A review by wordsareweapons
The Five Daughters of the Moon by Leena Likitalo
3.0
2.5/5 This book was confusing and not all at the same time. So this is a fantasy based around the Romanov sisters at the time of the revolution. Now I've read a decent amount about the revolution, and not many people really focus on the children, so you really have a lot to play with.
Let's start with the things I enjoyed. The way the fantasy was woven through the revolution setting was good. I enjoyed a couple of the characters, some of them were honestly really annoying. It was a very unique, highly allegorical take on the revolution, the reasons behind it, and the downside to communism. I think the author did a wonderful job of tucking all these aspects into a fantasy. And here is where the author also started to lose me. I get what she was trying to do, or I've completely misunderstood, but it was a little overdone. The Empress is "married" to the moon and that is the children's "father" who is made to appear conscious on some level, maybe. Their "seeds", yes this is actually what they are called, ate the mortal fathers, all of whom except 2 seem to be wastes. The Rasputin character is as smarmy as the real life person was. He can control apparently a vast majority of the country at once. How you ask? By containing pieces of the soul in a pearl. They also use animal souls as lights....and the little one can talk to shadows....why?? The magic system is vague at best. They have normal technology to my understanding, because the lights and this machine (aka communism) are the only things that need souls to run. I'm going to probably read the next one....simply because I am so lost and I'd like to see if there is clarification.
If this review is confusing imagine how I felt reading the book..
Let's start with the things I enjoyed. The way the fantasy was woven through the revolution setting was good. I enjoyed a couple of the characters, some of them were honestly really annoying. It was a very unique, highly allegorical take on the revolution, the reasons behind it, and the downside to communism. I think the author did a wonderful job of tucking all these aspects into a fantasy. And here is where the author also started to lose me. I get what she was trying to do, or I've completely misunderstood, but it was a little overdone. The Empress is "married" to the moon and that is the children's "father" who is made to appear conscious on some level, maybe. Their "seeds", yes this is actually what they are called, ate the mortal fathers, all of whom except 2 seem to be wastes. The Rasputin character is as smarmy as the real life person was. He can control apparently a vast majority of the country at once. How you ask? By containing pieces of the soul in a pearl. They also use animal souls as lights....and the little one can talk to shadows....why?? The magic system is vague at best. They have normal technology to my understanding, because the lights and this machine (aka communism) are the only things that need souls to run. I'm going to probably read the next one....simply because I am so lost and I'd like to see if there is clarification.
If this review is confusing imagine how I felt reading the book..