Reviews with content warning for Animal death - The Raven and the Reindeer

The Raven and the Reindeer is the retelling of The Snow Queen that I needed in which Kay is not treated as a hero. Gerta, our protagonist, learns to value those who value her, thank goodness. Mousebones the Raven is a great character and the otters are fun. The female love interest is well done. Glad I read it.

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emily_mh's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was a delightful retelling of the Snow Queen. It hit key parts of the original tale while putting a fresh and entertaining spin on characters and events. Kingfisher nailed the fairytale-like narrative voice and wove so much humour into the story (I mean like I was laughing out loud).

I adored all three main characters. I loved how naive Gerta was and how she could be foolishly optimistic one minute and then think the absolute worst was going to happen the next. Seeing her grow from a timid, almost self-loathing character to one taking on the Snow Queen and believing herself worthy of love was fantastic. Janna was also a great character. I loved seeing her become more free and open, and appreciated how analytical and logical she was in contrast to Gerta’s “no thoughts, head empty” approach. And of course, my favourite, Mousebones. He was everything I wanted and more in an animal companion character: self-important, but fundamentally loyal. Most of the times I audibly laughed was because of him.

I really liked Gerta and Janna’s relationship. Their chemistry was palpable, yet I also believed in their deeper connection. It was a little insta-lovey, but I wasn’t too affronted by this as they weren’t making irrational decisions in the name of “love.”

Spoiler

I.e., Gerta still went to find Kay, and the only reason Janna went with her initially is because she wanted to escape her father.

The plot itself was really well paced. There was always something happening, and because Kingfisher was remixing events I never quite knew what would happen next. There was some really creative plant and animal magic too, which I hadn’t expected but tied in beautifully with the plot.

Finally, the atmosphere was amazing. It was so wintery that I felt cold and like I needed to get cosy. I could picture the landscapes so clearly and felt truly immersed.

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literarypenguin's review

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adventurous 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

5.0

This is my first introduction to T.Kingfisher's work and it has only made me want to read more from this amazing fantasy writer! The Raven and the Reindeer retells the myth of the Snow Queen with some additions like the inclusion of an F/F relationship and the 'I am not like other girls' trope, these additions were very welcome and fit right into the story as they have been there. The story follows Gerta, a young village girl who witnesses her childhood best friend/crush Kai getting lured by the Snow Queen to her icy kingdom. Refusing to let him be taken she goes on a journey to bring back Kai while encountering a hilarious raven to help her along the way. The relationship that forms between Janna and Gerta is so heartwarming and Janna was a much better person for Gerta. Gerta even began to realize that her friend wasn't the right person for her and was kind of a jerk to her, to be honest. Gerta's journey was refreshing to read, watching her find herself and discover who she wants to be as a person and a woman. This truly did read like a modern fairytale and I can't wait to read more of T.Kingfisher's works.

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blewballoon's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was an excellent twist on the Snow Queen fairy tale. I loved the characters and the interesting magical encounters. I think that most of T. Kingfisher's fantasy work is on the darker side, but this one especially.

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divine529's review against another edition

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adventurous funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I absolutely loved this!

Whenever I can find a good retelling, that's atmospheric and feels like a fairytale and adds something extra to a work, I'm usually all for it.

Surprisingly, I hadn't heard much about this one before I read it, and I think that's a tragedy. This is a "Snow Queen" retelling, with a queer romance and interesting twists throughout. This was absolutely fantastic from the writing to the interesting take on the plot to the characters and the world, but what really stood out to me the most in this was the themes - love, self-confidence, self-esteem/image and sexuality, just to name a few.

I loved Gerta as a character and found her incredibly relatable. I had very little to no connection to Kay. I absolutely adored Mousebones and Janna. And the other side characters were interesting too.

If you enjoyed the "Snow Queen" I think a lot of people would really enjoy this as well. It's one I can definitely see myself rereading again in the future.

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bibliophilecrocodile's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted tense fast-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

5.0

The Raven and The Reindeer by T Kingfisher is Snow Queen retelling and my second T Kingfisher book. And need I say that she's becoming a favorite author of mine. I fricking love fairytale retellings and if they're queer, how perfect can it get?! I just loved the found family vibes and all the characters so much! I loved Mousebones and Janna and Gerta and the very enthusiastic otters, it was just a really damn good book!

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crownoflaurel's review

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adventurous hopeful fast-paced

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? It's complicated

4.75

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