A review by midrel
Firethorn by Sarah Micklem
4.0
This book was in many ways an unexpected surprise. I had come upon it a few times while searching for things to read, but the summary never really caught me until recently, when I started struggling again with Anna Karenina and decided I needed something new.
And oh boy, was this book wonderful.
I loved above all the character-drivenness of the plot. Our main character, Firethorn, was such a joy to get to know. I also loved that her story felt natural to the world in which she lived she. It was always enjoyable to read about her, even if the prologue felt a little plodding at times. The rest of the cast was also acceptably interesting, though obviously some more than others.
The world setting was also superb, and very well done. It obviously drew from the common middle-ages european setting, or so it felt, but it was given a life of its own thanks to the many subtle fantasy elements woven around its history and mythology, all of them pervasive but low-key, enough to give the whole a life of its own that made it if not utterly separate then at least acceptably different. I found it specially refreshing after so many books with incarnated gods and the like (not that I don't love those too).
And oh boy, was this book wonderful.
I loved above all the character-drivenness of the plot. Our main character, Firethorn, was such a joy to get to know. I also loved that her story felt natural to the world in which she lived she. It was always enjoyable to read about her, even if the prologue felt a little plodding at times. The rest of the cast was also acceptably interesting, though obviously some more than others.
The world setting was also superb, and very well done. It obviously drew from the common middle-ages european setting, or so it felt, but it was given a life of its own thanks to the many subtle fantasy elements woven around its history and mythology, all of them pervasive but low-key, enough to give the whole a life of its own that made it if not utterly separate then at least acceptably different. I found it specially refreshing after so many books with incarnated gods and the like (not that I don't love those too).