caitatoes's review against another edition
5.0
i love this book, and im so glad i bought it. now i just need to find the others
faithful_jewel's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
spiringempress's review against another edition
3.0
Whenever I read a fantasy novel from the 80s or 90s I stumble across something that completely throws me out of a promising narrative and likable characters. For Daughter of the Blood, it was the relationship between Daemon and Janelle, which was highly problematic, and for this book, it was incest. Now, I wouldn't say that I'm faint of heart when it comes to this topic as I am a devout ASOIAF fan, but it crossed a line and an entire mountain for my tastes.
Daggerspell starts off promising. It follows Jill, who is able to see the magical Wildfolk, and this ability unknown to her is linked to a forgotten past. Four hundred years ago, a selfish lord made a decision that caused the death of his betrothed. As a result of his choice, Nevyn trained in magic and herbs to wander the land until the soul of his betrothed was born again. Jill is the person that Nevyn is looking for and her father, the mercenary Cullyn, and Rhodry Maelwaedd, an exile, are all tied up in destinies that were forged centuries before. However, the story grapples with whether these characters will be able to avoid the mistakes of their forebearers or fall into the same pitfalls.
There is more to the story than what I have laid out. However, I want to take this moment to praise the first section of the book as Katherine Kerr completely captured my attention. Jill at the start is reeling from the death of her mother and awaits the return of her mercenary father known as a silver dagger. He arrives and distraught by the passing of his beloved, Cullyn reluctantly takes Jill along on his mercenary adventures and the role of being a father.
This part of the book was absolutely delightful. Jill was captivating as she precociously talks to the Wildfolk and learns about the rough life of a silver dagger. Cullyn is the gruff and reluctant father, who takes on the task of raising Jill to be tough and survive the long and arduous roads. The world-building was also fantastic and Kerr masterfully wove in centuries of history while venturing around the world with Cullyn and Jill on various mercenary assignments, which was enthralling. . It was so good that I couldn't put the book down.
However, it is true that all good things must come to an end. The book is split not only between different perspectives but also between different time periods. The second section takes place hundreds of years previously and explains Nevyn's origin. He is a lord and betrothed to a beautiful woman named Brangwen, but he decides to forsake his title and pursue a magical education instead. Nevyn also decides that Brangwen doesn't deserve to live as a pauper and breaks off the engagement. At this point, Brangwen is left to the devices of her brother. Trigger warning ahead for sexual assault and incest. Brangwen feels that she has no other choice than to let her brother force himself on her as attraction is irresistible and overpowering for him.
This is the event that haunts Nevyn and he sets out to rectify it; this is also the event that haunts me and completely threw me out of the story. Everything that seemed magical and enthralling completely crumbled to nothing before me. However, this was treated as an earth-shattering moment that surely it wouldn't happen again. It should be something that only happens once. Well, it doesn't. Instead, the characters are reborn into different bodies; Brangwen into Jill's and her brother into Cullyn. That's right more incest and abuse! I seriously considered dnf'ing the book, but I was already hundreds of pages in and decided to push ahead.
My final thoughts on the book are as follows: it was truly a shame that incest was thrown into this book. Even though there was some questionable consent between Jill and her love interest that I was willing to overlook as a result of when it was published. But otherwise, Daggerspell was a really well-put-together fantasy novel; the world-building was mesmerizing, the characters were dynamic, and Nevyn's mission was absolutely compelling. I wanted to see where these characters went, but once the novel started to showcase the inner monologue of Cullyn as he wrestled with his sexual desires I was done.
All I want to end with is that I truly hope the authors and editors from the 80s and 90s were okay. When I was reading the first Bridgerton novel, I was shocked by how dubious the consent was and that was in a romance novel. However, I've now read multiple fantasy books that had deeply problematic portrayals of sexual assault and incest and in some aspects normalized it. I can't help but think that maybe these authors were trying to process something horrible that happened to them and wrote what they were told. Therefore, I hope that Ms. Kerr is okay and has worked through it in a healthy way, where she knows this is not actually normal. And if that's not the case, I am truly sorry for assuming!
Daggerspell starts off promising. It follows Jill, who is able to see the magical Wildfolk, and this ability unknown to her is linked to a forgotten past. Four hundred years ago, a selfish lord made a decision that caused the death of his betrothed. As a result of his choice, Nevyn trained in magic and herbs to wander the land until the soul of his betrothed was born again. Jill is the person that Nevyn is looking for and her father, the mercenary Cullyn, and Rhodry Maelwaedd, an exile, are all tied up in destinies that were forged centuries before. However, the story grapples with whether these characters will be able to avoid the mistakes of their forebearers or fall into the same pitfalls.
There is more to the story than what I have laid out. However, I want to take this moment to praise the first section of the book as Katherine Kerr completely captured my attention. Jill at the start is reeling from the death of her mother and awaits the return of her mercenary father known as a silver dagger. He arrives and distraught by the passing of his beloved, Cullyn reluctantly takes Jill along on his mercenary adventures and the role of being a father.
This part of the book was absolutely delightful. Jill was captivating as she precociously talks to the Wildfolk and learns about the rough life of a silver dagger. Cullyn is the gruff and reluctant father, who takes on the task of raising Jill to be tough and survive the long and arduous roads. The world-building was also fantastic and Kerr masterfully wove in centuries of history while venturing around the world with Cullyn and Jill on various mercenary assignments, which was enthralling. . It was so good that I couldn't put the book down.
However, it is true that all good things must come to an end. The book is split not only between different perspectives but also between different time periods. The second section takes place hundreds of years previously and explains Nevyn's origin. He is a lord and betrothed to a beautiful woman named Brangwen, but he decides to forsake his title and pursue a magical education instead. Nevyn also decides that Brangwen doesn't deserve to live as a pauper and breaks off the engagement. At this point, Brangwen is left to the devices of her brother. Trigger warning ahead for sexual assault and incest. Brangwen feels that she has no other choice than to let her brother force himself on her as attraction is irresistible and overpowering for him.
This is the event that haunts Nevyn and he sets out to rectify it; this is also the event that haunts me and completely threw me out of the story. Everything that seemed magical and enthralling completely crumbled to nothing before me. However, this was treated as an earth-shattering moment that surely it wouldn't happen again. It should be something that only happens once. Well, it doesn't. Instead, the characters are reborn into different bodies; Brangwen into Jill's and her brother into Cullyn. That's right more incest and abuse! I seriously considered dnf'ing the book, but I was already hundreds of pages in and decided to push ahead.
My final thoughts on the book are as follows: it was truly a shame that incest was thrown into this book. Even though there was some questionable consent between Jill and her love interest that I was willing to overlook as a result of when it was published. But otherwise, Daggerspell was a really well-put-together fantasy novel; the world-building was mesmerizing, the characters were dynamic, and Nevyn's mission was absolutely compelling. I wanted to see where these characters went, but once the novel started to showcase the inner monologue of Cullyn as he wrestled with his sexual desires I was done.
All I want to end with is that I truly hope the authors and editors from the 80s and 90s were okay. When I was reading the first Bridgerton novel, I was shocked by how dubious the consent was and that was in a romance novel. However, I've now read multiple fantasy books that had deeply problematic portrayals of sexual assault and incest and in some aspects normalized it. I can't help but think that maybe these authors were trying to process something horrible that happened to them and wrote what they were told. Therefore, I hope that Ms. Kerr is okay and has worked through it in a healthy way, where she knows this is not actually normal. And if that's not the case, I am truly sorry for assuming!
rain_97's review against another edition
Contains some spoilery stuff…
This series is highly rated and has a unique trope of reincarnation which was speaking my language. I was so excited, I bought the first 4 books of the series. Yes, it starts slow and because it’s such an epic fantasy, I expect that, however, if I don’t care about any of the characters, it’s really hard to keep going unless the plot is captivating. The thing is, the plot sucks, the character’s interactions are blah and all the things that are going on around them are boring. I was okay with the boredom until I read about the incest. I don’t understand the authors who have to go there, why??? Since those scenes, I’d been forcing myself to read and now I am on page 168 and I can no longer do it. I am so bored, I only read for pleasure and this is not cutting it. I may hold onto the books and see if I may be in a better frame of mind sometime in the distant future and continue...we’ll see.
This series is highly rated and has a unique trope of reincarnation which was speaking my language. I was so excited, I bought the first 4 books of the series. Yes, it starts slow and because it’s such an epic fantasy, I expect that, however, if I don’t care about any of the characters, it’s really hard to keep going unless the plot is captivating. The thing is, the plot sucks, the character’s interactions are blah and all the things that are going on around them are boring. I was okay with the boredom until I read about the incest. I don’t understand the authors who have to go there, why??? Since those scenes, I’d been forcing myself to read and now I am on page 168 and I can no longer do it. I am so bored, I only read for pleasure and this is not cutting it. I may hold onto the books and see if I may be in a better frame of mind sometime in the distant future and continue...we’ll see.
clauleesi's review against another edition
3.0
Everything about [b:Daggerspell|498214|Daggerspell (Deverry, #1)|Katharine Kerr|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1326401538l/498214._SY75_.jpg|2119481] screams my name - it's a classical fantasy with somewhat of a feminist theme, it has mystical magic and elves, as well as a love story spanning lifetimes. And the cover is just so nostalgic and cute. Unfortunately, I was quickly reminded of why I ended up not finishing this a couple of years ago; it's horribly, horribly slow.
Many years ago, the old herbman Nevyn was a prince who was in love with Brangwen, the most beautiful woman in the land. Then fate, or as it is called here, Wyrd, struck and left him banished as well as his love, and many more, dead. Nevyn swore to search them up in their new lives, to never rest until he had righted the horrible wrongs that happened.
Many years later, he hears of Jill, daughter to the legendary mercenary Cullyn. His Wyrd tells him she must be Brangwen reborn, and so the events starts unfolding once again. But Jill is not the only one from Nevyns past who is back, and there are new players, deadly ones, who have their own plans.
I'm sorry that small synopsis was so bad. I'm going to be brazen and say that it's the fault of the plot of this book, or rather, how strangely it stretched out over the pages. Because when I say that it was slow, it was slow, and when I say that it was chunky, it was chunky.. From the start we were completely thrown into the events of Jill and Cullyn, introduced to their life on the road and to the world of Deverry. It wasn't fast-paced, but we had a pace. Then there was a time jump, as [a:Katharine Kerr|44003|Katharine Kerr|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1418184371p2/44003.jpg] decided to introduce us to the Nevyn of the past, Brangwen and all the others. We spent many pages there. Then we jumped back to Jill, than had a time jump again, this time with new characters. And then back to "present" time with Jill again. Am I making my point clear?
Not only that, but we could spend half the book with a problem and then have it be solved in two pages. The journey was miles and the reward minimal. Sadly it was really not my cup of tea.
Obviously, I had a problem with the pace. But sadly, that was not my only issue with [b:Daggerspell|498214|Daggerspell (Deverry, #1)|Katharine Kerr|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1326401538l/498214._SY75_.jpg|2119481], but I also had a hard time not only liking, but also understanding, the characters. They often felt incredibly flat and almost like caricatures of fantasy book characters, and their choices were often very questionable. Many times, I got annoyed because why did they have to do that? What was even the point? For me, characters are the heart of the book, and when I can't connect to or understand them, that also disconnects me from the book as a whole. Here, even if I sometimes found myself sympathising with them, I was never really rooting for them.
Another complaint that I just have to get out of the way before I move on to what I actually liked with [b:Daggerspell|498214|Daggerspell (Deverry, #1)|Katharine Kerr|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1326401538l/498214._SY75_.jpg|2119481] is that the chapters here are long. Like, 100+ pages long chapters. If you are like me, and find lengthy chapters to be a ticket straight to reading slump, beware.
As for the good things, I did find this book to have a charming atmosphere to it. [a:Kerr's|44003|Katharine Kerr|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1418184371p2/44003.jpg] writing is really not bad, and I loved how she explained the magical elements of Deverry. I couldn't wait to learn more about the Elcyon Lacar, the wildfolk or the dweomer. The Keltic culture felt real, and the setting painted with such detail I found myself amazed over and over. I really wish we could have spent more time exploring these parts of the world, instead of spending half the book with a boring-ass siege.
In summary, I was evidently not the biggest fan of [b:Daggerspell|498214|Daggerspell (Deverry, #1)|Katharine Kerr|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1326401538l/498214._SY75_.jpg|2119481]. It had a certain cute appeal to it, but I really had to drag myself through this. As for giving the rest of the series a chance, I'm not sure - I still find myself curious about the rest of the world and its story, however I do not want to waste more time reading books I feel lukewarm about.
But hey, it feels real good having finally finished this.
Many years ago, the old herbman Nevyn was a prince who was in love with Brangwen, the most beautiful woman in the land. Then fate, or as it is called here, Wyrd, struck and left him banished as well as his love, and many more, dead. Nevyn swore to search them up in their new lives, to never rest until he had righted the horrible wrongs that happened.
Many years later, he hears of Jill, daughter to the legendary mercenary Cullyn. His Wyrd tells him she must be Brangwen reborn, and so the events starts unfolding once again. But Jill is not the only one from Nevyns past who is back, and there are new players, deadly ones, who have their own plans.
I'm sorry that small synopsis was so bad. I'm going to be brazen and say that it's the fault of the plot of this book, or rather, how strangely it stretched out over the pages. Because when I say that it was slow, it was slow, and when I say that it was chunky, it was chunky.. From the start we were completely thrown into the events of Jill and Cullyn, introduced to their life on the road and to the world of Deverry. It wasn't fast-paced, but we had a pace. Then there was a time jump, as [a:Katharine Kerr|44003|Katharine Kerr|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1418184371p2/44003.jpg] decided to introduce us to the Nevyn of the past, Brangwen and all the others. We spent many pages there. Then we jumped back to Jill, than had a time jump again, this time with new characters. And then back to "present" time with Jill again. Am I making my point clear?
Not only that, but we could spend half the book with a problem and then have it be solved in two pages. The journey was miles and the reward minimal.
Spoiler
For an example; Loddlaen. I didn't even buy it at first when he was killed because it was just that anti-climatic.Obviously, I had a problem with the pace. But sadly, that was not my only issue with [b:Daggerspell|498214|Daggerspell (Deverry, #1)|Katharine Kerr|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1326401538l/498214._SY75_.jpg|2119481], but I also had a hard time not only liking, but also understanding, the characters. They often felt incredibly flat and almost like caricatures of fantasy book characters, and their choices were often very questionable. Many times, I got annoyed because why did they have to do that? What was even the point? For me, characters are the heart of the book, and when I can't connect to or understand them, that also disconnects me from the book as a whole. Here, even if I sometimes found myself sympathising with them, I was never really rooting for them.
Another complaint that I just have to get out of the way before I move on to what I actually liked with [b:Daggerspell|498214|Daggerspell (Deverry, #1)|Katharine Kerr|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1326401538l/498214._SY75_.jpg|2119481] is that the chapters here are long. Like, 100+ pages long chapters. If you are like me, and find lengthy chapters to be a ticket straight to reading slump, beware.
As for the good things, I did find this book to have a charming atmosphere to it. [a:Kerr's|44003|Katharine Kerr|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1418184371p2/44003.jpg] writing is really not bad, and I loved how she explained the magical elements of Deverry. I couldn't wait to learn more about the Elcyon Lacar, the wildfolk or the dweomer. The Keltic culture felt real, and the setting painted with such detail I found myself amazed over and over. I really wish we could have spent more time exploring these parts of the world, instead of spending half the book with a boring-ass siege.
In summary, I was evidently not the biggest fan of [b:Daggerspell|498214|Daggerspell (Deverry, #1)|Katharine Kerr|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1326401538l/498214._SY75_.jpg|2119481]. It had a certain cute appeal to it, but I really had to drag myself through this. As for giving the rest of the series a chance, I'm not sure - I still find myself curious about the rest of the world and its story, however I do not want to waste more time reading books I feel lukewarm about.
But hey, it feels real good having finally finished this.
bmip666's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
slavicreader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I would have possibly rated this higher if the ending came through strong, but alas, it did not. The story just kept going and going and going... And I sat there it would, just, stop.
There was little to no sense or direction as to why things happened the way they did in the last 100ish pages. No sense of satisfaction or closure upon finishing the book. If anything, it left our characters in muddy waters, like???
I'm not even going to talk about the disturbing aspect of the story, for the sake of spoilers. Okay no maybe I will. I really hoped Gerro's urges wouldn't carry over in his next life but oh boy. I daresay it only got weirder? As a side note I definitely need therapy after reading the first 643 chapter.
The present day romance felt super rushed to me. I say this as someone who loves a good romance, but like the majority, I'm not keen on insta love. And Rhody... I just didn't understand why he was falling in love with women left and right.
To conclude, I don't think this was my kinda read. It wasn't even horny, but some things did seem to be glorified a bit too much to my liking. Well, actually the prologue does mention the word lust several times so maybe? I'm really not sure. There is something to this book but by far not enough for me to rate it any higher.
There was little to no sense or direction as to why things happened the way they did in the last 100ish pages. No sense of satisfaction or closure upon finishing the book. If anything, it left our characters in muddy waters, like???
I'm not even going to talk about the disturbing aspect of the story, for the sake of spoilers. Okay no maybe I will. I really hoped Gerro's urges wouldn't carry over in his next life but oh boy. I daresay it only got weirder? As a side note I definitely need therapy after reading the first 643 chapter.
The present day romance felt super rushed to me. I say this as someone who loves a good romance, but like the majority, I'm not keen on insta love. And Rhody... I just didn't understand why he was falling in love with women left and right.
To conclude, I don't think this was my kinda read. It wasn't even horny, but some things did seem to be glorified a bit too much to my liking. Well, actually the prologue does mention the word lust several times so maybe? I'm really not sure. There is something to this book but by far not enough for me to rate it any higher.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest
Moderate: Suicide, Death, Rape, and Sexual assault
gyttja's review against another edition
4.0
Riktigt mysig och fin bok. Den centrala rollen av reinkarnation i berättelsen kändes väldigt intressant och gav karaktärerna ett extra djup. Influenserna av keltiskt kultur gjorde att världen inte kändes som den typiska europeiska medeltida miljö de flesta fantasyböcker brukar ha. Det jag kändes saknades för den sista stjärnan var att det sällan var så där spännande att man sitter och griper boken så knogarna vitnar. Ser hur som helst mycket fram emot att läsa vidare på denna serie.
teri_b's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a series that I have fallen head over heels into and do not think that I will emerge any time soon.
the inciting incident is grisly and I would recommend to check for trigger warnings as sensitive have quite a bit changed since this book was written in the 1980ies.
However, I loved the exploration of love and life and fate that made its way then through this first book.
The world is beautifully and skilfully crafted, including language and the details.
What I specifically loved was this story line that started to emerge by some of the characters having the second sight and the wild folk being involved in the tale.
the inciting incident is grisly and I would recommend to check for trigger warnings as sensitive have quite a bit changed since this book was written in the 1980ies.
However, I loved the exploration of love and life and fate that made its way then through this first book.
The world is beautifully and skilfully crafted, including language and the details.
What I specifically loved was this story line that started to emerge by some of the characters having the second sight and the wild folk being involved in the tale.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence and Incest
linaria's review against another edition
4.0
Daggerspell is a classic in the fantasy genre. It was written by Katharine Kerr in the 1980s. I'm sad that I missed it when I was much younger. That being said, I don't have any nostalgia goggles on for this.
Kerr did a good job with the prose. It was solid and did a good job of painting a picture of what was happening. I really loved the way she built-up the beginning of the story. Once the main character went on the road with her father, the plot got pretty good.
However, the plot deals with re-incarnation so there's a part of the book that the characters we've grown to know
I'm interested in seeing where the next book goes. I love the Harper Voyager rereleases of these books. The new covers are so gorgeous.
Kerr did a good job with the prose. It was solid and did a good job of painting a picture of what was happening. I really loved the way she built-up the beginning of the story. Once the main character went on the road with her father, the plot got pretty good.
However, the plot deals with re-incarnation so there's a part of the book that the characters we've grown to know
Spoiler
are re-incarnated. This means that we lose some of the cast and the places we've grown to know. This does create an issue since I initially found it hard to care about the new characters, especially until there are some particular revelations.I'm interested in seeing where the next book goes. I love the Harper Voyager rereleases of these books. The new covers are so gorgeous.