ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
In a bizarre (for me) twist, this was getting 3.5-4 *s right up until the second to last cARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
In a bizarre (for me) twist, this was getting 3.5-4 *s right up until the second to last chapter. I love Holly Black but for much of this book, it felt like a stripped back and over simplified version of one of her other fey stories. It certainly didn’t seem to compare to Valiant for example. And then it sort of worked on me when I wasn’t reading it, meaning I had to get back to it asap and see how it progressed. That takes real skill.
As does the pitch perfect rendition of someone who is suffering from acute and constant bullying. If you then consider how powerless a human is up against faeries, who are stronger, more resilient, long lived, faster and also have magic. The mere fact of being able to glamour a human, effectively mind-jacking them and making them do whatever they want is terrifying. (Seriously what if your childhood bullies had been able to do that?!)
I didn’t really like Jude for most of the book. I could see why she was the way she was – a lot of it was the oppressed turning vicious. Which is a common occurrence with bullying/ oppression of any kind. When your internal measure of value is so skewed, then you often equate strength with power and power itself becomes a goal. Having said that, I found her extremely irritating at times not least because I have this unrealistic expectation that people should be superior to their circumstances. I also got really annoyed with the whole Locke thing. The only person who was stupider about that was Taryn. But I digress.
Black writes excellent characters. All are flawed and compelling and have moments of greatness. I loved Madoc and I really liked Cardan by the end, showing the author as the master of manipulated reader sympathies that she truly is. I love the direction this series is going in and genuinely cannot wait for the next book. Maybe the 5* didn’t come until the denouement but that just goes to show how well Holly Black pulls all the disparate threads together at the end. As good as the original Tithe trilogy (and for nerd points it was so good to see Roiben and Kaye again.) Highly recommend....more
OMG. What am I supposed to do while I wait for Queen of Nothing to come out in a year's time?!
This book kidnapped me and held me for ransom until 1amOMG. What am I supposed to do while I wait for Queen of Nothing to come out in a year's time?!
This book kidnapped me and held me for ransom until 1am when I finally finished it. And all I can say is that I captor-bonded with it because all I want is to go back to it.
I managed to get an e-arc of The Cruel Prince last year - seemingly months after my US bokish friends read it. (Slight side beef but it's bloody impossible to get arcs of some books in UK. Other countries too I imagine. Even e-arcs! I know that sometimes this is a foreign rights issue and sometimes its a limited number of arcs issue. But a lot of the time it's a issue of anywhere outside the US being considered a lesser market places and therefore a lower priority which frankly sucks balls.) I wasn't massivelt enamoured of Cruel Prince to start with, thinking it would only get 3 stars as it wasn't a patch on the Tithe series. And then it all came together in the last few chapters and claimed 5 stars from me.
Wicked King (for which there were virtualy no non-US arcs at all - see irrate comment above) was 5 stars from the get go. It was pacier than CP. The story was bigger in scope and far more immediately engaging. I'm still reeling from that ending which manages to not be an actual cliff hanger while still leaving open threads and questions enough that you have to want the third book. Like right now.
I won't summarise the plot other than to say that Jude, having wrested political power for herself, now finds that she likes the cut-throat world of faery politics even as she hates the growing and conflicted feelings she has for Cardan. But holding on to power is more difficult than acquiring it. There's a traitor loose in the High King's Court...
I was very luke warm about Jude Duarte as an MC initially in CP. I just didn't find her that engaging because as much as we all hate bullying, victims of persistant bullying are not necessarily immediately likeable people. But Jude turned that all around and her actions, while often foolish, were always understandable. She is even better in this book. I love competant, clever and flawed MCs and Jude delivers on every count. I also loved her interactions with Cardan. I can see why some people might have trouble with it. They literally start of hating and harming each other. But there is definitely a chemistry there and it's probably the most convincing hate to love story I've read. Not that that means they're afforded a happy ending here. Holly Black stings us with the denouement as much as ever.
Ultimately this was beautifully crafted, ecquisitely written, compelling and hurt like a bitch slap. What else do you want from a book?...more
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
As a long time fairytale enthusiast, this book was right up my street. Although, technicallyARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
As a long time fairytale enthusiast, this book was right up my street. Although, technically speaking, it was a tale about faeries rather than a retelling, it contained many of the tropes and archetypes of a fairytale which definitely got me on board. Isobel is an artistic prodigy and her portraits are greatly sought after by the fae, who due to their own immortal natures are unable to create, only counterfeit - whether that pertains to adding glamour to clothing or appearance, aping human emotion and morality neither of which troubles them much at all, or coveting human created art. Through her career as a portrait artist, Isobel meets the Prince of Autumn. You can probably guess what happens next.
This isn't the most action packed of novels but I really enjoyed the way it took certain tropes and subtly distorted them. There's the fae compulsion to return courtesy for example where in faery lore they are said to dislike the words 'thank you'. Or the lack of ability to lie. And of course the big one - fae and humans must not fall in love or it contravenes the Good Law. The Faeries in this are sufficiently inhuman and nasty that it's a precarious balance to treat with them. However if you're an inhabitant of the town of Whimsy, in order to feed yourself and your family you have to treat with the fae. It was certainly interesting looking at a system of economics that was partly held up by chancy magic!
Other reviewers have pointed out their irritation that the MC is a level headed young woman right up until she gets 'kidnapped'. They have a point but presumably those same reviewers don't like tales like Beauty and the Beast? It's not quite as cut and dried as Rook abducting Isobel and she losing her head and heart over him in any case. I like the way that she aggravates and thwarts him, insisting on being treated well, despite being massively outgunned. Ultimately, Isobel's wits save the day.
The narrative is engaging and the writing is lovely. The characters are likeable and just complex enough. My only real criticism is that in some indefinable way the latter half of the novel felt less finished than the first half. Possibly that just me.
Overall a great faerie story that will appeal to those who like fantasy romance.
I really enjoyed this episode in errant knight/ hero of the realm October Daye's adventures, I'm just not as fussed about mermaids as I am about otherI really enjoyed this episode in errant knight/ hero of the realm October Daye's adventures, I'm just not as fussed about mermaids as I am about other fantastical creatures. There were a couple of things that struck me as a bit off and one thing that really irritated me too. As usual McGuire has provided a fast paced urban fantasy adventure with whip smart dialogue. It's not merely an episode either, it also moves the series arc along - we see Tybalt coming to terms with his PTSD and he and Toby have at least one very important conversation about the future.
The Unkindest Tide sees the Ludeig finally calling in the debt Toby owes her. It's time for the Selkies to finally settle the bill run up by their ancestors when they slaughtered the sea witch's first children. And really that's all you need to know going in because if you're reading these in order (and you should) the book provides everything you need. And also you're probably already salivating for this one.
This wasn't my favourite book in the series partly because the setting was less fetching for me but also because the use that was made of Quentin and Tybalt. I love Toby and I completely get that as it's her series she needs to be front and centre. I'm just starting to get a hint of that feeling I used to get as a child watching the 80s He-Man cartoons. As in only He-Man/ Price Adam gets to have any real agency. It felt a bit like both Quentin and Tybalt were accessories to Toby here rather than characters in their own right, with their own agendas. I know they were part of Toby's team here but it should still feel as if they had their own missions or opinions. Whereas it felt instead as if they were playing 'straight man' to Toby's humour and drama. That's overstating it a bit but I think there should be more than Quentin rolling his eyes and making snarky comments (much as I enjoy them) and Tybalt being a long suffering spouse in waiting whose dialogue is largely taken up wit anxiety over Toby putting herself in danger. I mean, he's not wrong but also it should be no surprise to him anymore. That was a minor niggle btw. I'm not sure if I just noticed it more or over noticed something that wasn't really there.
More annoying, Gillian. I am sick to death of Gillian winging about Toby being a bad mother. She knows the score now and I am just beyond her bull shit. She's not a child anymore. She's a college age girl who has still had a pretty good life and now understands why her mother disappeared. Yes it sucks that she's a target because of Toby but she could stop exacerbating that by just not doing literally the most stupid thing every time there's a threat. I don't expect a beautiful reunion but her continual rejections are starting to feel contrived. Bored of Gillian now. She's 18, she's old enough to start taking responsibility for her own shit not blaming her attitude on her mother.
Aside from those two negatives, this was a great story. I love the Luideag so getting a bit more of her backstory was a treat. And finding out what happens to the Selkies and the Roane - which we've been primed for since One Salt Sea was well worth the six book wait. As usual, it's not mere entertainment McGuire offers but a look at redemption and the power of forgiveness on the forgiver. Her faeries explore human nature better than many human characters do. I love this series and will be waiting eagerly for the next book. Sadly I'm all caught up now so it'll be quite a wait. Highly recommend UF fans just buy the 13 books and have a good binge read....more
I don’t normally start reviews with caveats like this but Tam Lin by Pamela Dean has earned it; This book is clever and subtle. We’re talking Jane AusI don’t normally start reviews with caveats like this but Tam Lin by Pamela Dean has earned it; This book is clever and subtle. We’re talking Jane Austen levels of clever and subtle here but unlike Austen, a shallow reading of this book will probably leave you feeling frustrated rather than charmed, entertained and none the wiser that you’ve missed the point of much of the plot. This is easily the finest urban fantasy novel I’ve ever read but the fantasy element is so shadowy and deft for much of the book, it’s only in retrospect that you realise that’s what you’ve been reading all along. If you are the sort of reader who doesn’t like to do mental gymnastics working allusions, associations and symmetries whilst reading a book, if you like fantasy to be overt and prefer to have rather more answers handed to you over a set and measured trek through a novel, then this book is most definitely not for you. You will be bored and confused as to what all the fuss is about unless you happen to enjoy ‘comtemporary’ (well 1970s) stories about going off to college for the first time and navigating adult relationships. If you are expecting paens to romantic passion or a more usual sentimental love story, you will be disappointed. However if you’re looking for something deeper that actually examines how we love and form relationships without the often untrustworthy disguise of romantic trappings, then this could well be for you. If, like me, you are utterly sick of YA novels with romances that continue the idea that there is one person for the MC and that true love means you never really cared about anyone else, or worse that it’s somehow not ok to just sleep with someone you like but aren’t in love with, Dean has nailed it. In that respect it feels like what Tamora Pearce does with the relationships of her characters only with more focus on that as an expression of character development rather than side plot.
Tam Lin is one of the well-known Child Ballads. Scottish in origin (probably) it exists in many parts of British, French, German and Norwegian folklore as the story of a woman who took her lover back from the Faery Queen. How that comes about depends on the source myth or folksong. Dean has set this in the early 1970s at a College in the Massachusetts and she has made the setting plausible with source material. There is a subtle aura of menace and a number of shadowy, strange mysteries scattered throughout the story. These seemingly disparate mysteries all come together at the end for a very satisfying and well-earned conclusion. However if you like a ‘boss battle’ at the end of your urban fantasy novels again this is going to seem a bit flat. The point, of course, is that the choice to link your life to someone else’s, especially in the way Janet will be required to here, is far more frightening in many respects than a single battle to face down a supernatural creature. This book is chock full of conflict but most of it is internal to Janet who is forced over and over again to reassess her reactions and inbuilt prejudices (not to mention a certain amount of intellectual snobbery) over and over again. In that sense it is the greatest quest story of all and one in which we are all engaged, successfully or not – the quest for our best selves as we continue to pursue excellence as people.
If it seemed odd that I mentioned Jane Austen at the beginning of this review, bear with me. Austen is the ultimate miniaturist when it comes to the written word. Every brushstroke is important to the whole, though taken alone they appear to have little substance. A deeper reading of Mansfield Park, for example, will tell you that the entire book is a discussion on the slave trade and the fact that while slavery had been abolished in Britain, British landowners still kept slaves on their overseas plantations whilst imports such as sugar were produced by slave labour. Austen is quite scathing about the part the Church played in maintaining this deplorable state of affairs. Yet on the surface, Mansfield Park is a light take on the importance of moral courage and integrity even when you are comparatively powerless. You have to notice and understand all references she uses to see the story in the light it was intended. My point is that all the references to poetry and classics and plays and literature - that seem to some readers to be random and possibly quite self-aggrandising or at least patronising in their inclusion – all tell the story beneath the surface. I’m certain I missed some references but between the surface plot and the shadow plot told via literary reference, we get a deep, introspective and emotionally honest examination of Janet’s internal growth as a character. They also serve to tell Tam Lin the original ballad over and over again, in all its incarnations and variations, building a deft web of interlinked chains of association – designed, almost, to hit you on a subconscious level. Of course this only really works if you have either read a good number of the books, plays and poems referenced , or you’re willing to look them up. Personally, I love twisty plots that make you think as well as multiple layers of meaning. I appreciate that isn’t for everyone and Dean certainly doesn’t explain or slow down for those who aren’t following her. She pays the reader the compliment of assuming they are intelligent enough to keep up without help. The flip side of this is that you are definitely not writing for everyone if you engage with readers on those terms. A final reference to Miss Austin that I think illustrates that Dean knew exactly what she was doing – she mentions Emma by Jane Austin and has the two more literary and intelligent characters – Janet and Molly – not really see where the story is going, while the room mate who has little creative intelligence says immediately ‘Emma marries Mr Knightly, of course.’ I had a good laugh at that because it says that those who get wrapped up in the cleverness of a thing miss its simplest message which is easily parsed by those with little creative intelligence and direct outlook on life. Don’t be clever at the expense of being sensible, in other words. And then too, it mirrors exactly what’s happening in the plot. Janet is obviously going to end up with Tom, but just as in Emma, neither of those characters is aware of the fact yet despite onlookers seeing it as an obvious conclusion.
********Spoilers*******
In the ballad, Tam Lin, Janet is pregnant with Tam’s child when she pulls him down off his horse. Most retellings skip this detail – and with good reason. It casts a suspicion over Janet’s motives when you consider the prospects for an unmarried woman in the era of the ballads intended audience. Was she only courageous enough to go toe-to-toe with the faery queen because the alternative was a bleak existence as a disgraced and unwed mother? Lessens her courage and agency somewhat, doesn’t it? So when Janet found out she was pregnant in this book, I braced myself, ready for the whole magical feast to dissolve into dust before my eyes. What I got instead was an intelligent look at a young woman facing an unwanted pregnancy with everything that entailed. The fact that while she and Tom had not been officially seeing each other, actually they had had an intense relationship first as friends and later as lovers although the word was never used between them, for the last three years. There was the sense of being trapped by your own body and your sex that all women, even those with planned pregnancies experience. And best of all, Janet considers all the options including abortion. Her parents are enlightened and willing to support her either way and there is never a moment where Tom’s feelings on the matter are more valid than hers. She’s going to carry the baby, it’s her choice. For a book published in the 90s, in fact for a book published today, this is amazingly broad minded. In addition the pregnancy was an essential part of the plot, not treated as something to spice up a flagging plot or as an inevitability because the MC was female.
*****Spolier End******
Final conclusion – this is fiendishly clever. I’m still not sure I got everything out of it that was there. We need more YA fiction like this where we are not peddled the mythology that the most unbalanced and illogical version of love – namely falling in love for the first time – is the only valid variety. That quieter forms are as valid and often far more lasting. Romantic sexual love is not the only kind and should not be held up as a once size fits all aspirational state. Best of all, Janet chooses whether to be the hero here and it’s far more powerful for her moment of doubt. I can’t sing the praises of this one enough. It is fabulous.
EVERYONE DROP WHAT YOU'RE DOING. THIS IS FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME ON KINDLE AND YOU CAN GET THE FIRST BOOK FOR JUST 99c/ 99p!
I'm incredibly wary of seEVERYONE DROP WHAT YOU'RE DOING. THIS IS FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME ON KINDLE AND YOU CAN GET THE FIRST BOOK FOR JUST 99c/ 99p!
I'm incredibly wary of sequels. I mean, I know how hard a sequel is to write, but so many authors, especially SFF authors, rush out a second book or, worse, tag on a second book to a successful debut, that just isn't well thought out. As a reader you're left with characters that don't develop and a plot that can seem nonsensical or pointless. Middle book syndrome - we've all seen it.
This is NOT that book.
'The Sons of Thestian' gave us a view of a different kind of epic fantasy and 'Blood of the Delphi' builds on that. Starting (rather bravely) almost thirteen years after the end of book one, this book takes you straight in at the deep end, showing us what kind of life Rufus has been forced to live since. Old favourite characters return - and some not so favourite ones too. New characters move to centre stage. And all of them are great characters, with depth and motive and three dimensions, whether you like them or not. While both Rufus and Fae have changed and grown a lot since book one, perhaps the most distinctive change is in Arlen Zachary, who to be honest I wasn't all that worried about in the first book but now I am in swivets of anxiety about him while I wait for book three. It was good to see more of his backstory but be warned, Vaughan will make you care about him (and all the other characters) and then calmly and coolly rip your still beating heart out of your chest. Approach this book with caution - there will be tears.
The plot combines several viewpoints and consequently several different strands. Sometimes I find that when a fantasy author does this, I want to rush through segments to get to the character viewpoint I am interested in again. (Sorry George R.R. Martin...) This is never the case with Blood of the Delphi, wherever the author takes you is where the action is happening, be it the quiet and disturbing plains of Rufus' inner landscape or La Kalciar under full attack. The subplots, of which there are many, seem at times to depart from the story but they are never a distraction from the main plot and in the end, all serve to support the end game as Vaughan emerges victorious, all threads held firmly in hand. There are gods up to no good behind a layer of political intrigue and wrangling on the mortal realm, while in communities and families and between individuals, there are other, smaller scale but no less important struggles for power and influence.
The pace is good. The dialogue is even more natural and there is a real sense of place. Magmell is almost an unacknowledged extra character. In my humble opinion, the author has really found her voice with this book. I am not happy about certain events but only because she is hurting characters I love - so job well done really. Book three had better no be too far off...
Highly recommend for all fantasy fans and those who enjoyed 'The Sons of Thestian'.
Altogether this is a multifaceted, accomplished and brilliant SFF novel....more
ARC copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I can't remember the last time I felt so intensely conflicted about a book. Set in 19tARC copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I can't remember the last time I felt so intensely conflicted about a book. Set in 19th C Bavaria, Wintersong tells the story of the Vogel siblings from Liesl's POV. Girls are warned by their provincial elders not to want too much, to be modest and hard working, to be chase or else Der Erlkonig will fetch them away. But to Liesl, who is genuinely plain (not plain in a 'I don't realise how gorgeous I am' kinda way) as well as strange, intense and musically gifted, the story is seductive. She does not remember the strange companion of her childhood, anymore than she lets herself think about the music she composes or the future she wishes she had - usurped by her adored younger brother - but Liesl has met the Goblin King; once upon a time they were friends...
This is a folktale, a historical fantast and a lush, tempestuous romance all rolled into one. And as unbiased as I try to be in my reviews, I am very conscious of the fact that this was exactly the story I wanted to read at exactly the time I wanted it, told in pretty much exactly the way I wanted. So this is not an unemotional appraisal. Not that I can't see the flaws in the book. The structure does have a few wobbly moments and the narrative is occasionally over-written. It feels as if it could have done with another pass but the author ran out of time. That said the prose is gorgeous, the characters are complicated and engaging, and the plot is twisting and slyly gets under your skin. There were times when Liesl was actually thoroughly unlikeable but I couldn't help rooting for her and wanting to know what happened all the same. If you know anything at all about musical theory, that's how this book reads - like a sonata scored in musical notation. I would go a step further and say that the push and pull of the MC interactions, the dark undertone and the bittersweet nature of the story actually mirror a number of pieces of classical music or even opera. (Think Shubert's Death and the Maiden or Der Erlkonig, or Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake) And opera never has an entirely happy ending... I would be surprised if other influences didn't include the Persephone/ Hades myth, Beauty and the Beast, East of the Sun West of the Moon and the 80s classic film - Labyrinth.
****SPOILER ALERT BELOW****
But where I really came unstuck was the ending, which is the sole reason this didn't get 5 stars. I had not realised quite how hard I shipped the MCs and I didn't like the way it resolved. In fact I actually felt punched - which is no mean feat because not much catches me by surprise in books anymore. And obviously this is where I am being emotional rather than reasonable because I was so upset and angry with the ending, I've knocked off a star. As I said, it's been a long time since a book has affected me so badly.
**** SPOILER END****
All in all this was utterly fabulous. I do appreciate a good standalone (even though I wish this one wasn't). This is mature fairy tale fantasy for those who like their YA fiction with a bit more complexity and strength. Highly recommend for fans of Claire B Dunckle's Hollow Kingdom series or anyone who loves Labyrinth. Will definitely read the author's next book....more
**spoiler alert** Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have read all of the Iron Fey series and while I have more of a soft s**spoiler alert** Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have read all of the Iron Fey series and while I have more of a soft spot for Meghan, Ash and Puck, I've really enjoyed this latter trilogy as well. I've seen reviews where people are flinging toys out of prams or weeping or yodelling with joy over this series. It has never held the same amount of emotional investment for me. So I can say quite objectively that I think this is a satisfying and apt conclusion to the series. While I do get annoyed with the 'you're-dead-but-wait-no-you're-not-really' card being played more than once, these books are pure indulgent entertainment and I think Kagawa has done a great job. They definitely make it on to the reread list....more
I don't think any Pratchett fan will go into this book devoid of emotional attachment and I'm pretty sure that the fact that this is the last ever disI don't think any Pratchett fan will go into this book devoid of emotional attachment and I'm pretty sure that the fact that this is the last ever disc world book will colour my review. That said, what a high note to go out on! This pulls together many of the loose discworld threads and delivers a very satisfying conclusion. In the same way that Raising Steam pulled together a lot of threads from the city/ grand folk side of things, The Shepherd's Crown looks at the smaller but no less important lives of the country folk. Seeing discworld for the last time through the eyes of the witches was the perfect way to go. As well as being a thumping good read, this also gently prods us to look Death in his kindly skeletal face and accept him as part of life, to examine the necessity of being kind as much as you can, of respecting each other and helping each other. Of trying to reach accord with enemies with whom you think you have nothing in common, that you have demonised because they have done monstrous things. Not that this book lectures - like the witches it teaches by example.Tiffany is an excellent character to close on. She's grown up and feels the full weight of her responsibility now. She is unsure of herself and whether she can fill the gap left behind by the death of another character. It is the uncannily accurate portrayal of a young person really committing themselves to the life they have chosen that makes this even more poignant. And of course there are laughs aplenty too because life is afterall very funny, even in its tragic moments. I know everyone has their own Discworld access book - the one that got them in - and their own discworld peak book - after which the writing couldn't get any better, although some feel it suffered. I really became a fan comparatively late. I haven't yet read all the books (maybe 20 or so) and perhaps Pratchett wrote better than this, but I doubt he wrote more wisely. I realise that parts of this book have had the help of the editorial team because he simply couldn't finish it as much as he wanted, and we are told this frankly. I still think this is one of the best books of Pratchett's I've read. Somehow all the themes I most loved came together here. Highly recommend this whether you are a Pratchett fan or not....more
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I'm just going to come out and say it; this book was weird, and not in a good way. Usually Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I'm just going to come out and say it; this book was weird, and not in a good way. Usually weird is my jam but this didn't feel like a considered and carefully portrayed vision of the 'other'. This was a mess. I don't mean the fact that it was an uncorrected galley proof either. The writing was all over the shop, with tenses changing mid sentence. Add to that a bizarre plot that follows no stream of logic, not even its own, characters that seem interchangeable and are basically unreachable thanks to the distant, omniscient third person narration of the story (at no point does the psychic distance change so that you ever get in a character's head,) and writing that is patchy at best and you have very little reason to want to finish. I found myself skimming large sections searching for anything that would pull me in. If there was ever a book that kept the reader at arm's length, this is it.
In theory I like the idea. The random way that everyone seems to have sex with everyone else without any strings doesn't actually bother me. The way in which fairy immortality is so Tithonic, where consciousness seems to continue in every atom of a fairy even when it should in theory be dead (Ie all of it has been eaten except an ear and and eye, for example) was bizarre but I could have got on board with it if it was treated a bit differently. However the world building was practically non existent, the prose was spare to the point of being occasionally nonsensical and , while as a fantasy veteran I am fine with not ascribing human values to non human entities, in this instance none of the characters actions made any sense at all. The Gnomes eat the fairies? Well that's ok - we're grateful to get a leg and a sternum back, WTF?
This was a potentially good idea that didn't pan out. If you're looking for fey entertainment try Pan's Labyrinth or Holly Black's excellent Tithe series and give this a miss. ...more
**spoiler alert** THIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Okay so I was primed to love this because I really liked ACOTAR and ACOMAF completel**spoiler alert** THIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Okay so I was primed to love this because I really liked ACOTAR and ACOMAF completely blew me away, but I just didn't. Sarah J. Maas has a good eye for an epic storyline and also for characters that you will care about but she didn't do herself justice in this book. I haven't read all of the TOG books but I note that many readers had similar complaints between series and I can well believe it.
Problem one is that of over-superpowering. This is something that all authors need to bear in mind, especially in fantasy and sci-fi. If you upscale your MC's magical powers too quickly then you face the problem of who exactly you're going to pit against them. You end up making the villain even more powerful so your MC levels up again and well then you end up at the same level you reach in Skyrim, for example, where eventually your playable character is the head of the thieves guild, head mage, master assassin, head of the brotherhood of the wolf etc and is basically just striding through the game like a minor god, unopposed by any real challengers. The point is when you get here, there is no jeopardy. Your MC is not ever in any real danger, so there is no tension and it all falls a bit flat. OR you have to come up with a contrivance that temporarily robs your MC of their powers. In this case, faebane. I maintain that faebane is a contrived way of managing this over-powered effect because look how easily it's dealt with when it becomes inconvenient. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Problem two in storytelling terms: Rhys and Feyre are together. Let's face it we want them together. It is possible to go too far in the opposite direction a la Terry Goodkind (where everytime Richard and Kahlan get anywhere near each other some random enemy comes along and abducts one of them - this is tedious.) But for the purposes of driving a narrative, Rhys and Feyre being so in accord as they are in this book means that the dramatic tension must come from elsewhere. And it just doesn't. It is still a book that is 80% about their romance with a frame of epic fantasy and there is no conflict between them to drive the plot. I am well aware my low tolerance for romance won't have helped here but even so this led to a pretty limp story. Which is juxtaposed to Rhysand because as well as being so annoyingly perfect that I found myself wondering if actually he died at the end of ACOMAF and Feyre wasn't now just hallucinating the Rhys she remembered, he is pretty much permanently erect. SJM has not helped her case here by slathering how perfect Rhys is, how much better than Tamlin he is, with such a heavy hand. If she had typed ' but you get it, right? You see why Rhys is just this male sex god, a complete dream? Right? You DO get it?' I would not have been surprised. Rhysand has been the most interesting character in the series up until this book but the author's insistence on making him perfect means that he comes across as both toothless and dull here.
Major problem number three - the writing. I think SJM was aiming for increased closeness psychic distance wise and was also possibly trying for lyrical prose. Personally I think she should perhaps not do those things because the result was at times almost unreadable. The prose got in the way of the story. I know I rant about this but STORY IS KING before anything else. By and large this felt like it needed another two passes by a skilled editor. What drove me especially nuts was the idiosyncratic punctuation - lots of ellipses and em-dashes, paradoxically doing the same job almost interchangeably throughout the first two thirds of the novel so that the sentences were broken, the rhythm was choppy and the whole thing was just an eyesore. Also repetition of certain phrases. Here are my personal bugbears:
I angled my head / she/he angled his/her head - this is used over and over and it literally doesn't make sense unless you say what someone is angling their head at. Yes we can infer what it means but it is used so often that after a while I just had an image of them all with permanent cricks in their necks.
My/his/her throat bobbed - there should be a rule that this is only to be used once in a book and after that you have to use 'swallowed'.
Claim/ claiming/ mate/ male/ maleness - just don't even.
A vulgar gesture - this is one that is used so often that I wonder if any of the characters EVER have a good come back. Otherwise this is just another example of lazy writing. What vulgar gesture? I can think of half a dozen off the top of my head and they all mean something a bit different. Catch all phrases like this are just really poor writing. Also these are mostly 500 yr old beings so why are they acting like teenagers?
Maybe I should have just been able to read through all of these things but unfortunately the main thrust of the plot wasn't engaging enough to pull me in. This is actually a shorted book than ACOMAF but it felt so much longer. I was actually forcing myself to get through it and came close to DNFing at least three times.
On the subject of contrivance, I felt that way about Mor's big reveal. Not that it was impossible but it really hadn't been foreshadowed in previous books and that level of callous disregard for her friends' feelings was completely out of character. It didn't feel well thought out, more as if SJM was caving to fan pressure. (In fairness the poor woman had been receiving death threats over the perceived lack of diversity in her books. While we should all consider diversity, not just write white, cis, heteronormative characters as given, no one has the right to demand an author produce what they want.) Either way, while I think the reveal was potentially inkeeping with Mor's character, it wasn't inkeeping with the set up. If you try and shoehorn diversity in then you're not being inclusive, you are creating tokenism.
This book was saved for me by the ending where I was finally gripped and really invested for the last 100 pages. It bumped it up from a 2 * rating to a 3 *. That said, it is bogged down by rather sloppy battle descriptions - find another word than butcher to describe horrific killing, no really please - unlikely politic discussion where Feyre has to prove again and again that she is the High Lady (yawn) and by that stupid and contrived plot twist with their father at the end. So lame.
This book ha some really great ideas but I feel it missed a lot of opportunities in favour of treading safe and rather boring ground. Feyre comes across as petty and spiteful in the first third of the book instead of brave and resourceful. It feels to me as if SJM had properly explored the idea of Feyre infiltrating Tamlin's court, the whole book would have come together better. If she had looked at just how Feyre might have had to get Tamlin on side, if Feyre had spent most of the book there micromanaging things behind the scenes to get the war to twist in the direction she wanted. If she then had to face the consequences of the resulting damage that did to her relationship with Rhys, this would have been a much more interesting book. As it is the author has squandered that gripping ending from book two in an effort to get Rhys and Feyre back together in lovey-dovey bliss as soon as possible.
This has a great cast of supporting characters, which were unfortunately mostly underused. On hat note I'm not going to say that someone should have definitely died at the end but it did feel contrived that they all made it through without any major lasting injuries.
There were other missed opportunities with the mirror and with the weaver as well - things that would have been much better on screen than some of that political posturing and wrangling which when boiled down din't say much at all.
Things I did like:
Tamlin did get a very slender redemption arc - and the awful way he taks to Feyre when he finds out she's betrayed him is both despicable but also really rings true.
Nesta. Nesta is just awesome. She should have been given far more screen time.
Amren - my favourite character. Why she suddenly had to be paired off as well, I don't know. It is ok to be complete in and of yourself. Not everyone needs a 'mate' or even just a lover.
Lucien and Feyre's relationship was interesting and deserved far more time than it got.
The basic plot, centred around what I imagine must be the story of the Cauldron of Bran the Blessed from the Mabinogion, was interesting. (Although Lloyd Alexander did it better in his Chronicles of Prydain).
My verdict is that with more editing, an overhaul on the flat dialogue and better pacing this could have been as good as its predecessors but it was rushed out instead. I am low key disappointed because there were parts I genuinely enjoyed but I am unlikely to ever reread this. Also someone buy SJM a thesaurus. Seriously....more
I won't go back on what I originally said because at that time, that's what this book earned from me. However, this series (b**spoiler alert** Update:
I won't go back on what I originally said because at that time, that's what this book earned from me. However, this series (by ACoSF) has now become so problematic I no longer want to endorse it at all. Please bear in mind I read this book almost 5 years ago and now read even more critically than I did then.
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4.5 stars I wanted A Court of Thorns and Roses t be a standalone novel. Maas had taken my favourite fairy tales - Beauty and the Beast and Tamm Lynn (Thomas the Rhymer/ True Thomas) and mashed them up with one of my favourite myths (Persephone's decent to the under world. Also Orpheus and Eurydice. The original versions where the Goddess chooses to go to Hades, not the patriarchal skygod BS that came after.) Having created a really good book with my favourite things, I kinda wanted Maas to leave that shit alone.
So that was resistance point one. Resistance point two was that I was mildly spoilerfied for this book on tumblr and I was furious that book 2 was undoing book 1. I put off reading it for ages until my curiosity finally won over my irritation. I was expecting another vapid teen love triangle - I mean that was what had to happen, right?
So so wrong.
What I was treated to was a look at the complicated nature of love and adult relationships once the bloom is off the rose. Happily ever after does not exist because every that is past is prologue to a new story. It's just a convenient way of saying 'I'm finishing the tale here' or 'I'm done with these characters now'. So what makes this book unique? Three things I think.
1) An unflinching and honest look first love and how it isn't always forever. That people change and grow apart and sometimes damage by external events is irreparable to a relationship. Also at how complex a real relationship is.
2) Ultimately no one is coming to save you. You can only save yourself through your choices. Other people may influence those choices so it's important to be clear sighted. No one is responsible for your actions except you. On the plus side, even when there are only bad choices, you are still the author of your own destiny. Feyre and Rhysand both demonstrate this.
3) The romance is not just an end in and of itself but a vital part of the ongoing story, the brewing war and the series arc. Quite literally.
Ok so Feyre defeated Amarantha in book 1 and was made immortal by the seven high lords. She now gets to be with Tamlin forever. Great huh? I mean she literally walked into hell for the man. Was prepared to both kill and die for his freedom. What says true love more than that? Except that it's not great. Feyre is having difficulty adjusting, both to being a Fey and to the passive life she is now expected to lead. Shut out from the running of the estate, the planning of her wedding - partly through her own lack of interest, traumatised by what happened under the mountain and treated as if she were the same person she was before she went through hell for Tamlin, Feyre is gradually collapsing in on herself. She can't paint. She feels dead and empty. Alienated from Tamlin and her family. Friendless, alone and unaware that she is in a deep state of depression which she can't keep masked forever. Tamlin is distracted and far more invested in the return of his power. He cannot or will not see that Feyre is losing herself. Partly because he is traumatised himself, partly because he loves control and hasn't realised that he has extended that to include controlling Feyre as one of his possessions, but also partly because he knows that Feyre has become a special kind of fey and he wants to keep that knowledge from her, while keeping her to himself. In short they are both suffering PTSD or something similar but instead of helping and healing together which Feyre tries in vain to get Tamlin to do, they are now locked in a toxic relationship that she cannot see a way out of. It's not that Tamlin ever deliberately raises a hand to her but he uses sex to keep her quiet and not asking questions, throws money and gifts at her but denies her his time and prevents her leaving or going out rather than teaching her how to exist in the Fey world.
This is all done really deftly. We can see that Tamlin isn't bad but he is lazy, he has a habit of not thinking or seeing from anyone else's perspective, he wants his half starved feral human pet - when Feyre has become so much more through everything she endured. It's easy to see that she fell in love with the first person to show her real kindness. She never denies that she loves Tamlin, but she knows it isn't right and almost kills herself trying to make it work. Who could blame her. If you've literally gone through hell for someone only to find out that it isn't the right man, does that negate all your suffering? Make your struggles pointless? Make the fact that you are now part of a species you hated, somehow empty and terrifying? And he gaslights her every step of the way with a combination of great sex and guilt trips. The 'manpain' of it all - seeing her tortured to death - how could he live if he ever lost her again? No she needs to never be at risk again. Feyre is too far into a post traumatic depression to see that Tamlin is doing what was best for him not what is best for her.
Of course there's the bargain with Rhysand which cannot be broken. And yet Rhys does not call in the bargain for three months. Not until Feyre is panicking on her wedding day. Rhysand is not what he has led everyone to believe. His court is the court of dreams as well as nightmares. The most powerful high lord ever born is also the most clear sighted - he sees that Hybern will go to war and that there is a secret weapon involved. To destroy it he needs Feyre's help. Of course he's done such a good job of making her hate him that pulling her back from the brink of her own self destruction might be far harder than he anticipates.
In short, where Tamlin offers comfort and indolence, Rhys challenges her to be her best self. Where Tamlin excludes and misleads, Rhys gives her the truth - whether she wants to hear it or not. Where Tamlin tries to imprison her, Rhysand offers her choice and freedom. And that is the real point of this book. It's not just Feyre finding she made a mistake and substituting one male for another. It's not a love triangle at all. This is not about someone having their ego given a juicy little sponge bath while relishing the suffering of another person who will never have them. This is about learning to say that you, alone as you are, are valuable and you are worth being treated well. This is about demanding equality not through viciousness but by living up to your own expectations of yourself. Holding yourself to account for your own actions, being true to who you are, were and who you'll become. Under the grand passion of first love, and the heady foolishness of pure animal sexual attraction, is a state where you can have elements of the former and combine it with something greater - a choice of partners that make you greater you are alone. That add to you rather than take away. Push you forward rather than hold you back. If you have the courage, you can claim a partnership of equals and if you've learned to value yourself, why should you settle for anything less.
Add to that more epic world building and adventure, a great cast of characters and a crescendo of a finale and this is one of my top books of 2016. Utterly mind blowing. Resistance was futile.
I have two minor criticisms. One - did Tamlin really need to have all his good deeds taken away by it being revealed that Rhys had orchestrated everything? Seems to me that that was a step further than necessary - we already know that Tamlin is decent but selfish and doesn't want to solve a problem with Feyre unless it involves throwing some of his abundant wealth at it. Two - there were a lot of em dash and en dash sentences. I suppose it was voice-y but it made for some very odd sentence construction as did repeated use of the word 'indeed'. Very nit shit stuff if you look at the whole though tbh.
I did think Rhys almost became to good to be true but I was there, I saw it all and I believed it so whatever Maas is doing, she's doing it right. Hat's off and I really, REALLY need the third book like NOW. (Oh how little did I know when I read this what this series would become - 2021)...more
I've pretty much loved all of Marillier's books. There is something about the way she spins folklore and magic with an appreciation for the ordinary cI've pretty much loved all of Marillier's books. There is something about the way she spins folklore and magic with an appreciation for the ordinary coupled with great characters that just works for me. And I have LOVED Blackthorn and Grim as characters - a departure from her usual very young protagonists. The growth and development of both Blackthorn and Grim has been brilliant throughout this series and 'Den of Wolves' brings their arc to a very satisfying close. Once again, I don't think there were any real mysteries in this book - if you have even a rudimentary knowledge of folklore or have read a few of the author's other books, you pretty much know what the big reveals are from the start. Having said that you stay to find out how they are revealed. A great author can keep you pinned with the journey not just the destination, and Marillier is a great author. Cara's story is sufficiently engaging and she is an interesting, and touchingly 'other' and disadvantaged character. I found I didn't quite believe the Lord of Wolf Glen's motives and character, though certainly the delivery of a girl growing up under the rule of a father who loved her and still bullied her, was pitch perfect. Another slight issue for me was the pace. It felt uneven. A slow, halting start and then everything wrapped up very quickly in the last 50 pages. However these are minor issues and I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Recommend to all Marillier fans and those who like Celtic myth and legend....more
I reread this for #Faerieathon and enjoyed it as much, if not more, than I did before. TBH any other book that bills itself as a dark Beauty and the BI reread this for #Faerieathon and enjoyed it as much, if not more, than I did before. TBH any other book that bills itself as a dark Beauty and the Beast retelling can just pack up and go home because Black's Valiant is all that and more. Best of all, she tells a completely new story that is true to the themes - including that of sexual awakening and understanding - found in the fairy tale. Don't expect courtly dances and talking kitchen appliances though because this is dark.
Val has been betrayed in the most unbelievably selfish way by her mother and to cap it off, her best friend knew all about it too and didn't tell her. From being the easy-to-please sidekick, Val finds herself making poor choices and strange choices, simply to be making choices. Her entire sense of identity has been shifted sideways out of her control and her family is no longer trustworthy, so Val forms a sort of dysfunctional family of her own with a bunch of street kids. There's no need to go home, and her new friends lead her to some strange, dark and fantastical places. New York is not just the city of choice for self exiled teens. The fey send themselves to live in the smoke and iron away from the courts too.
Part murder mystery, part coming of age story, part exploration of what it means to be disaffected teen and part fairytale, this is definitely one of Black's best books. I love the fact that her characters are always complex and flawed, yet somehow relatable. They don't always react well to what they go through and they're not 'nice' (as if that's something anyone should aspire to be!) but they are always someone you can root for.
However, this book contains things certain readers will not like. There is flagrant (fantasy) drug use and by drug I mean injectable. There is sex of the most callow and meaningless kind, inappropriate age gaps between sexual partners (potentially - definitely in one particular instance.) There is swearing and deliberate destructive behaviour. This is not the place to look for healthy teen relationships because the purpose of the book is to explore the opposite. If you can't handle that, I would strongly recommend you don't read it. Likewise if you have a strong aversion to reading about drug use, hedonism, alcohol abuse and the costs of all of that (and also why people do it - ie because in the moment you're self medicating, it feels good) and you're not prepared to have a nuanced conversation, you may also want to give this a miss. I can completely see why some people won't get on with this book. It's supposed to shock you and make you ask questions, I think. Don't assume that because it's about fairies that it's soft fantasy. It's really not.
This is a great episode of the lady knight tradition set in the same universe as the Cruel Prince and time wise, just after Tithe. I really enjoyed reading this again and would reread yet again in a few years. Highly recommend. Looking forward to the next book in the Faerieathon line up!
It had been at least ten years since I'd read this and I had forgotten how much I loved the book. Tithe is not Black's best faerie offering and there It had been at least ten years since I'd read this and I had forgotten how much I loved the book. Tithe is not Black's best faerie offering and there are tiny parts that read as somewhat dated now, but in spite of that, this is still an excellent YA book. The faerie's are properly nasty and far more in line with folklore than many fae depictions. They don't think like humans and are not well disposed towards us. Black does an excellent job of presenting the reader with creatures who are both fascinating and repellent, and with the immortality of the fae comes the immortal's curse - boredom - and hence their capacity for random and capricious cruelty. Tithe is also a loose reimagining of the classic Scottish Ballad Tam Lynn, which is one of my favourites. It doesn't follow the plot of the ballad exactly but there is a loose outline that fits the shape and various pieces of the plot and other easter eggs (a character is called Janet for instance and there's the matter of the tithe) that will please fans of the old tale. In the midst of this, an unlikely but nevertheless believable romance springs up between the protagonist Kaye (a mortal girl with a secret) and Roiben (an indentured knight of the Unseelie queen). Best of all, this is where we first meet Corny (Cornelius) who is gay, curmudgeonly, gruff, suspicious, nerdy and in love with all things magical. He's one of my favourite characters and such a strong presence in the book that I'm including this in my #Prideathon reads, as well as #Faerieathon. A great book. Highly recommend. Can't wait for 'Valiant' which is next month's #Faerieathon read.
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Rereading this as part of #Faerieathon (#Fairyathon?) Anywhoo, as I recall the first three chapters of this are a little ropey BUT this is still excellent YA. Black is the gold standard for fae fiction. Seriously forget your S J Maas shit, even Black's slightly more wobbly earlier efforts are way better....more
Really enjoyed revisiting this one. I originally rated it 5 stars - and I don't change book ratings unless I'm increasing the rating - and now I'd proReally enjoyed revisiting this one. I originally rated it 5 stars - and I don't change book ratings unless I'm increasing the rating - and now I'd probably make it 4 stars. However this is still a good book. Black's early YA work stands up pretty well to the test of time, though no doubt certain people will object to the use of words that are now pejoratives and slurs but weren't really considered so at the time. (Honestly, if that's how you feel, fine it's valid, but no author can hop in a time machine and change something they wrote and had published 10+ years ago. So maybe don't throw out a whole book just because of a single word you don't like? Author's need to have the space to make mistakes and then learn from them. Ditto publishers.)
Anyway, this is set a little after Valiant but picks up the thread following Kaye's chaotic life, unfixed life and Roiben's ascension to the Unseelie throne. It picks up two of my favourite characters from previous books - Cornelius and Luis - and throws them back into the intrigues of faerie. Both go on really interesting character journeys, as does Kaye herself, despite her often erratic behaviour. As a changeling - a pixie left in place of a human child and raised in the mortal world - Kaye is both baffled and troubled by the casual cruelty of faeries, but unable to fully think like a human either. It's an interesting look at the old nature versus nurture argument. Roiben, meanwhile, is falling into the age old mistake of trying to protect the woman he loves instead of allowing her to act as an equal partner - with disastrous consequences.
Black packs a lot of themes into this fairly short book. Power versus responsibility/ power versus vulnerability. Love versus obsession. Cruelty versus kindness. Acceptance and honesty versus wilful blindness. In some ways she manages to capture a teen romance better than any other YA author - the fact that while you might fall for someone easily enough, it takes time to learn to trust yourself to be enough when they love you in return, or that it's hard to believe that those we love will do the right thing for both us and themselves. It's never saccharine or over dramatic - which may not be to some people's taste to be fair, but which I find far more believable and engaging than most other teen romance subplots. I also appreciate Black's slightly dark and quirky sense of humour, which is rooted as much in gritty reality as in levity. Her characters are not perfect. She shows teens from disadvantaged backgrounds and doesn't hold up 5 figure salaries, top graduate jobs or college degrees as the gold standard of personhood. It's far more about a character learning who they are and making good choices out of the results of poor ones. It's about kindness and acceptance, not any specific achievement. And most of all it's about everyone having value, no matter how humble or screwed up their beginnings, no matter how far they have fallen or what mistakes they've made. I've got a lot of time for that. And I still recommend this series....more
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