Scan barcode
semperlunaris's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Child abuse, Gore, Misogyny, War, and Child death
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Rape
legs_n_chins's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What struck me most was the final meeting with Joan, the Queen, and Yolande. This is where I really felt the roots of feminism in the story, when they were saying that Joan had so much further to fall. That she’s been reduced back to a woman and that’s all. Joan really reconciling that the stakes have always been so much higher for her. The last part of the book was probably the strongest for me because I did find it more interesting when Joan faced defeat and those interpersonal and existential conflicts. It was great when she won, when we celebrated with her and saw her getting deserved praise, but I ended up feeling just slightly more detached from her then. Maybe because Joan wasn’t meant to be in court like that and Chen really effectively conveyed that between the lines. Or maybe just because I like seeing the characters I love suffer a little.
I did waver around those parts with the feeling of “strong female character can punch good.” When Joan grew and was demonstratively good with weapons with little training. I was perfectly willing to suspend disbelief, I did want to see her succeed in these things and I was pretty thrilled when she loosed that first arrow, but it was dulled by, admittedly, my own cynicism. I understand why Chen had Joan be this physically imposing person and the ways she reflected masculinity in her dress and company, and I don’t think this falls under the trope of making a strong female character only physically strong ultimately. It’s just what was on my mind, which dampened some of my enjoyment.
I did like Joan overall, and she made for a very good protagonist. The voice Chen chose for her felt absolutely spot on and I liked her being a strategist and so determined and goal oriented. That felt very relatable (and as such I also am going to personally claim her as an aroace queen) and I liked the way the character was developed. That said, I wish we’d gotten a little more from the other characters. The King is fleshed out pretty well, Catherine and Jacques and Laxart work, but even some of Joan’s friends I just didn’t feel like we really knew them. Even at the end, when Jean pledged his allegiance to Joan, I found it very touching but I realized that beyond his position in her household and these moments of loyalty and affection, he essentially had no character at all. Which I found a little sad because I would’ve liked more of him. (If I consider it in a meta sense I wonder if Chen purposefully left many of the men as somewhat two dimensional because of how often women are left unexplored in so many stories. And I like that even if I wanted to get a little more out of the side characters lol.)
I think Chen’s writing style bumped this up at least a half star for me. There’s something very lyrical I found, but not teetering into overly poetic. It’s really flowing and beautiful. As I mentioned previously, she creates atmosphere so well and I really appreciate how she can set a scene. I liked reading this book because every word was such a pleasure to absorb. A lot of what kept me turning to the next page even way after my bedtime was Chen’s writing. Just wanting to know how she would hook me with the first sentence of a new chapter, or how she was describe a place, or what little detail she would throw in to really ground the moment and solidify the picture. I definitely would read more of her work for the writing style alone.
Overall, I like her version of Joan d’Arc and I think she paints a very compelling portrait of her life. Her strength of will, her resilience, and above all, her kindness and belief in the human spirit.
Graphic: Violence, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Child abuse, and War
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Child death
withlivjones's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Death, Child death, Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, War, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Suicide, Rape, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault
loki2's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Moderate: Death, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Physical abuse, and Rape
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape
leila_scola's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, Child death, and Death
caleykapowski's review against another edition
Graphic: Child death, Animal death, Child abuse, Rape, and Violence
imlfox's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, and Animal death
Moderate: Sexual assault and Suicide
just_one_more_paige's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Suicide, Murder, Grief, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, War, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Excrement, and Pregnancy
kamreadsandrecs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It’s a good story - a VERY good story. It’s why Joan is one of the most memorable saints in the Church’s immense roster, and why even non-religious folk know who she is and the general outline of her life and eventual death. It also helps that there are PLENTY of fictionalized depictions of her, both in print and in film, and there are almost as many non-fictional accounts of her life too. If you want to go down a rabbit hole of everything Saint Joan, you can easily do that and get lost down there for a good long while.
So: with all of these books and movies already out there, many of which are considered to be quite good, what makes Chen’s novel, in particular, stand out? Personally, I think it’s that her take on Joan is, firstly, very human, and secondly, there’s little of the divine to be seen anywhere in this story. Those two things are tied together: throughout the novel Joan’s perspective on her achievements is that SHE has accomplished them, no one else. Oh, sure, she’s aware that her talents are likely God-given, (and there’s a brief moment in the novel where she contemplates God taking those talents away and gets really scared), but more in the manner of a seed being planted in her - a seed that was nurtured under the abusive hand of her father Jacques d’Arc, and which she then found use for as she grew older.
This doesn’t mean she’s an atheist, of course, nor even an agnostic. No: Joan believes in God, but her relationship with God is different. Instead of begging and pleading to him when she prays, she bargains with him. There’s a couple scenes in the novel where she talks about how her prayers to God go, and it’s generally her talking about all these things she has done and wants to do, and then telling God “So: what do you think? Maybe we can help each other out here.” This is very different from the other depictions of Joan that I’ve seen, which have portrayed her as completely devoted to God and moving only as he (through her visions) commands her to.
Speaking of visions: there’s none of that to be seen here. Oh sure, Joan has dreams, but not the visions (or hallucinations) of the saints that a lot of material out there says she had. Instead, Joan’s motivations are entirely - and heartbreakingly - human. I won’t go into the details because that way lie spoilers, but suffice to say that what gets Joan out of her home and to the court of the Dauphin has very, VERY little to do with divine inspiration, but A LOT MORE to do with entirely human (and, therefore, probably more relatable) motivations.
But that raises the question: where DID all those stories of visions and divine inspiration come from in the first place? In Chen’s novel, those are all part of a propaganda push, orchestrated by certain members of the Dauphin’s court, in order to get the Dauphin off his butt and moving in fighting back against the English and the Burgundians, and then later, after her initial victories, rumors and stories concocted by people who had encountered her and were looking for something hopeful to hang onto in the face of the despair and tragedy of the war. Again I won’t get into that too much because spoilers, but it soon becomes clear to the reader that in the novel, the legend of Joan was something other people created, and that she herself didn’t have much to do with its creation except through her actions - actions which were then taken by others and spun this way and that for their own purposes. In the novel, Joan is entirely aware of these stories, and how she deals with them is interesting to read about too. Interesting, too, is how she is aware she is being used, but decides to take that in stride and find her own way of using others in turn to achieve her own ends.
Overall, this is a very good read, largely because I like this take on Joan: not a saint, and not a madwoman, but someone thoroughly human, who wanted to do what she could with what she had - and accomplished a great deal, even as she went against the grain of what was expected of her as a woman. However, just as her own motivations and desires were entirely human, so too were the challenges that stood in her way - and while some she could overcome, there were more that she could not, like systemic misogyny and political maneuvering. Despite knowing the end of her story even before the novel begins, reading about this particular take on a familiar figure was quite fun, and I think other people will enjoy it too.
Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: War, Suicide, and Rape
bessmonet's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, War, Animal death, Blood, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Child death, Suicide, and Suicide attempt