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chichisode's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
neni's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I loved Trouble the hound, especially because my own dear dog is of the same breed so I kept picturing her in the book :)
The pacing was a bit all over the place. The first third of the book felt slow and like nothing was happening, the middle was satisfying in that we finally had some progress in both the plot and the relationship between the main character's, but then the ending, while entertaining, was a bit rushed and left quite a few issues that had been brought up either unresolved or fixed so quickly it didn't feel believable.
I must say as well: the fact that the whole character's main thing was being a huntress and loving it, didn't sit quite well with me as I don't agree with hunting for sport. The descriptions of fox killing as a sport (both the magical/mythical type and the plain normal animal) bothered me.
Overall, this was an okay read, especially vibesy for autumn and with some good romance and pining in the middle but not particularly strong either in plot or character complexity.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
3.5
I'm also not a fan of white, raised Christian people writing about marginalized people when they haven't had those experiences. I know the author is LGBT+ and probably has faced prejudice because of it, but the discrimination and oppression one experiences based on religion and race/ethnicity is quite different. I don't like white authors saying that racial and religious minorities need to take the high road to be better than their oppressors like what has been illustrated in this book.
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism
zoiejanelle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
a few qualms: and listen, i’m not trying to get cancelled here or make any accusations… but at times i truly felt like some scenes were lifted directly out of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood or Roy Mustang/Riza Hawkeye fanfiction i’ve read. an alchemist and a sharpshooter? the sharpshooter has a mad scientist/absentee parent? the alchemist wants to become a politician? blonde and black hair (actually, their whole physical descriptions honestly)? set in the same fantasy time period? (spoilers)
also i can’t give it a 5 because
ANYWAY i loved this book, seriously. it was so well-paced, no major plot holes, the writing was actually GOOD and tasteful, there were clear allegories to current world issues, i loved all the characters and thought they were all believable and enjoyable, and the ending was very satisfying.
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
aivilo611's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Child abuse and Death
her_little_library's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Death of parent and Abandonment
One of the big parts of this book is dealing with religious bigotry directed at the main characterssunlit_music's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Themes of racism and classism: Allison Saft examines the harm done by racism and classism with thoughtfulness and empathy, through Wes' and Margaret's eyes. Wes experiences racism for being a Banvishman, and Margaret has suffered racism for being Yuadir, and lives a solitary life for her own safety, to avoid harassment and violence.
Wes has also suffered classism for being working class, and this is handled well, with realism and compassion.
Disability representation: The author also writes about Wes's struggles in finding work due to his dyslexia with tact and understanding. Reading those passages moved me to tears (in a good way).
The romance: Wes' and Margaret's romance is beautifully touching and sweet, and makes a lot of sense. They complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, and help each other become braver, kinder, better people. The more Wes comes to understand Margaret, the more he finds her beautiful on the outside and the inside, which also rang true to me.
The plot: The plot makes sense and is unique and interesting enough to hold my attention. Wes and Margaret enter a hunting competition to find the last mythical and magical fox, the Hala - to stop it from destroying crops and killing people and animals. The prize money for winning the hunt will be enough to help Wes achieve his dreams of becoming a politician so he can make things better for poor people and his own family. Margaret wants to win the hunt in order to bring her mother home. Together, Wes and Margaret team up to help each other - and end up falling in love.
Pacing: the plot moves at a medium pace. The parts on the hunt are fast paced, and the action definitely speeds up a lot near the end. Pacing never feels too slow or too rushed, I always felt so invested in the story I didn't notice how much time had passed, and that is how you know you're reading an excellent book. When I listened to the audiobook, I always look forward to it, and never lost attention or focus.
Prose: the prose is gorgeous and magnetic, and reads like poetry. I mean that in the best possible way. Prose in the book makes the setting come to life, and the forest feels like a living, breathing entity, while the Hala fox feels like a monster out of a nightmare. The descriptions where Wes and Margaret slowly come to realise they love each other are so touching and achingly lovely, they feel like real people.
Characterisation: All characters in the book are realistic, and Wes and Margaret experience so much character growth - especially Wes! Wes grows more mature and understanding as the book goes on, and Margaret learns to open up emotionally and to trust people. I was so happy when Margaret found acceptance and familial platonic love with Wes's family, along with romantic love with Wes.
Ending: The ending is optimistic, and feels hard earned and uplifting.
I definitely recommend this book, and look forward to reading more books from the author. :)
Moderate: Animal death, Racism, Violence, Grief, and Abandonment
Minor: Classism
smadoca's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
katievallin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Death of parent, and Colonisation
joisaddler's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism