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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
In the hands of a worse writer this would be boringly slow, with a main character that doesn't have a lot to physically do and a plot that moves along slowly. While there is a murder mystery, for most the story it takes a backseat to the intricacies of elven court for most of the book and the solution to said mystery is laid out at our feet and the last possible second.
But I don't care, I love it! Gimme more of that fantasy slice of life, please! Maia is a fun narrator, the world building is top-notch, and I thought that there was never a moment where I was bored. It wasn't necessarily that a lot happened, but I kept wanting to find out more about the people Maia interacted with, how these little aspects of the Court worked. I just wanted to stay in the book for just a little bit longer.
Of course this isn't for everyone. If you want your fantasies with more action and a MC with more agency, maybe look elsewhere. But I loved it, it was the perfect read to me.
I also highly recommend the audiobook. That narrator is an Actor, and it shows in how many voices and accents he adopted to portray every character, all without losing the emotions he needed to portray. His narration alone is 10/10, and this book is a 10/10.
But I don't care, I love it! Gimme more of that fantasy slice of life, please! Maia is a fun narrator, the world building is top-notch, and I thought that there was never a moment where I was bored. It wasn't necessarily that a lot happened, but I kept wanting to find out more about the people Maia interacted with, how these little aspects of the Court worked. I just wanted to stay in the book for just a little bit longer.
Of course this isn't for everyone. If you want your fantasies with more action and a MC with more agency, maybe look elsewhere. But I loved it, it was the perfect read to me.
I also highly recommend the audiobook. That narrator is an Actor, and it shows in how many voices and accents he adopted to portray every character, all without losing the emotions he needed to portray. His narration alone is 10/10, and this book is a 10/10.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Sexual harassment, War
Minor: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Sexism, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, War
4✨ I enjoyed the court dynamics in this book and overall it was well-written. The characters were believable and I really loved Maia’s perspective. But it was quite slow throughout. If you like a slow but steady gentle fantasy about court politics, you’d probably like this. Would I read a sequel? Probably not.
Sweet very interesting read adore Maia with all my heart and Csevet
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
slow-paced
4.75/5 this was recommended to me when I was looking for books similar to the Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers, and while I'm not sure I would make that same recommendation, I'm very, very glad it was. As with a lot of fantasy I had to keep checking the glossary to remind myself who was who and what was what, but Maia-our main character- was in the exact same boat for most of the story so it just made him more relatable.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was very very dense and reeeeeally hard to get into, but dang was it worth it. Everything about this book was just so genuine.
Finished before book club tomorrow!!
It's good! Even though it deals with stuff I normally hate (interpersonal wrangling, court intrigue and politics, etc.) It does help that the main character, Maia, is pretty likeable and relatable. He was given a hard row to hoe, and he handled it about as well as could be expected.
I really enjoyed the author's writing style. It's a bit formal, a teensy bit archaic, and totally enjoyable.
The only real issue I had in the book was keeping all the names straight. The names are long and complicated. The audiobook narrator handles them well, but then you see the word on the page and try to match it up with what you heard, and hoo boy, it's a challenge. My brain REALLY wanted to pronounce things according to how they LOOKED (w/o reference to the pronunciation key in the back of the book), and that clashed moderately hard with the audio narrator. It's a quirk of my brain, I think.
I did read portions of this book in dead tree (paperback) format. I can't remember the last time I read a dead tree.... Oh wait, I DO remember. It was [b:The Lost Words|34837005|The Lost Words|Robert Macfarlane|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1499769700s/34837005.jpg|56067353] by Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris, which is a FREAKING AMAZING BOOK AND HAS TO BEEN SEEN TO APPRECIATE. Ahem. Sorry, had to take a moment to gush.
But I was reminded of the challenges of reading a paper book - no back light, no ability to search easily, can't enlarge the text when your eyes are tired. But it was fine, really. :D
------------------------------
I started listening to this book a couple months ago and got distracted by something else shiny. But since it's my SF/F book clug selection for next Thurs 3/21, I need to get cracking on it. I think I'll do better this pass, because I know a bit more what to expect, and have mostly gotten over my stupid attitude of "this book is too popular! I don't read popular books!!" I know. It's stupid, but there it is.
It's good! Even though it deals with stuff I normally hate (interpersonal wrangling, court intrigue and politics, etc.) It does help that the main character, Maia, is pretty likeable and relatable. He was given a hard row to hoe, and he handled it about as well as could be expected.
I really enjoyed the author's writing style. It's a bit formal, a teensy bit archaic, and totally enjoyable.
The only real issue I had in the book was keeping all the names straight. The names are long and complicated. The audiobook narrator handles them well, but then you see the word on the page and try to match it up with what you heard, and hoo boy, it's a challenge. My brain REALLY wanted to pronounce things according to how they LOOKED (w/o reference to the pronunciation key in the back of the book), and that clashed moderately hard with the audio narrator. It's a quirk of my brain, I think.
I did read portions of this book in dead tree (paperback) format. I can't remember the last time I read a dead tree.... Oh wait, I DO remember. It was [b:The Lost Words|34837005|The Lost Words|Robert Macfarlane|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1499769700s/34837005.jpg|56067353] by Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris, which is a FREAKING AMAZING BOOK AND HAS TO BEEN SEEN TO APPRECIATE. Ahem. Sorry, had to take a moment to gush.
But I was reminded of the challenges of reading a paper book - no back light, no ability to search easily, can't enlarge the text when your eyes are tired. But it was fine, really. :D
------------------------------
I started listening to this book a couple months ago and got distracted by something else shiny. But since it's my SF/F book clug selection for next Thurs 3/21, I need to get cracking on it. I think I'll do better this pass, because I know a bit more what to expect, and have mostly gotten over my stupid attitude of "this book is too popular! I don't read popular books!!" I know. It's stupid, but there it is.
emotional
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5 stars. Somehow a slice of life political intrigue book with extremely confusing names. The main character though is a sweet cinnamon roll who needs to be protected.