Scan barcode
A review by frootlupo
The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Kay’s prose is beautiful, if not his most refined - with a wonderfully evocative world and soft magic system to back it up. The world really does feel brimming with magic and mysteries just waiting to be discovered!
However, the introduction did feel a bit clunky - and having too many pov’s meant that it was quite difficult to really connect with any characters until later in the book (and even then not all of them felt fleshed out).
The book does feature a sexual assault - and while quite brutal, knowing where the series goes, it doesn’t feel needlessly so. It’s written as something horrifying done by someone horrifying - and tries to give the victim as much dignity as possible. But it’s significant enough to deserve mention.
Overall - I believe this was Kay’s first major work, and it shows - but it also shows a ton of promise
However, the introduction did feel a bit clunky - and having too many pov’s meant that it was quite difficult to really connect with any characters until later in the book (and even then not all of them felt fleshed out).
The book does feature a sexual assault - and while quite brutal, knowing where the series goes, it doesn’t feel needlessly so. It’s written as something horrifying done by someone horrifying - and tries to give the victim as much dignity as possible. But it’s significant enough to deserve mention.
Overall - I believe this was Kay’s first major work, and it shows - but it also shows a ton of promise
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault