A review by eveningstar_reader
Kynship by Daniel Heath Justice
4.0
I read this book for Indigathon2020 for the intersectionality prompt. I found it after researching books that are by Indigenous authors and also include LGBTQ2+ representation. I found reviews - mostly by librarians - explaining that this high fantasy series by a queer Indigenous author was an absolute breath of fresh air in the genre.
I'll admit I haven't read much high fantasy beyond LOTR and GOT and it's not my usual genre. I also admit that when I first saw the cover it reminded me of my middle school friends who were obsessed with Dungeons & Dragons and other role playing games that I tried to join in on but never personally enjoyed.
But, what's the point of a reading journey if its not constantly opening your mind and pushing your boundaries?
So I jumped in, and it was great! This is the first in a trilogy, and the trilogy is published in one big book but that's not the copy my library had. So I'm reading them one at a time and this caused me to finish on a huge cliffhanger!
There is world building, there are other languages, there are different Folk (Kyn, Tetawa, Gvaergs, Ubbetuk, etc) that are all part of a council that is deciding what to do about the demands of Men.
The Folk live in the beautiful, ancient, and full of natural resources Everland which is being threatened by the advancement of Men.
There are warriors, protectors, and wielders (those who can wield the ancient power of the wyr, which comes from the land and plants as far as I could gather).
There are zhe-Folk, "neither male nor female, nor truly separate from either, the zhe-Folk walked between the worlds; they had strength unmatched by other Folk and were honored for it, at least among those who followed the Old Ways."
There are Kyn who follow a newer religion and believe the only way to survive is by leaving the Everland to Men and starting over somewhere new. There are Kyn who follow the Old Ways and cannot separate their identity from the Everland.
All of this comes to a head at the council of all the Folk. Will they leave, or will they stay and fight against Men? I thought it was really well done and I totally want to read the next book in the series.
I'll admit I haven't read much high fantasy beyond LOTR and GOT and it's not my usual genre. I also admit that when I first saw the cover it reminded me of my middle school friends who were obsessed with Dungeons & Dragons and other role playing games that I tried to join in on but never personally enjoyed.
But, what's the point of a reading journey if its not constantly opening your mind and pushing your boundaries?
So I jumped in, and it was great! This is the first in a trilogy, and the trilogy is published in one big book but that's not the copy my library had. So I'm reading them one at a time and this caused me to finish on a huge cliffhanger!
There is world building, there are other languages, there are different Folk (Kyn, Tetawa, Gvaergs, Ubbetuk, etc) that are all part of a council that is deciding what to do about the demands of Men.
The Folk live in the beautiful, ancient, and full of natural resources Everland which is being threatened by the advancement of Men.
There are warriors, protectors, and wielders (those who can wield the ancient power of the wyr, which comes from the land and plants as far as I could gather).
There are zhe-Folk, "neither male nor female, nor truly separate from either, the zhe-Folk walked between the worlds; they had strength unmatched by other Folk and were honored for it, at least among those who followed the Old Ways."
There are Kyn who follow a newer religion and believe the only way to survive is by leaving the Everland to Men and starting over somewhere new. There are Kyn who follow the Old Ways and cannot separate their identity from the Everland.
All of this comes to a head at the council of all the Folk. Will they leave, or will they stay and fight against Men? I thought it was really well done and I totally want to read the next book in the series.