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wetdryvac's review against another edition
5.0
It's rare I spend an entire book going, "Oh, crap." Seriously well executed.
myth's review
4.0
My fluctuating opinions of this book, let me show you them.
On the one hand, I loved it. It had politics (sort of)! And a tough (mostly) believable heroine!
As you can see, it has qualifiers.
The politics were politic-y for the first chapter or two. And then we were just told that politics happened? I don't know, it felt like reading Crown Duel without its (much more interesting) sequel Court Duel. Tristan felt very much like Shevraeth/Vidanric. Vianne felt a lot like Mel without the bad temper.
And then Tristan turned out to be possibly evil. And I may have seen that coming, but more in a 'there are enough hints here for it to happen, and it would make this a much more interesting story if it did' way instead of my usual 'yeah, here's what's going to happen, don't try and be cute with me' way. It's possible that when I read the sequel I will do exactly what I did with Crown Duel upon finishing Court Duel - declare 'THIS IS AWESOME. GIVE ME MORE.' And hopefully Ms Saintcrow will comply, as Sherwood Smith did not see fit to do. You see, the world revolves around my reading taste. I know this for a fact, because I want to read more about white guys saving the world and the Fantasy/Sci-Fi genre has complied! (my sarcasm has hopefully been noted)
If you're confused as to why I seem to be reviewing three-ish books here, let me explain. The Hedgewitch Queen has a lot of potential. A hell of a lot of potential. I wanted this thing like a Hobbit wants elevensies the second I read the description. And I love Lilith Saintcrow's novels, especially Jill Kismet (Steelflower I loved but fell just short of the mark of awesome for reasons I cannot fully articulate. Possibly it's to do with the soulmate principle). Dante Valentine is pretty damn epic, too, and I need to take a gander at her earlier books because WOMEN. BEING WOMEN. AND STABBING THINGS. By which I mean that often authors, male and female, fall short of writing women as I have observed them my entire life, most especially myself. Many times authors think that writing a tough woman involves adding breasts and often upsetting and confusing messages about sexuality (on either side of the spectrum of NOT DOING IT RIGHT) to a man. And I would argue, normally, that I fully believe that a great deal of masculinity and femininity is a product of environment and socialization and all that jazz, but please assume that that argument (and the accompanying one about the marginalization of traditionally feminine traits) (and the one about how most authors write with the same sort of underlying societal structure that means they should deal with that baggage, dammit) has been made at length and in detail for the purposes of trying very hard to get to a point here. Lilith Saintcrow writes women. And gosh golly darn it, I would forgive her a fuckload more than an issue that boils down to me wanting more of something she's written just for that reason.
That paragraph got away from me there. Back to why I was discussing Sherwood Smith in a Lilith Saintcrow review.
Because it was incredibly similar, both in writing style, characters, and... not themes. What's the word I'm looking for here? Maybe structure? At a few points during the reading of this, I looked up and thought to myself, "Hunh, Sherwood Smith did something a little different there" only to remember that no, I was reading Lilith Saintcrow.
And I think that's my real problem with this book. For some, it may not be a problem, especially if you (as I do) like Sherwood Smith. But for me, it was jarring, and confusing, and somewhat irksome. (please excuse any and all fragments in this post; stream of consciousness ends in fragments and humorous or ragey run-ons for me more than I'd like)
ANYWAY. Moving away from the Sherwood Smith comparisons.
I loved that Vianne never forgot her Princesse. I loved that she was motivated more by her duty and love of a friend in the end than she was by her love interest. I loved that that love interest was mostly supportive in the end, and I loved even more that Vianne learned that she could live without that support if she needed to. I loved that she didn't want to. I loved Rhisaine, whose name I am probably butchering. I loved the Baroness (no, not THAT one). I loved, loved, LOVED that Ms Saintcrow seems to be going in the crazed love/obsession direction with Tristan, and I sincerely hope that if she really is it does not get watered down or made okay in the end. I loved more than that that Vianne came into her own on her own, and that she didn't fall into it but decided to do so.
4/5, for women who do stuff, more women who do stuff, interesting plot and character twists, and women who love other women. It will probably be made higher when the second one comes out.
Note from the present (but the future at the time this (older) review was written): It was not made higher. I am very upset.
On the one hand, I loved it. It had politics (sort of)! And a tough (mostly) believable heroine!
As you can see, it has qualifiers.
The politics were politic-y for the first chapter or two. And then we were just told that politics happened? I don't know, it felt like reading Crown Duel without its (much more interesting) sequel Court Duel. Tristan felt very much like Shevraeth/Vidanric. Vianne felt a lot like Mel without the bad temper.
And then Tristan turned out to be possibly evil. And I may have seen that coming, but more in a 'there are enough hints here for it to happen, and it would make this a much more interesting story if it did' way instead of my usual 'yeah, here's what's going to happen, don't try and be cute with me' way. It's possible that when I read the sequel I will do exactly what I did with Crown Duel upon finishing Court Duel - declare 'THIS IS AWESOME. GIVE ME MORE.' And hopefully Ms Saintcrow will comply, as Sherwood Smith did not see fit to do. You see, the world revolves around my reading taste. I know this for a fact, because I want to read more about white guys saving the world and the Fantasy/Sci-Fi genre has complied! (my sarcasm has hopefully been noted)
If you're confused as to why I seem to be reviewing three-ish books here, let me explain. The Hedgewitch Queen has a lot of potential. A hell of a lot of potential. I wanted this thing like a Hobbit wants elevensies the second I read the description. And I love Lilith Saintcrow's novels, especially Jill Kismet (Steelflower I loved but fell just short of the mark of awesome for reasons I cannot fully articulate. Possibly it's to do with the soulmate principle). Dante Valentine is pretty damn epic, too, and I need to take a gander at her earlier books because WOMEN. BEING WOMEN. AND STABBING THINGS. By which I mean that often authors, male and female, fall short of writing women as I have observed them my entire life, most especially myself. Many times authors think that writing a tough woman involves adding breasts and often upsetting and confusing messages about sexuality (on either side of the spectrum of NOT DOING IT RIGHT) to a man. And I would argue, normally, that I fully believe that a great deal of masculinity and femininity is a product of environment and socialization and all that jazz, but please assume that that argument (and the accompanying one about the marginalization of traditionally feminine traits) (and the one about how most authors write with the same sort of underlying societal structure that means they should deal with that baggage, dammit) has been made at length and in detail for the purposes of trying very hard to get to a point here. Lilith Saintcrow writes women. And gosh golly darn it, I would forgive her a fuckload more than an issue that boils down to me wanting more of something she's written just for that reason.
That paragraph got away from me there. Back to why I was discussing Sherwood Smith in a Lilith Saintcrow review.
Because it was incredibly similar, both in writing style, characters, and... not themes. What's the word I'm looking for here? Maybe structure? At a few points during the reading of this, I looked up and thought to myself, "Hunh, Sherwood Smith did something a little different there" only to remember that no, I was reading Lilith Saintcrow.
And I think that's my real problem with this book. For some, it may not be a problem, especially if you (as I do) like Sherwood Smith. But for me, it was jarring, and confusing, and somewhat irksome. (please excuse any and all fragments in this post; stream of consciousness ends in fragments and humorous or ragey run-ons for me more than I'd like)
ANYWAY. Moving away from the Sherwood Smith comparisons.
I loved that Vianne never forgot her Princesse. I loved that she was motivated more by her duty and love of a friend in the end than she was by her love interest. I loved that that love interest was mostly supportive in the end, and I loved even more that Vianne learned that she could live without that support if she needed to. I loved that she didn't want to. I loved Rhisaine, whose name I am probably butchering. I loved the Baroness (no, not THAT one). I loved, loved, LOVED that Ms Saintcrow seems to be going in the crazed love/obsession direction with Tristan, and I sincerely hope that if she really is it does not get watered down or made okay in the end. I loved more than that that Vianne came into her own on her own, and that she didn't fall into it but decided to do so.
4/5, for women who do stuff, more women who do stuff, interesting plot and character twists, and women who love other women. It will probably be made higher when the second one comes out.
Note from the present (but the future at the time this (older) review was written): It was not made higher. I am very upset.
drey72's review against another edition
4.0
I noticed the cover of The Hedgewitch Queen, then I saw it was by Lilith Saintcrow, who’s one of my favorite authors. So of course I had to pick it up…
drey’s thoughts:
The first in an anticipated duology (The Bandit King is due next June), The Hedgewitch Queen is a fast introduction to an orphan girl who gets involved in events larger than she wishes for, and how she rises to the occasion. Vianne di Rocancheil is a lady-in-waiting at the Court of Arquitaine who spends her days and nights keeping her Princesse from court intrigue and plots, and her free time tending to her garden and reading her books. Life is as good as it gets…
Then her King and Princesse are murdered, the King’s brother is looking for her, and she barely escapes all the mayhem. Thank goodness for the Captain of the King’s Guard, whose presence of mind gets her to safety. Entrusted with the Great Seal of Arquitaine by her dying Princesse, Vianne has no idea how to proceed when it seems as though the Seal has awoken and chosen her for its bearer. Which means this orphan hedgewitch is now Queen of Arquitaine…
Danger nipping at her heels, Vianne sets off on a harrowing ride to seek safety. Dogged by assassins, she manages more than a few times to use the Seal’s power at sorcery to save her life, and those of her Guard. There’s a lot of unknowns to face, and she does it with aplomb – after bouts of illness, anxiety, and steadfast refusal to accept that the Seal is hers, and hers alone.
There’s politics (of course), there’s romance (once she realizes a certain someone’s been keeping an eye on her for ages), and there are regrets for a simpler life lost. Vianne is smart, plucky, and compassionate, and by the end of the story she’s making decisions and issuing orders. I wish she wasn’t quite so wishy-washy in the beginning, and Tristan’s initial crush on her is just a tad creepy. But overall I liked the story and I liked the characters. Can’t wait to see how this war plays out in The Bandit King!
drey’s rating: Excellent!
drey’s thoughts:
The first in an anticipated duology (The Bandit King is due next June), The Hedgewitch Queen is a fast introduction to an orphan girl who gets involved in events larger than she wishes for, and how she rises to the occasion. Vianne di Rocancheil is a lady-in-waiting at the Court of Arquitaine who spends her days and nights keeping her Princesse from court intrigue and plots, and her free time tending to her garden and reading her books. Life is as good as it gets…
Then her King and Princesse are murdered, the King’s brother is looking for her, and she barely escapes all the mayhem. Thank goodness for the Captain of the King’s Guard, whose presence of mind gets her to safety. Entrusted with the Great Seal of Arquitaine by her dying Princesse, Vianne has no idea how to proceed when it seems as though the Seal has awoken and chosen her for its bearer. Which means this orphan hedgewitch is now Queen of Arquitaine…
Danger nipping at her heels, Vianne sets off on a harrowing ride to seek safety. Dogged by assassins, she manages more than a few times to use the Seal’s power at sorcery to save her life, and those of her Guard. There’s a lot of unknowns to face, and she does it with aplomb – after bouts of illness, anxiety, and steadfast refusal to accept that the Seal is hers, and hers alone.
There’s politics (of course), there’s romance (once she realizes a certain someone’s been keeping an eye on her for ages), and there are regrets for a simpler life lost. Vianne is smart, plucky, and compassionate, and by the end of the story she’s making decisions and issuing orders. I wish she wasn’t quite so wishy-washy in the beginning, and Tristan’s initial crush on her is just a tad creepy. But overall I liked the story and I liked the characters. Can’t wait to see how this war plays out in The Bandit King!
drey’s rating: Excellent!
trinforeman's review against another edition
5.0
Have you ever had that one novel that takes you forever to read, not because its bad, but because it is so good you want to savor it? This was that book for me. I have been a Saintcrow fan for a while now but this was one of her best I believe. And what a cliffhanger!!!
I would recommend this to anyone who likes time pieces, such as Graceling or for anyone looking for a bit of magic.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes time pieces, such as Graceling or for anyone looking for a bit of magic.
keketx's review against another edition
4.0
It took me about halfway through the book to get use to the language. I was not expecting the cliffhanger at the end, but it made me enjoy the book that much more. I am looking forward to the next one.
reginaexmachina's review
3.0
I liked the first half or so of the book but for me it kind of lost steam after that. I'm interested in reading the sequel but I'm not really in a big hurry to do so.
cupiscent's review
3.0
Hmm.
I started out really quite delighted with this. I can't actually comment to the actual historical accuracy of the "romantic court" scene and setting (or, given that it's a fantastical European setting, "authenticity" may be a better word than accuracy) but it felt quite authentic, inasmuch as the women's roles were quite intricate, if sheltered, and the court and romantic intrigue highly mannered and restrained. The language, morals and emotions were not simply pasted in from a modern sensibility.
Not to mention that all of this was delivered quite pleasantly through observations of action in the first-person narrative. Every time a character was introduced, our heroine put her in perspective of dances, of favours, of courting, of intrigue - which I'm sure could seem frivolous and silly to some, but really worked for me as strengthening of the realities of this world, and of our heroine's world.
But from that strong start, I found this really meandered and languished for me. The middle twisted itself up in an extended bout of the heroine refusing the call to action, which might be thoroughly realistic but was really quite tedious. And the end became direly portentious and heavy-handedly mysterious about Hidden Nastiness which could have been handled if our heroine had just shown a modicum of the sharp wits she was allegedly endowed with (the other characters commented on them every second page, as I shouted at her to pay attention) and asked a few pointed questions.
It ends on an appalling cliffhanger. I am most put out.
So honestly, I just don't know about this one. It leaves me frowning mightily as I go, "Hmm."
I started out really quite delighted with this. I can't actually comment to the actual historical accuracy of the "romantic court" scene and setting (or, given that it's a fantastical European setting, "authenticity" may be a better word than accuracy) but it felt quite authentic, inasmuch as the women's roles were quite intricate, if sheltered, and the court and romantic intrigue highly mannered and restrained. The language, morals and emotions were not simply pasted in from a modern sensibility.
Not to mention that all of this was delivered quite pleasantly through observations of action in the first-person narrative. Every time a character was introduced, our heroine put her in perspective of dances, of favours, of courting, of intrigue - which I'm sure could seem frivolous and silly to some, but really worked for me as strengthening of the realities of this world, and of our heroine's world.
But from that strong start, I found this really meandered and languished for me. The middle twisted itself up in an extended bout of the heroine refusing the call to action, which might be thoroughly realistic but was really quite tedious. And the end became direly portentious and heavy-handedly mysterious about Hidden Nastiness which could have been handled if our heroine had just shown a modicum of the sharp wits she was allegedly endowed with (the other characters commented on them every second page, as I shouted at her to pay attention) and asked a few pointed questions.
It ends on an appalling cliffhanger. I am most put out.
So honestly, I just don't know about this one. It leaves me frowning mightily as I go, "Hmm."
denizyildiz's review
4.0
4.5 stars
it somehow reminded me of reading Dumas. Dumas with magic that is, naturally. Dumas is one of my all time favorite authors so it was a pleasant surprise.
Love the story line, the action, the characters up until the end. The end, omg, that was a shock! I felt so taken aback! it was like being thrown into cold water and left to drown... REALLY i kept on thinking (actually shouting) I kept on checking if i maybe missed a page or 10..but no. that was it. i guess it means i got to read the next book asap...
Vianne is a total damsel in distress, which she is totally aware of. She even calls herself a ninny. But she does try to overcome her fears and to live up to the situation, which is i think the reason I actually really liked her. (I have an aversion to the damsel of distress syndrome)
Im not a fan of written dialects so found some of the dialogues a bit tedious. Which is one of the reasons that prevented this from being a 5star book for me
Actually, Katy has written a really good review on this. Her words and thoughts to the book exactly reflect mine. So all im writing here is a bit of a waste, since she put it in much more eloquent terms
so check out Katy's review
it somehow reminded me of reading Dumas. Dumas with magic that is, naturally. Dumas is one of my all time favorite authors so it was a pleasant surprise.
Love the story line, the action, the characters up until the end. The end, omg, that was a shock! I felt so taken aback! it was like being thrown into cold water and left to drown... REALLY i kept on thinking (actually shouting) I kept on checking if i maybe missed a page or 10..but no. that was it. i guess it means i got to read the next book asap...
Vianne is a total damsel in distress, which she is totally aware of. She even calls herself a ninny. But she does try to overcome her fears and to live up to the situation, which is i think the reason I actually really liked her. (I have an aversion to the damsel of distress syndrome)
Im not a fan of written dialects so found some of the dialogues a bit tedious. Which is one of the reasons that prevented this from being a 5star book for me
Actually, Katy has written a really good review on this. Her words and thoughts to the book exactly reflect mine. So all im writing here is a bit of a waste, since she put it in much more eloquent terms
so check out Katy's review
raidingbookshelves's review
1.0
More Reviews at Raiding Bookshelves
Publication Date: December 1st 2011
Publisher: Orbit
ISBN: B004RD8512
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Kindle ebook
Lootability: *
The Hedgewitch Queen is an adventure into fantasy but has the shallow flow of broken promises and insincerity. It had all the potential of a true epic fantasy with a sweet romance but the further I read, the further that potential fled from me.
What I Liked: The book dives almost straight into the action after a brief introduction into Vianne - sweet, caring, not-afraid-of-dirt, Handmaiden to the Princess and Hedgewitch. So far so good.
People are dying left and right, a conspiracy to kill the King is at hand and the mysterious Captain of the King's Guard has been caught and sentenced to hang for the death of the King. It's up to Vianne to save him and her country.
So far, so good, right?
What I Didn't Like: Almost everything from that point on. The narrative slowed, Vianne started having hissy fits and fainting everywhere, and everything fell apart.
"Look upon me!" I cried, and they did to a man. "Do I look a Queen? Nonsense. Am I dignified? Regal? I caught you at your game in that passageway because I was covered in mud, Tristan, is that a very queenly picture? And I crept down to the donjon to free you because I believed a King's idle jest. Very well, I am a fool, a provincial little fool, punish me for it! I have spent my life smoothing and covering the mistakes others have made and I am sick to death of it!" - Chapter 6, Kindle edition
A pretty line...the first time. Not only was Vianne a drama queen but Saintcrow tried to make her some kind of saint. She is always struggling on, willing to sacrifice herself for others and beautiful in her ongoing state of disrepair - or so it is regularly pointed out to Vianne. She's beautiful but unaware of it, she searches for strength through infirmity and cares for the poor.
Except, none of that is true in actuality. Sick for three quarters of the novel Vianne is a useless sack of nothing waited on hand and foot by Tristan and his men. She feels the suffering of the peasants for the few moments they are in front of her and until a new drama seeks her attention.
It isn't until Vianne reaches Tristan's home in the mountains that she takes on any semblance of authority or responsibility and even then she still plays the sweet, merciful little girl.
The most interesting part of the story (except the beginning) was Vianne's two months with the gypsies and that had less page space than her regular exclamations of : "...a duel [a Court] I would not witness, being weak of stomach."
It took me almost two weeks to finish this book because I just couldn't stand reading more than a few pages at a time. The language used pretentious changes to the French and German languages (Princesse, Tante, ect) for titles and it might have been easier to read if Saintcrow had just relaxed the language a little.
I despise writing negative reviews but I'm so disappointed in the lost opportunities of The Hedgewitch Queen. A sequel The Bandit King was released as a Kindle ebook on June 1st 2012.
Publication Date: December 1st 2011
Publisher: Orbit
ISBN: B004RD8512
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Kindle ebook
Lootability: *
The Hedgewitch Queen is an adventure into fantasy but has the shallow flow of broken promises and insincerity. It had all the potential of a true epic fantasy with a sweet romance but the further I read, the further that potential fled from me.
What I Liked: The book dives almost straight into the action after a brief introduction into Vianne - sweet, caring, not-afraid-of-dirt, Handmaiden to the Princess and Hedgewitch. So far so good.
People are dying left and right, a conspiracy to kill the King is at hand and the mysterious Captain of the King's Guard has been caught and sentenced to hang for the death of the King. It's up to Vianne to save him and her country.
So far, so good, right?
What I Didn't Like: Almost everything from that point on. The narrative slowed, Vianne started having hissy fits and fainting everywhere, and everything fell apart.
"Look upon me!" I cried, and they did to a man. "Do I look a Queen? Nonsense. Am I dignified? Regal? I caught you at your game in that passageway because I was covered in mud, Tristan, is that a very queenly picture? And I crept down to the donjon to free you because I believed a King's idle jest. Very well, I am a fool, a provincial little fool, punish me for it! I have spent my life smoothing and covering the mistakes others have made and I am sick to death of it!" - Chapter 6, Kindle edition
A pretty line...the first time. Not only was Vianne a drama queen but Saintcrow tried to make her some kind of saint. She is always struggling on, willing to sacrifice herself for others and beautiful in her ongoing state of disrepair - or so it is regularly pointed out to Vianne. She's beautiful but unaware of it, she searches for strength through infirmity and cares for the poor.
Except, none of that is true in actuality. Sick for three quarters of the novel Vianne is a useless sack of nothing waited on hand and foot by Tristan and his men. She feels the suffering of the peasants for the few moments they are in front of her and until a new drama seeks her attention.
It isn't until Vianne reaches Tristan's home in the mountains that she takes on any semblance of authority or responsibility and even then she still plays the sweet, merciful little girl.
The most interesting part of the story (except the beginning) was Vianne's two months with the gypsies and that had less page space than her regular exclamations of : "...a duel [a Court] I would not witness, being weak of stomach."
It took me almost two weeks to finish this book because I just couldn't stand reading more than a few pages at a time. The language used pretentious changes to the French and German languages (Princesse, Tante, ect) for titles and it might have been easier to read if Saintcrow had just relaxed the language a little.
I despise writing negative reviews but I'm so disappointed in the lost opportunities of The Hedgewitch Queen. A sequel The Bandit King was released as a Kindle ebook on June 1st 2012.