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eleos01's review against another edition
i'll pick this up again. book 1 was my absolute fav, so, i'm gonna give this book another chance after a few months.
kitkat13's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- 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
4.0
ishouldreadthat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
librariangeorgia's review
3.5
I liked this book but not as much as the previous book (I probably would've enjoyed it more if I'd read it straight after the first book). The quest, which didn't happen until about half way through the book, was very interesting. I loved the dynamics between the 4 baby royals - I'd love another book which focuses on those 4 and their journey to ruling!
eshalliday's review against another edition
5.0
As a librarian on the island of Ireland, I’m always proud to champion The O’Brien Press, our leading publisher of books for young people. Fantastic, then, that Helen Corcoran, a Dublin writer at the spearpoint of standardising marginalised sexualities in Irish YA Fantasy, returns to the indomitable O’Brien Press to publish her second novel, which is also the second in the Queen of Coin and Whispers series.
It was such a pleasure to return to Helen Corcoran’s world, which has the same exquisite flavour as Jim Henson’s ‘Labyrinth’. Lia and Xania return, and I relished seeing their relationship matured, as well as the different ways in which they each inhabit motherhood. But Emri steals the show: Corcoran takes her time at the beginning of the novel in setting up Emri’s circumstances and the intimacies of her personal relationships. But this pays off once Emri and her clan set off to contest Lady Winter’s trials. Emri’s voice emerges as a strong independent narrator. And Katy Sobey performs Emri perfectly for the audiobook release – just as I would have heard her in my head. Helen Corcoran creates such a confident protagonist that Emri is easy to relate to, empathise with, believe, fear for. And one of the principal strengths of ‘Daughter of Winter and Twilight’ is that, through Emri, Corcoran gives ‘different’ voices the loudspeaker; sexuality isn’t ever discussed or addressed, each character’s nature just is in this world.
Similarly, the deities’ personas are unique, believable, compelling; each voiced with nuance and delicacy by Sobey. What both Queen of Coin and Whispers novels boast is a fine-balanced dialogue between the mythic and the modern; Corcoran attunes the drama to accommodate both haughty immortals and irreverent teenagers.
The characters in ‘Daughter of Winter and Twilight’ are put through the fire as they forge a way through the trials set them by Lady Winter, and I grew only fonder and fonder of each: Emri, Melisande, Gabriela, and Theo (and, to a lesser extent, Lia and Xania’s characters are also changed by Emri coming to understand more of their history and their motivations). So conversant is Helen Corcoran with their vulnerabilities, that her characters are disarmingly realistic and sympathetic. They surface with a kind of prepossessing humanity that I defy any reader to remain unmoved by the novel’s final episodes. This sequel really soars, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a third instalment, now that we know the world, its topography, the court, the religion, and the characters, so much better (and on a side note, the acknowledgements offer a delightful glimpse into the author’s process and emotions).
Finally, I could write paragraphs upon paragraphs on how I am filled with joy by the manner in which Corcoran endorses and contributes to the kind of homonormativity and queer-centredness that is coming to epitomise YA Fantasy in the American and British publishing industry, and I fervently hope that the same is prospering and will thrive in Ireland too. Instead, I'll submit my five-star review.
My thanks to Bolinda Audio, for the opportunity to review the audiobook prior to release, through NetGalley.
It was such a pleasure to return to Helen Corcoran’s world, which has the same exquisite flavour as Jim Henson’s ‘Labyrinth’. Lia and Xania return, and I relished seeing their relationship matured, as well as the different ways in which they each inhabit motherhood. But Emri steals the show: Corcoran takes her time at the beginning of the novel in setting up Emri’s circumstances and the intimacies of her personal relationships. But this pays off once Emri and her clan set off to contest Lady Winter’s trials. Emri’s voice emerges as a strong independent narrator. And Katy Sobey performs Emri perfectly for the audiobook release – just as I would have heard her in my head. Helen Corcoran creates such a confident protagonist that Emri is easy to relate to, empathise with, believe, fear for. And one of the principal strengths of ‘Daughter of Winter and Twilight’ is that, through Emri, Corcoran gives ‘different’ voices the loudspeaker; sexuality isn’t ever discussed or addressed, each character’s nature just is in this world.
Similarly, the deities’ personas are unique, believable, compelling; each voiced with nuance and delicacy by Sobey. What both Queen of Coin and Whispers novels boast is a fine-balanced dialogue between the mythic and the modern; Corcoran attunes the drama to accommodate both haughty immortals and irreverent teenagers.
The characters in ‘Daughter of Winter and Twilight’ are put through the fire as they forge a way through the trials set them by Lady Winter, and I grew only fonder and fonder of each: Emri, Melisande, Gabriela, and Theo (and, to a lesser extent, Lia and Xania’s characters are also changed by Emri coming to understand more of their history and their motivations). So conversant is Helen Corcoran with their vulnerabilities, that her characters are disarmingly realistic and sympathetic. They surface with a kind of prepossessing humanity that I defy any reader to remain unmoved by the novel’s final episodes. This sequel really soars, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a third instalment, now that we know the world, its topography, the court, the religion, and the characters, so much better (and on a side note, the acknowledgements offer a delightful glimpse into the author’s process and emotions).
Finally, I could write paragraphs upon paragraphs on how I am filled with joy by the manner in which Corcoran endorses and contributes to the kind of homonormativity and queer-centredness that is coming to epitomise YA Fantasy in the American and British publishing industry, and I fervently hope that the same is prospering and will thrive in Ireland too. Instead, I'll submit my five-star review.
My thanks to Bolinda Audio, for the opportunity to review the audiobook prior to release, through NetGalley.
claire_melanie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
quirkykayleetam's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
This is a dense, slow-paced court intrigue novel for those looking to explore the reverberating repercussions of politics, abuse, family, and love.
Emri is the adopted daughter of two Queens who defied class differences a coup to be together. But she is also the birth daughter of the traitor who tried to overthrow her mother in a kidnapping attempt that included horrific torture. Before her adoption, she grew up in a household of abuse she does not fully remember. The first half of the novel establishes the full picture of Emri's life as well as the people and the politics in it. As we follow Emri come into her majority, we see how emotionally charged and interconnected everything around her is. This can come as a slog for those who do not appreciate it, but it pays off in the second half when the plot picks up.
Emri is one of the four heirs suddenly stolen by magic and gods that were just supposed to be legend. They were not meant to exist! These heirs, especially Emri, face trials exposing their deepest secrets and weaknesses to survive and get back to their families, facing choices that will change the very nature of their world.
I love that this book deals with the physical problems these teens face, from having periods on a journey where they are worn out and starving to seeing their bodies change from trauma and stop fitting their clothes. And as much as the book shows that traumatic experiences change you in ways that you can never go back from, it holds that love in the face of these experiences still matter and that the person you become is not the Worst Version of you.
This one makes more sense if you read the first book first. Recommended to those looking for stories of strength in recovery and/or complicated court politics. The quest aspect is a bonus that spurs the plot on.
Emri is the adopted daughter of two Queens who defied class differences a coup to be together. But she is also the birth daughter of the traitor who tried to overthrow her mother in a kidnapping attempt that included horrific torture. Before her adoption, she grew up in a household of abuse she does not fully remember. The first half of the novel establishes the full picture of Emri's life as well as the people and the politics in it. As we follow Emri come into her majority, we see how emotionally charged and interconnected everything around her is. This can come as a slog for those who do not appreciate it, but it pays off in the second half when the plot picks up.
Emri is one of the four heirs suddenly stolen by magic and gods that were just supposed to be legend. They were not meant to exist! These heirs, especially Emri, face trials exposing their deepest secrets and weaknesses to survive and get back to their families, facing choices that will change the very nature of their world.
I love that this book deals with the physical problems these teens face, from having periods on a journey where they are worn out and starving to seeing their bodies change from trauma and stop fitting their clothes. And as much as the book shows that traumatic experiences change you in ways that you can never go back from, it holds that love in the face of these experiences still matter and that the person you become is not the Worst Version of you.
This one makes more sense if you read the first book first. Recommended to those looking for stories of strength in recovery and/or complicated court politics. The quest aspect is a bonus that spurs the plot on.
catehackett's review
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? Yes
4.0
alongreader's review
4.0
The first book in this series, Queen of Coin and Whispers, came out just about four years ago. Four years is a long time in books, but I still remember reading it, piecing together the pieces of the political puzzle and following along on the various more or less desperate missions. This new sequel is set almost twenty years later, and like the first, it is densely political and complex.
Your first spoiler is that the kidnapping mentioned in the blurb above doesn't happen until almost halfway through the book; before that it's all political maneuvering of one kind or another, and references to the twenty years we've missed that are very carefully not quite complete enough for us to know what happened, although we can make inferences and guesses. As with Queen, Helen is not talking down to her audiences, and like that book, you don't half read this with one eye on the TV and Twitter open on your phone. This is a book you pay attention to, and possibly take notes on.
I think you probably could follow this without having read Queen (why would you want to, though? Read Queen!) as we are given the information we need, but you'd be starting blind and things wouldn't make sense for some time. If you do decide to read this one solo, don't give up on it. Push through, and...spoilers... you'll meet wonderful characters (who hate you) and go on a magical (miserable) quest and even meet (completely terrifying and Uncanny Valleyish) gods!
I can't wait to start selling this...apart from anything else, they're going to look so good beside each other on the shelf!
Your first spoiler is that the kidnapping mentioned in the blurb above doesn't happen until almost halfway through the book; before that it's all political maneuvering of one kind or another, and references to the twenty years we've missed that are very carefully not quite complete enough for us to know what happened, although we can make inferences and guesses. As with Queen, Helen is not talking down to her audiences, and like that book, you don't half read this with one eye on the TV and Twitter open on your phone. This is a book you pay attention to, and possibly take notes on.
I think you probably could follow this without having read Queen (why would you want to, though? Read Queen!) as we are given the information we need, but you'd be starting blind and things wouldn't make sense for some time. If you do decide to read this one solo, don't give up on it. Push through, and...spoilers... you'll meet wonderful characters (who hate you) and go on a magical (miserable) quest and even meet (completely terrifying and Uncanny Valleyish) gods!
I can't wait to start selling this...apart from anything else, they're going to look so good beside each other on the shelf!
banrions's review
4.0
ohhhhhhh nooooooo but I loved this.
(Not quite as much as I loved the first, but this one had far less sapphic romance, so, fair).
HOWEVER. I loved Emri, the quest was very fun, I LOVED all the cousin feelings between her and Melisande, and all the complex mother/daughter feels with Lia and Xania. It left in such a spot that I HOPE we get a third book, bc things are rlly picking up, but if it’s left at this duology, it was still absolutely lovely and going into some of my fav recent queer YA fantasy pile.
(Not quite as much as I loved the first, but this one had far less sapphic romance, so, fair).
HOWEVER. I loved Emri, the quest was very fun, I LOVED all the cousin feelings between her and Melisande, and all the complex mother/daughter feels with Lia and Xania. It left in such a spot that I HOPE we get a third book, bc things are rlly picking up, but if it’s left at this duology, it was still absolutely lovely and going into some of my fav recent queer YA fantasy pile.