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tallonrk1's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my gooooddddd. This book is fucking incredible. I don't read fantasy, and I haven't read the Lord of the Rings books, but this book turns the fantasy genre on it's head. Imagine Lord of the Rings, but it's also a really complex allegory for American removal of indigenous peoples and occupation of indigenous lands. It's a moving, beautiful, rich narrative that at its core is a story of Native resistance and healing. Also includes queer and nonbinary characters. An entire world is built and it is magical. The plot is compelling and action-oriented, the characters are lovingly crafted and well-developed. I have so much praise for this book. If you have any interest in fantasy novels or in art with a social justice bent, I can't recommend this book enough.
A
A
tarynneitup's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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? No
4.0
fairymodmother's review against another edition
3.0
I think this book is important, and, if things were a bit different, it would be a fantasy classic like LOTR and Malazan (namely, racism and that this was published through a university press that makes it hard to come by). It's hugely epic, weaving in so much mythology from the Cherokee people as well as the uncountable loss they experienced during the Trail of Tears. Before I get into my reactions, I'd like to mention that there were also a few factors that got in the way of my ability to fall into the story that are in no way the book's fault, so let's start there.
1. I read this as an American at the end of 2020, when the pandemic and politics were at a level that made following any other story difficult.
2. This is an omnibus of what I believe is actually 2 or 3 books. I don't tend to read series straight through--absence, fondness, etc.
3. I had to take an unceremonious break to read a library book with a due date at an unfortunate stopping point.
4. I finished under a lot of time pressure as I'm about 4 books behind what I promised to have read by now.
So...yeah, if things had been different, likely some of my feelings would be, too. But I still found a lot of greatness in this book.
CONTENT WARNING:
Important and great things:
-The mythology. This is a whole world. So often we get bits and pieces--one feature creature or one mythic hero. What makes this truly epic is that it's not, it's a whole pantheon. I was impressed with how the author went and made this accessible to others, too. He deftly makes it clear that elves and fairies and all the rest aren't just European creations, but then introduces people unlike any I've ever encountered before that were truly magical to spend time with. I think, though of course I can't know, that he also hints at a lot of "in group" tales, too--stuff that's big and meaningful to other Cherokee or indigenous Americans, that aren't For Us White People, and I loved being surrounded in a story that grand.
-The scope. Again so often we get one rising action, one true motivation, one quest. This really tackled a lot: coming of age, the rise of religion, found family, political intrigues...and not just from one POV, either! Really what I think is most impressive here is that it sort of effortlessly says that no group is a monolith, there's never one reason something happens, and the story changes on the teller. That's...breathtakingly hard for me to think about doing, and here it was just the assumption behind the story.
-Accepting. I'm on a roll with books that just accept that the world is bigger than the binary, in any sense. It was just so...refreshing and lovely to spend time with people who are comfortable being their authentic selves, and have everyone around them also accept them. The full gamut here--two-spirit folks, old, young, people with disabilities, people with different religions, poly families, found families, adoption, mixed races...all of them find a place among our protagonists. More of this, please!
-Poignant moments. There were several searing lines, and two really powerful scenes for me. I never actually tear up at books, and the scene where Tobhi realizes he has work to do made me actually shed tears. Some exceptional writing and emotional depth to this book/series.
Things that detracted for me:
-Overly wordy. I got hung up several times because whole paragraphs weren't helpful for me. Word choices got a bit florid, several darlings that should have been culled for the whole remain. I think this was probably a cycle too many.
-Continuity errors. Really I think some of this just needed more editing, like above. But there were several things in later cycles where I had to stop and let things go, because they were canonically not true.
-Dialogue. A lot of the dialogue was used to infodump in unnatural ways. Several times I thought to myself, "they'd never say that" because the portrait painted of their true hearts was more extensive and expressive than what they said, which might be true to life, but made for ragged reading.
-The last third. I had a bunch of problems with structure here. 1. We change structures from more or less linear to having flashbacks, but the flashbacks serve to me more as deus ex machinas rather than filling in knowledge we're dying to know. 2. Way too many characters introduced and explained too late in the game. 3. Summary ending. This is an 800 page epic, not Animal House.
So, a really uneven read for me with soaring heights, really important themes and messages, and a lot of clunkiness. In terms of merit and importance, this is not something to rate with stars--I think this story is CRUCIAL. In terms of me reading a fantasy novel, it was okay. Likely if I'd had a different situation for my reading, I'd have been able to look past more, but as it is, all I can say in terms of stars is that I liked it.
1. I read this as an American at the end of 2020, when the pandemic and politics were at a level that made following any other story difficult.
2. This is an omnibus of what I believe is actually 2 or 3 books. I don't tend to read series straight through--absence, fondness, etc.
3. I had to take an unceremonious break to read a library book with a due date at an unfortunate stopping point.
4. I finished under a lot of time pressure as I'm about 4 books behind what I promised to have read by now.
So...yeah, if things had been different, likely some of my feelings would be, too. But I still found a lot of greatness in this book.
CONTENT WARNING:
Spoiler
genocide, loss of loved ones, forced bareness, rape, torture, body horror (including eyes), harm to infantsImportant and great things:
-The mythology. This is a whole world. So often we get bits and pieces--one feature creature or one mythic hero. What makes this truly epic is that it's not, it's a whole pantheon. I was impressed with how the author went and made this accessible to others, too. He deftly makes it clear that elves and fairies and all the rest aren't just European creations, but then introduces people unlike any I've ever encountered before that were truly magical to spend time with. I think, though of course I can't know, that he also hints at a lot of "in group" tales, too--stuff that's big and meaningful to other Cherokee or indigenous Americans, that aren't For Us White People, and I loved being surrounded in a story that grand.
-The scope. Again so often we get one rising action, one true motivation, one quest. This really tackled a lot: coming of age, the rise of religion, found family, political intrigues...and not just from one POV, either! Really what I think is most impressive here is that it sort of effortlessly says that no group is a monolith, there's never one reason something happens, and the story changes on the teller. That's...breathtakingly hard for me to think about doing, and here it was just the assumption behind the story.
-Accepting. I'm on a roll with books that just accept that the world is bigger than the binary, in any sense. It was just so...refreshing and lovely to spend time with people who are comfortable being their authentic selves, and have everyone around them also accept them. The full gamut here--two-spirit folks, old, young, people with disabilities, people with different religions, poly families, found families, adoption, mixed races...all of them find a place among our protagonists. More of this, please!
-Poignant moments. There were several searing lines, and two really powerful scenes for me. I never actually tear up at books, and the scene where Tobhi realizes he has work to do made me actually shed tears. Some exceptional writing and emotional depth to this book/series.
Things that detracted for me:
-Overly wordy. I got hung up several times because whole paragraphs weren't helpful for me. Word choices got a bit florid, several darlings that should have been culled for the whole remain. I think this was probably a cycle too many.
-Continuity errors. Really I think some of this just needed more editing, like above. But there were several things in later cycles where I had to stop and let things go, because they were canonically not true.
-Dialogue. A lot of the dialogue was used to infodump in unnatural ways. Several times I thought to myself, "they'd never say that" because the portrait painted of their true hearts was more extensive and expressive than what they said, which might be true to life, but made for ragged reading.
-The last third. I had a bunch of problems with structure here. 1. We change structures from more or less linear to having flashbacks, but the flashbacks serve to me more as deus ex machinas rather than filling in knowledge we're dying to know. 2. Way too many characters introduced and explained too late in the game. 3. Summary ending. This is an 800 page epic, not Animal House.
So, a really uneven read for me with soaring heights, really important themes and messages, and a lot of clunkiness. In terms of merit and importance, this is not something to rate with stars--I think this story is CRUCIAL. In terms of me reading a fantasy novel, it was okay. Likely if I'd had a different situation for my reading, I'd have been able to look past more, but as it is, all I can say in terms of stars is that I liked it.
gmrickel's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve only read book 1. I plan on finishing the trilogy eventually. I really liked it! I wish my library owned a copy so I could recommended it to patrons. But it’s over 2 years old so they won’t buy it :(.
laurenbdavis's review against another edition
5.0
What can I say? This is a masterpiece of fantasy fiction. (Linda Hogan and Ursula Le Guin agree with me).
One might say that what makes it special is the Indigenous North American sensibility, and that's true since I can't think of another fantasy novel set in this territory. However, although that's an important consideration, it might give some the impression the ONLY reason it's important is because of the Indigenous canvas. What a mistake that would be. The characters, the world-building, the plot, the imagery, the prose are on par with any book I can think of.
Read it for any reason that appeals to you, but READ IT.
One might say that what makes it special is the Indigenous North American sensibility, and that's true since I can't think of another fantasy novel set in this territory. However, although that's an important consideration, it might give some the impression the ONLY reason it's important is because of the Indigenous canvas. What a mistake that would be. The characters, the world-building, the plot, the imagery, the prose are on par with any book I can think of.
Read it for any reason that appeals to you, but READ IT.
zinful's review against another edition
4.0
Amazingly well crafted world, from the perspective of those affected by imperialism...which is awesome. The ending was pretty unsatisfying in how "pat" and idealistic it was...which isn't itself a bad thing, and is very empowering after reading a lovely example of speculative fiction (that the world can actually be a better place)...but still read as wrap-up-all-the-ends in a little too cheery of a way.
The ending is such a small percentage of an overall well crafted and richly woven book (you really believe in the history of the world it's set in) that I recommend this pretty heartily for anyone wanting some epic-style fantasy without the gross eurocentric assumptions implicit in so many examples!
The ending is such a small percentage of an overall well crafted and richly woven book (you really believe in the history of the world it's set in) that I recommend this pretty heartily for anyone wanting some epic-style fantasy without the gross eurocentric assumptions implicit in so many examples!
jemppu's review against another edition
3.0
I've been hesitant to rate this after spending over a year slowly getting through the pages. But have to accept, that despite its crucial themes and imaginatively invented lore, the narrative or the character handling weren't the most captivatingly realized; continuously leaving me waiting for a firmer connection.
It was an experience still, working one's way through this, and I can't say I'd be sorry to have read the book.
(The reading updates too seems to deal more with tackling the read, rather than engaged with the story itself. But, one thing they do point out - and I maintain: that this rather felt it might work as a good basis to build a graphic novel production upon).
It was an experience still, working one's way through this, and I can't say I'd be sorry to have read the book.
(The reading updates too seems to deal more with tackling the read, rather than engaged with the story itself. But, one thing they do point out - and I maintain: that this rather felt it might work as a good basis to build a graphic novel production upon).
kate_mazm's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
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