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wildflowerbrew's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
this was one of my favourite books as a child so i was incredibly happy to return to it - the worldbuilding and plot do not disappoint, i found it utterly enchanting.
my issue howeveris daine and numair’s relationship - i know it’s not in this book but it reminded me that it occurs later in the series. it bothers me for 2 reasons
1. i wish we could just have an iconic female lead who didn’t have a love interest. i always wished this for daine growing up as i related to her so heavily
2. most importantly, the age gap and power dynamic are just so grim. there was no need to make daine under 18, writing a student/teacher thing is murky enough ground (personally really dislike this in anything) bc of the power imbalance but making her so young is unnecessary. i didn’t pick up on it as a kid but revisiting this now, im just eugh.
my issue however
1. i wish we could just have an iconic female lead who didn’t have a love interest. i always wished this for daine growing up as i related to her so heavily
2. most importantly, the age gap and power dynamic are just so grim. there was no need to make daine under 18, writing a student/teacher thing is murky enough ground (personally really dislike this in anything) bc of the power imbalance but making her so young is unnecessary. i didn’t pick up on it as a kid but revisiting this now, im just eugh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
bubski_mcboo's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
While I loved the author as a teen due to her influx of female heroines in the male-dominated fantasy adventure genre, I have grown out of this series due to the types of relationships the author encourages in teenage girls, which played a part in my unrealistic expectations regarding romance and my underperformance at school. Numair and Daine have implied mutual attraction throughout the series, culminating in an established relationship by the final book when Daine is conveniently legal (where I live) at sixteen but still too young to be snogging her thirty-year-old teacher, who doesn't, to my mind, have nearly enough guilt about allowing it. This is not the kind of relationship impressionable teens should be encouraged to pursue. Other than that, the story is a good journey of self-discovery and self-improvement through adventure and learning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
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