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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A fun read-- I enjoyed the main character but wished the other characters had more depth/ growth in their relationships. I could've done without some of the action, but that's probably just me.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Definitely giving Manon and Elide but only in theory. Involved a lot of telling and not showing, and felt as though it would have benefitted being read over by an editor a few more times before publication. It just really irks me when the same word is in multiple sentences too close together. The writing felt messy and didn’t really describe anything, just told us what was happening and how everyone felt about it. As someone who reads a whole lot of high fantasy this one definitely has the bones and at least a spark of what could be a good witchy story. This one took me a long time to get into it and I never felt as though I was actually in the story, however I always enjoy a group of women in all black at least a little.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I would like to clarify that I really really wanted to like this book, and that despite how much it disappointed me, I don't hate it. It had a strong premise, an interesting cast of characters, an inkling of unique world building with how the Order of the Vine operated.
But what it DIDN'T have was what brought it down:
- A coherent, well-paced plot - you get the sense the author wanted this to be a high fantasy but rather it is fantasy-lite, and battles or moments of action occur without build up and finish just as quickly. The entire stakes around the duchess felt anti-climactic.
- Character depth - there are attempts at making characters less flat and two dimensional but it isn't helped by the nearly identical, juvenile way that every character has of speaking. No character voice feels distinct and especially with the whelps, I got confused who was supposed to be who.
- overall, relatively simplistic. this might be unfair to say but this one's just a personal opinion, I guess.
But what it DIDN'T have was what brought it down:
- A coherent, well-paced plot - you get the sense the author wanted this to be a high fantasy but rather it is fantasy-lite, and battles or moments of action occur without build up and finish just as quickly. The entire stakes around the duchess felt anti-climactic.
- Character depth - there are attempts at making characters less flat and two dimensional but it isn't helped by the nearly identical, juvenile way that every character has of speaking. No character voice feels distinct and especially with the whelps, I got confused who was supposed to be who.
- overall, relatively simplistic. this might be unfair to say but this one's just a personal opinion, I guess.
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Lament 🖤
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Honestly very boring and I couldn't keep track of who was who. Good trans representation though
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I don't really like YA, and coming of age stories in general, with exceptions of course, but coming from Margaret Killjoy, and the blurb of the book, I had to give this book a try, and I'm glad I did.
This book is a good blend of adult topics and YA, leaning more towards the latter, understandably considering the main character, a trans witch.
I enjoyed reading about the characters, especially the ones in Lorel's coven. Despite that I struggled a little bit with the pacing, I found the story and world building interesting.
What made me happy, and I enjoyed the most in this book, is to see how Killjoy's writing improved significantly. Even though I liked her previous books, they felt more tell than show. However, in The Sapling Cage, this is not the case, and the social and political ideas are more embedded into the story.
I can't wait to read the other in the trilogy when they are published!
This book is a good blend of adult topics and YA, leaning more towards the latter, understandably considering the main character, a trans witch.
I enjoyed reading about the characters, especially the ones in Lorel's coven. Despite that I struggled a little bit with the pacing, I found the story and world building interesting.
What made me happy, and I enjoyed the most in this book, is to see how Killjoy's writing improved significantly. Even though I liked her previous books, they felt more tell than show. However, in The Sapling Cage, this is not the case, and the social and political ideas are more embedded into the story.
I can't wait to read the other in the trilogy when they are published!