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A review by samflowerv6
Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
“Of women, he’s heard it said: “She will be the end of me,” or “She will be my undoing.” None of that is true for Liska Radost. She is not the end of anything, but the beginning of everything. He has been dead a long time, and she is his resurrection.”
“The corner of his mouth pulls up in that laughing half-smile. ‘I do so love when you command me.”
“Liska realizes, in that moment, that she has misjudged herself. Through the Leszy’s eyes, she has seen something in herself that she could have never believed otherwise: strength, tenacity, kindness. In his eyes, she is ever-changing, different with every dawn but no less sincere. She is not defined by her magic, for better or for worse. She does not need to prove herself to him or to anyone else. She is simply… enough. She has always been enough. It is this discovery, more than anything, that brings Liska to life.”
“You were always so full of hope, so maddeningly tenacious. And then, oh, then, Liska, Liseczka, the worst thing of all happened.’ His voice cracks, and he looks away. ‘I fell in love.”
“Her worry is its own ghost, haunting her through the night.”
“I don’t think you’re a monster.’ He begins to smirk bitterly, but she touches her thumb to the corner of his mouth.”
“Well,” she says, flustered, “if you’re not here to help, then I suppose you’re here to eat me. Best get on with it, then.” The stag takes a step forward. His hooves leave luminous marks in the damp earth. “At least I’ll be feeding something lovely,”
“A czarownik with a tree for a heart, a meddling house-spirit, a rusałka with a newfound conscience, and Liska herself, a mere village girl, all living under the same semi-sentient roof.”
Liska snaps, frustrated. ‘We kissed, you incorrigible antlered tragedy!'
“She wants to cut his throat. She wants to kiss him.”
“It’s a part of the in-between, so it can do things other places cannot. Like hiding entire rooms, or betraying my secrets.’ He aims a vindictive glare at the ceiling. ‘Insolent pile of kindling.”
“The whole room smells of mystery, of old paper and wild berries and lively summer skies.”
The warden of the Driada and a not-so-clever fox
“The corner of his mouth pulls up in that laughing half-smile. ‘I do so love when you command me.”
“Liska realizes, in that moment, that she has misjudged herself. Through the Leszy’s eyes, she has seen something in herself that she could have never believed otherwise: strength, tenacity, kindness. In his eyes, she is ever-changing, different with every dawn but no less sincere. She is not defined by her magic, for better or for worse. She does not need to prove herself to him or to anyone else. She is simply… enough. She has always been enough. It is this discovery, more than anything, that brings Liska to life.”
“Her worry is its own ghost, haunting her through the night.”
“I don’t think you’re a monster.’ He begins to smirk bitterly, but she touches her thumb to the corner of his mouth.”
“Well,” she says, flustered, “if you’re not here to help, then I suppose you’re here to eat me. Best get on with it, then.” The stag takes a step forward. His hooves leave luminous marks in the damp earth. “At least I’ll be feeding something lovely,”
“A czarownik with a tree for a heart, a meddling house-spirit, a rusałka with a newfound conscience, and Liska herself, a mere village girl, all living under the same semi-sentient roof.”
Liska snaps, frustrated. ‘We kissed, you incorrigible antlered tragedy!'
“She wants to cut his throat. She wants to kiss him.”
“It’s a part of the in-between, so it can do things other places cannot. Like hiding entire rooms, or betraying my secrets.’ He aims a vindictive glare at the ceiling. ‘Insolent pile of kindling.”
“The whole room smells of mystery, of old paper and wild berries and lively summer skies.”
The warden of the Driada and a not-so-clever fox