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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
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
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
I actually really liked the writing. It was interesting. Wish the content warnings had talked about how terrifying the book was! Couldn't finish it. Too creepy.
Oof, okay started reading the book.
Couldn't finish it. Super creepy!! And the trigger warnings, which I had to search for, did not do enough to address it.
It is a bummer though, cause I want to know what happened, but can't handle the creepiness.
Couldn't finish it. Super creepy!! And the trigger warnings, which I had to search for, did not do enough to address it.
It is a bummer though, cause I want to know what happened, but can't handle the creepiness.
informative
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
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced listening, copy of The Deer and the Dragon. I will start this off by saying I am very conflicted about this book, however, that it no way has anything to do with the audio performance. Luna Rey provides a great single narrator performance covering a wide variety of accents, emotions, and range.
This book has so much potential. I love the premise and as soon as I heard about it, I thought this is what Neil Gaiman’s American Gods would be if it was a romance. Taking the commandment, “thou shalt have no other gods before me” to its extreme implies that all of those other gods do exist. Every pantheon is real. However interpretation and reality differ depending on who is telling the story. I like most of the supporting characters, and by the end was invested in where their stories were heading.
Beyond what it had the potential to be, there are issues. Mostly to due with the protagonist, and I will elaborate after making one point/raising a warning.
I don’t know if this is the case in the physical book, but the audiobook did not have trigger warnings. While I am personally privileged enough to not typically need them, there are definitely topics that this book touches on or that are heavily involved in the plot that could be triggering.
These include:
– Religious trauma
– Sex work
– Psychological abuse
– Sexual trauma
- Mental illness
- Graphic violence
And I’m sure there’s others that I haven’t thought of.
In addition to the lack of warnings, my biggest problem with the novel is that the female main character is incredibly unlikable. From what I know of the author from her own social media presence, this seems to be a very thinly veiled self insert situation. I wouldn’t have a problem with this if the characterization actually made sense. How can I believe that someone well read and knowledgeable enough to write an incredibly popular mythology based series actually knows so little beyond the Judeo-Christian canon that every word out of her mouth and decision she makes gets her in trouble when encountering anything beyond the Christian god or his angels? The same character also finds the supernatural in a Christian context to be completely believable, and everything else must mean she’s insane. She believes this to the point that a presence that has physically been in her life and influencing it for 20 years she assumes is in her head.
I don’t have a problem with the main character who has to learn from their mistakes and who changes over the course of their story. In fact, I think this is necessary to crafting a good story. The main character here did not feel like she grew in understanding, empathy, or experience, despite having the impetus, opportunity, and means to do so. I’m glad that the love interest admitted to easing her path because the advantages she achieved would make no sense otherwise given her own actions and abilities, but I can’t see her appeal to him even if he tries to explain why she’s different. Their connection is not believable.
I plan to continue this series with the hope that the female main character grows and earns the reverence that the supporting characters seem to attach to her. The premise remains interesting enough to convince me to give it a chance to improve, and I will read for the mythological angle rather than the romance. The bones of a really fascinating story are here and I hope will be worth sticking with it.
This book has so much potential. I love the premise and as soon as I heard about it, I thought this is what Neil Gaiman’s American Gods would be if it was a romance. Taking the commandment, “thou shalt have no other gods before me” to its extreme implies that all of those other gods do exist. Every pantheon is real. However interpretation and reality differ depending on who is telling the story. I like most of the supporting characters, and by the end was invested in where their stories were heading.
Beyond what it had the potential to be, there are issues. Mostly to due with the protagonist, and I will elaborate after making one point/raising a warning.
I don’t know if this is the case in the physical book, but the audiobook did not have trigger warnings. While I am personally privileged enough to not typically need them, there are definitely topics that this book touches on or that are heavily involved in the plot that could be triggering.
These include:
– Religious trauma
– Sex work
– Psychological abuse
– Sexual trauma
- Mental illness
- Graphic violence
And I’m sure there’s others that I haven’t thought of.
In addition to the lack of warnings, my biggest problem with the novel is that the female main character is incredibly unlikable. From what I know of the author from her own social media presence, this seems to be a very thinly veiled self insert situation. I wouldn’t have a problem with this if the characterization actually made sense. How can I believe that someone well read and knowledgeable enough to write an incredibly popular mythology based series actually knows so little beyond the Judeo-Christian canon that every word out of her mouth and decision she makes gets her in trouble when encountering anything beyond the Christian god or his angels? The same character also finds the supernatural in a Christian context to be completely believable, and everything else must mean she’s insane. She believes this to the point that a presence that has physically been in her life and influencing it for 20 years she assumes is in her head.
I don’t have a problem with the main character who has to learn from their mistakes and who changes over the course of their story. In fact, I think this is necessary to crafting a good story. The main character here did not feel like she grew in understanding, empathy, or experience, despite having the impetus, opportunity, and means to do so. I’m glad that the love interest admitted to easing her path because the advantages she achieved would make no sense otherwise given her own actions and abilities, but I can’t see her appeal to him even if he tries to explain why she’s different. Their connection is not believable.
I plan to continue this series with the hope that the female main character grows and earns the reverence that the supporting characters seem to attach to her. The premise remains interesting enough to convince me to give it a chance to improve, and I will read for the mythological angle rather than the romance. The bones of a really fascinating story are here and I hope will be worth sticking with it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
My first of Piper’s books and I do not regret it! Can’t wait for the next one in this series!