Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Hild by Nicola Griffith

2 reviews

careinthelibrary's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

 When I first received an Advanced Reading Copy of this book, I was in high school. The beautiful cover art appealed to me, and I have always been interested in history, even as a kid. Yet sat on my shelves for 10 years, survived many collection weedings and two moves. The size intimidated me. I'm sad I didn't get to it sooner, but I also think this was the perfect time for me to pick up this magnificent behemoth. 

Hild is an epic and sweeping historical fiction novel full of some of the most captivating language I've ever encountered. Nicola Griffith truly unlocked her word-hoard in this one (haha). The turns of phrase and descriptions brought me to a halt numerous times and the highlighter was put to work. I read the lines over and over again, enchanted. Ways to describe feelings, colours, sounds in such inventive and uncommon ways. Not the first, second, or third way you'd think to illustrate the image, but something uncanny and magical. I was struck by Griffith's skill and feel that she is a writer of exceptional talent. 

It is a book to be savoured. The pacing is slow which gave me a chance to savour the language and bathe in the rich worldbuilding of this dynamic historical landscape. The scale and culture of this time took shape as the novel progressed, like watching the construction of a building day by day. The atmosphere felt authentic and the way she wrote setting was sensory and palpable. Their lives fleshed out and their desires and goals came into view on the horizon. I lived in their skin and experienced their emotions. It's expansive in its spread and I got comfortable in the sprawl of the story. Griffith didn't show and tell all the details, there was some of the story that remained a wondrous mystery, a hint of the past and the fantastical beliefs without it being too much. A concealed and secretive delight to feel in the dark with a character, wondering as they do what's happening and what's true.

I could write a novel myself about my love of this beautiful beast, telling all about the natural, positive queer rep, the fascinating history of Christian influence on early British pagans, the outstanding cast of secondary characters that fill out the scenes. But the treat for me was learning all this for myself when I finally chose this arc off the shelf and fell hard for <i>Hild</i>. 

This is for fans of the complex and delicate political intrigue of A Song of Ice and Fire and Wolf Hall, the queer historical feminism of Groff's Matrix and Gornichev's The Witch's Heart, and the compelling, shrewd, and gifted heroine of Katherine Chen's Joan,  but it's also not quite like anything I've read before. A set of sparkling carnelians held up to the sun that dazzled my senses and kept me engaged for hundreds of pages. 

With Menewood coming in just a month, I'm diving straight into the advanced copy I was sent by the publisher who thankfully hasn't given up on my ability to read and review arcs (much better turnaround than last time...)



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millbot's review

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adventurous dark emotional tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Meticulously researched, deeply felt, this is a fully engrossing tale of a young woman finding a way to greatness and influence in a time and place where women were mostly prevented from having either. Griffith writes with a keen eye for the natural world and the daily activities, emotions, wants, etc. of her characters, while effortlessly weaving them into the larger plots and intrigues of a pivotal era in UK history. 
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