set of political relations was really cool. I am always a fan of political intrigue.
I also really enjoy the different approaches to relationships that all the characters have, and I particularly enjoyed the difference in attitudes regarding sex. It’s really cool to see these topics discussed, however briefly, in YA.
However I do think the pacing was a little off in this book. Some plot lines were dragged out too much, others not enough. I also think the structure could be improved upon with a multiple POV story because it was not as clear as it could have been. And the switching of the POVs was not always at the best time imo.
Omg also I’m so confused at who has what skin colour in these books. Maybe I’m just dumb or maybe it’s because of conflicting cover art but I stg some characters were described as very pale and now all of a sudden they have brown skin?? I now just look at fanart and trust the general consensus there haha but ig the character descriptions do confuse me sometimes.
Overall I still enjoyed it and will pick up the next book when it comes out. Just probably won’t reread this one as much as the others, particularly Graceling and Fire.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Torture, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
jayevans's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
totallyshelfaware's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death and Murder
cepbreed's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-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
4.25
I'M SO PROUD OF MYSELF I TOTALLY CALLED IT AFTER READING THE LAST BOOK!!! Bitterblue and Giddon have my entire heart and each chapter of longing and want made me fall for them more. The pining was beautifully done and the set up in the last book, even if unintentional, made them an instant favorite of mine. Soulmates don't always need to find each other immediately they just need to have their "its always been you" moment. God I love Cashore's ability to flesh out characters in her entirely unique way. Each interaction is purposeful, each conversation adds layers to the personal narratives of the characters involved, it's masterful. I've never felt so close to a character in a fantasy novel as I do with Lovisa. She is remarkable and vulnerable. Just that is enough to inspire me. Thank you Kristen Cashore for this series that I never thought I'd love so hard. I'd like to travel back in time and simultaneously punch and hug the person I was when I picked up the first book. She was naive in expressing a dislike for the series, but wise to continue on despite that initial opinion. I'll remember these books forever.
Ranking of the books: Bitterblue, Winterkeep, Fire, Graceling
Song:
Ranking of the books: Bitterblue, Winterkeep, Fire, Graceling
Song:
- Mirrorball - Taylor Swift
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and War
Minor: Drug use and Infidelity