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unfurlthecurl's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
cleo_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Engrossing, epic fantasy set in a world inspired by 18th C North America, from a Native American point of view, with engaging (queer) characters and plenty of adventure, wonder and intrigue. Like the best fantasies, it references real world issues (specifically the Cherokee Trail of Tears) but it's also an engaging story and world that stands on its own.
This is ground breaking indigenous speculative fiction and I just kind of discovered it accidentally in my quest for more queer characters in fantasy.
I really enjoyed it, although there were a few things that took me out of the story - there are a lot of POV characters and I got lost a few times. I also wanted more character development for the two main protagonists. And the pacing was a little weird. But all of those things are pretty typical of this genre and mostly I just enjoyed the ride.
I got this book, the first in the trilogy, from my library and started panicking when I saw that they don't have the 2nd and 3rd books! I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS! But the books are still in print and it looks like the complete collection (The Way of Thorn and Thunder: The Kynship Chronicles) is also available as an ebook. So crisis is averted.
This is ground breaking indigenous speculative fiction and I just kind of discovered it accidentally in my quest for more queer characters in fantasy.
I really enjoyed it, although there were a few things that took me out of the story - there are a lot of POV characters and I got lost a few times. I also wanted more character development for the two main protagonists. And the pacing was a little weird. But all of those things are pretty typical of this genre and mostly I just enjoyed the ride.
I got this book, the first in the trilogy, from my library and started panicking when I saw that they don't have the 2nd and 3rd books! I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS! But the books are still in print and it looks like the complete collection (The Way of Thorn and Thunder: The Kynship Chronicles) is also available as an ebook. So crisis is averted.
valodniece's review against another edition
3.0
Fascinating worldbuilding and intriguing characters, but this book by itself is essentially a long prologue and setup awaiting the next book of the series where the main story begins. It looks like the other books in the series are of a similar length, and the three together come in at less than some fantasy tomes, so I'm not sure why it isn't just one book.
outtoexist's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
caseythecanadianlesbrarian's review against another edition
4.0
I made a terrible mistake everyone. I had Kynship, the first book in the fantasy trilogy The Way of Thorn and Thunder by Daniel Heath Justice, sitting in the closet at my dad’s house for like two years and I only read it a few weeks ago! I had originally bought it for a course on gender, feminism, and Indigenous literature, but we ended up not covering it in the class, which is really too bad because I would have discovered this novel and Daniel Heath Justice so much earlier!
There’s so much to like about this book. It’s just phenomenal fantasy from a queer and Indigenous (Cherokee) perspective. If you like fantasy, you really cannot go wrong with Kynship. Although it’s published by a small Native press in Ontario, I found the whole series at the public library in Vancouver, so it’s not even hard to get a hold of! It’s the imaginative world-building, action, and suspense you can usually expect from fantasy, except with queer people, women, and (implicitly) Native folks at the forefront. What is not to love, I ask you?
See the rest of my review here: https://caseythecanadianlesbrarian.wordpress.com/2015/05/03/a-review-of-daniel-heath-justices-kynship-the-queer-indigenous-feminist-fantasy-novel-you-never-knew-you-wanted-so-bad/
There’s so much to like about this book. It’s just phenomenal fantasy from a queer and Indigenous (Cherokee) perspective. If you like fantasy, you really cannot go wrong with Kynship. Although it’s published by a small Native press in Ontario, I found the whole series at the public library in Vancouver, so it’s not even hard to get a hold of! It’s the imaginative world-building, action, and suspense you can usually expect from fantasy, except with queer people, women, and (implicitly) Native folks at the forefront. What is not to love, I ask you?
See the rest of my review here: https://caseythecanadianlesbrarian.wordpress.com/2015/05/03/a-review-of-daniel-heath-justices-kynship-the-queer-indigenous-feminist-fantasy-novel-you-never-knew-you-wanted-so-bad/
eveningstar_reader's review
4.0
I read this book for Indigathon2020 for the intersectionality prompt. I found it after researching books that are by Indigenous authors and also include LGBTQ2+ representation. I found reviews - mostly by librarians - explaining that this high fantasy series by a queer Indigenous author was an absolute breath of fresh air in the genre.
I'll admit I haven't read much high fantasy beyond LOTR and GOT and it's not my usual genre. I also admit that when I first saw the cover it reminded me of my middle school friends who were obsessed with Dungeons & Dragons and other role playing games that I tried to join in on but never personally enjoyed.
But, what's the point of a reading journey if its not constantly opening your mind and pushing your boundaries?
So I jumped in, and it was great! This is the first in a trilogy, and the trilogy is published in one big book but that's not the copy my library had. So I'm reading them one at a time and this caused me to finish on a huge cliffhanger!
There is world building, there are other languages, there are different Folk (Kyn, Tetawa, Gvaergs, Ubbetuk, etc) that are all part of a council that is deciding what to do about the demands of Men.
The Folk live in the beautiful, ancient, and full of natural resources Everland which is being threatened by the advancement of Men.
There are warriors, protectors, and wielders (those who can wield the ancient power of the wyr, which comes from the land and plants as far as I could gather).
There are zhe-Folk, "neither male nor female, nor truly separate from either, the zhe-Folk walked between the worlds; they had strength unmatched by other Folk and were honored for it, at least among those who followed the Old Ways."
There are Kyn who follow a newer religion and believe the only way to survive is by leaving the Everland to Men and starting over somewhere new. There are Kyn who follow the Old Ways and cannot separate their identity from the Everland.
All of this comes to a head at the council of all the Folk. Will they leave, or will they stay and fight against Men? I thought it was really well done and I totally want to read the next book in the series.
I'll admit I haven't read much high fantasy beyond LOTR and GOT and it's not my usual genre. I also admit that when I first saw the cover it reminded me of my middle school friends who were obsessed with Dungeons & Dragons and other role playing games that I tried to join in on but never personally enjoyed.
But, what's the point of a reading journey if its not constantly opening your mind and pushing your boundaries?
So I jumped in, and it was great! This is the first in a trilogy, and the trilogy is published in one big book but that's not the copy my library had. So I'm reading them one at a time and this caused me to finish on a huge cliffhanger!
There is world building, there are other languages, there are different Folk (Kyn, Tetawa, Gvaergs, Ubbetuk, etc) that are all part of a council that is deciding what to do about the demands of Men.
The Folk live in the beautiful, ancient, and full of natural resources Everland which is being threatened by the advancement of Men.
There are warriors, protectors, and wielders (those who can wield the ancient power of the wyr, which comes from the land and plants as far as I could gather).
There are zhe-Folk, "neither male nor female, nor truly separate from either, the zhe-Folk walked between the worlds; they had strength unmatched by other Folk and were honored for it, at least among those who followed the Old Ways."
There are Kyn who follow a newer religion and believe the only way to survive is by leaving the Everland to Men and starting over somewhere new. There are Kyn who follow the Old Ways and cannot separate their identity from the Everland.
All of this comes to a head at the council of all the Folk. Will they leave, or will they stay and fight against Men? I thought it was really well done and I totally want to read the next book in the series.
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