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annasneddon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Antisemitism, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Cursing, and Emotional abuse
pointeshoebookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5
Graphic: Antisemitism, Gore, Religious bigotry, Violence, Abandonment, Bullying, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexual content, Animal death, Child death, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Alcohol and Emotional abuse
wildflowerleahg's review against another edition
5.0
*There are major conversations about parental neglect/abuse and racism/antisemitism so people know that going in.*
This story was a bit on the slower side but I loved sipping on every single beautiful detail of the world and our main characters. I WISH there was more of the hung but I really enjoyed this author’s writing style.
Graphic: Antisemitism and Racism
Moderate: Blood, Violence, and Emotional abuse
starrystarryeyed's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Antisemitism, Xenophobia, and Abandonment
chronicacademia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I assumed from everything I knew that this book was historical fiction. And as I closed the book, I couldn’t help but wonder why it wasn’t historical fiction.
The world building was needlessly confusing because it was thinly veiled enough for the reader to know that it was thinly veiled portrayals of real religions, ethnicities, and places. But it relied heavily on the reader knowing exactly what the author thinly veiled that anyone who doesn’t have a great grasp on American history will be scrambling to understand what exactly it is that’s happening. I’ll confess I still don’t completely know what time period this book took place in. But I figured out that New Albion is New York, Yu’adir is Jewish faith/people, Katharist is Protestantism/protestants (it took me 100 pages to figure this out; I initially thought it was Catholicism and it threw me for a loop), Sumic is Catholic/catholicism (it was the mention of rosaries and the Catholic prayer that tipped me off 100 pages in; I originally thought Sumic was an ethnicity), and Banvishman was Irish(?) (I’m honestly still not 100% sure about that last one). The first 150 pages had me flailing to translate the world building—and it left me wondering why the author didn’t just write a loose historical fantasy with a secret society. It took me so much longer to understand and find my feet in this book than the average fantasy, and it detracted from my enjoyment and my ability to get into the book.
The plot was slow. I’d expected a days/weeks long fox hunt that took up most of the story. Instead, there are weeks between when the fox shows up in the first chapter and when the hunt begins in the last 50(ish). And the hunt only takes up a measly few chapters at the end of the book. Most of the book was spent with two characters who were hopelessly pining after each other, but too stubborn to admit it while the fox destroys farmland and tries to kill people and no one tries to stop it. It left me wondering why the hunt took so long to commence; if the fox was so destructive, why wait to hunt it?
And if the characters weren’t so easy to love, this probably wouldn’t be a 5 star review. But damnit; I loved every minute of rooting for them to get together. This book is really a romance disguised as a fantasy, and I’m not sad about it. Wes and Margaret came alive on the pages. There was something so real about them and their struggles, their hesitancy to love. I loved the way the dynamics with Wes’s family were written. His sisters reminded me of my own and endeared me all the more to him. And Margaret’s character arc had me sobbing. These two characters, who were beautifully and perfectly written, shine brighter than any issue I took with the plot or the world building. On more than one instance, I felt myself getting teary eyed over both of them.
I personally felt the ADHD/dyslexia and PTSD were handled sensitively. I should also say—the fox hunt portion was well researched; it made my heart happy to read it in a fantasy world.
Was this a great fantasy book? No. But it’s an excellent romance with top tier character development and an ending that will make you shed all the happy tears. I don’t often reread books, but I know I’ll return to the pages of this one time and time again. I will be screaming my praise of this book to strangers in bookstores for many years to come.
Graphic: Antisemitism, Animal death, and Xenophobia
discarded_dust_jacket's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I didn’t know much about it going in, and it threw me for a bit of a loop when the world was far more “modern” than I was expecting (they drive cars and use phones). I thought it was going to be a full-blown fantasy story with like horses and swords for some reason, so it confused me for a second before I got my bearings.
“Love is not the sharp-edged thing [Margaret] always believed it to be. It’s not like the sea, liable to slip through her fingers if she holds on too tight. It’s not a currency, something to be earned or denied or bartered for. Love can be steadfast. It can be certain and safe…”
The only reason it didn’t get a higher rating from me was because the pacing for the middle 1/3 of the book was a bit slow for my taste. It kind of lagged a little bit, but found it’s stride eventually. I definitely enjoyed it, but it didn’t blow me away.
Graphic: Abandonment, Antisemitism, Bullying, Hate crime, Gore, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Death of parent
sa_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: Sexual content and Child abuse
Minor: Death of parent
city_girl_writer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Abandonment, Xenophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Body horror, Gore, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Animal death, Grief, Gaslighting, and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent
andromeda_1998's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Antisemitism, Blood, Body horror, Death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Misogyny, and Sexism
neni's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I loved Trouble the hound, especially because my own dear dog is of the same breed so I kept picturing her in the book :)
The pacing was a bit all over the place. The first third of the book felt slow and like nothing was happening, the middle was satisfying in that we finally had some progress in both the plot and the relationship between the main character's, but then the ending, while entertaining, was a bit rushed and left quite a few issues that had been brought up either unresolved or fixed so quickly it didn't feel believable.
I must say as well: the fact that the whole character's main thing was being a huntress and loving it, didn't sit quite well with me as I don't agree with hunting for sport. The descriptions of fox killing as a sport (both the magical/mythical type and the plain normal animal) bothered me.
Overall, this was an okay read, especially vibesy for autumn and with some good romance and pining in the middle but not particularly strong either in plot or character complexity.
Graphic: Classism, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Bullying, Gore, Grief, Racism, Death, Abandonment, Gun violence, Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Body horror, Child abuse, and Violence