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honnari_hannya's review against another edition
3.0
Recommended for fans of Seanan McGuire's WAYWARD CHILDREN series, which admittedly didn't really work for me but I could definitely see a certain audience liking this novella.
Conceptually, this novella was really interesting. A fusion of Eastern and Western fairytales, namely Hou Yi (a legendary archer who shot down the suns and is connected to the goddess of the moon, Chang'e) and Red "Rosa" Riding Hood. Because of the length of the book, you don't really get a sense of the wider world in which this story is set—just that there is a loose geographical West (where magical creatures/shapeshifters are discriminated against) and East (where magic tends to be more mundane), and a smattering of notable fairytale characters between, i.e. Goldilocks, Beauty and the Beast.
Hou Yi and Rosa are two women who have aged out of the heroic stunts of their youth. They are middling age, living a life of quiet obscurity as they protect people from the threat of dangerous creatures known as sunbirds. Ultimately, their quest to hunt down the sunbirds leads them to open up to one another about their pasts—what drove them into isolation, what they are running from, and ultimately, what their deepest secrets are.
This is a book about families, about expectations, and especially about regrets regarding families and expectations. It's also a book about reconciliation—how it isn't easy, often leads to disappointment and heartbreak, but offers a lot of hope. There is a strong ethos that relationships built on love can survive anything, even hurt, which I found very charming.
Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Conceptually, this novella was really interesting. A fusion of Eastern and Western fairytales, namely Hou Yi (a legendary archer who shot down the suns and is connected to the goddess of the moon, Chang'e) and Red "Rosa" Riding Hood. Because of the length of the book, you don't really get a sense of the wider world in which this story is set—just that there is a loose geographical West (where magical creatures/shapeshifters are discriminated against) and East (where magic tends to be more mundane), and a smattering of notable fairytale characters between, i.e. Goldilocks, Beauty and the Beast.
Hou Yi and Rosa are two women who have aged out of the heroic stunts of their youth. They are middling age, living a life of quiet obscurity as they protect people from the threat of dangerous creatures known as sunbirds. Ultimately, their quest to hunt down the sunbirds leads them to open up to one another about their pasts—what drove them into isolation, what they are running from, and ultimately, what their deepest secrets are.
This is a book about families, about expectations, and especially about regrets regarding families and expectations. It's also a book about reconciliation—how it isn't easy, often leads to disappointment and heartbreak, but offers a lot of hope. There is a strong ethos that relationships built on love can survive anything, even hurt, which I found very charming.
Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
username999's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I'm not going to lie, the start of this was hard to get into, and it felt very jumbled trying to mesh everything together; however, the second half of the book as things were being revealed, things really came together, and the ending was really satisfying.
book_gremlin42's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-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
5.0
ohclaire's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 - a very quick novela in an interesting fairytale world. the sort of novela that feels more like a short story than a novel.
turtlebrainlibrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
gabalodon's review against another edition
5.0
I thought this was incredible. Perfectly laid out, fascinating characters, loved the way the fairy tales were nestled in there. Rosa's and Hou Yi's relationship and their histories were so interesting and unique, and the way their similarities and contrasts were laid out was just so good. They're very unique protagonists in that they are middle-aged and have very rife backstories full of grief and bad decisions and bigotry, and it's unusual to have a story deal so extensively with the fallout of youthful mistakes, and how the memory of those mistakes can change between POVs, and how you even approach redemption after running for so long. The ending made me cry. I think this is the first novella I've read where I didn't feel like I needed or even wanted more - it's just kind of perfectly encapsulated the way it is.
ettuladyblue's review against another edition
3.0
Poetic prose but felt it could have fleshed the world out a bit more. You may find various fairytale references a bit too cutesy.
I am a sucker for children/parental forgiveness stories so decidedly biased on that front. Short, sweet and sappy.
I am a sucker for children/parental forgiveness stories so decidedly biased on that front. Short, sweet and sappy.
destobie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
chaifanatic18's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5