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c_dmckinney's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Bullying, Colonisation, Death of parent, Confinement, Grief, Hate crime, Misogyny, Murder, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Violence, Genocide, Gore, Religious bigotry, Torture, Blood, Racism, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual content, Infertility, and Sexual assault
insomniacsun's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
2.75
Ho scoperto Ava Reid vedendo "A study in drowning" ovunque, ma ho deciso di partire dal suo debutto per la trama intrigante, ma anche perchè mi piace vedere come lo stile di un autore matura con il tempo.
Non sono grande fan della prosa in prima persona e sono molto pochi i libri per cui credo sia adatta. Per questo libro, ritengo che la terza sarebbe stata preferibile: Evike non è una protagonista particolarmente reticente, per cui non vedo l'utilizzo della prima persona come essenziale quando è apertamente schiva e reattiva nei confronti dei personaggi e l'ambiente che la circonda.
Il modo in cui costruisce questo mondo tramite descrizioni tematiche e storie raccontate da Evike stessa è favoloso, anche se è palese che ha dei descrittivi preferiti che non esita a ripetere (take a shot per ogni "I closed my four fingers into a fist" ed è subito cirrosi epatica). C'è una particolare attenzione per l'aspetto culturale e quell'amore nei minimi dettagli si sente attraverso le pagine: le descrizioni e figure retoriche utilizzate non appesantiscono la lettura come temevo, ma arricchiscono l'atmosfera rendendola immersiva.
Seguire Evike nelle sue vicende è stata una delizia, ho proprio un debole per protagoniste di questo tipo, ma l'entusiasmo è stato breve per lo sviluppo che viene stranamente smorzato a metà storia: non si capisce cosa la mandi avanti, per cui mi è sembrato un po' un personaggio allo sbaraglio.
Gaspar era altrettanto interessante all'inizio, ma la storia si conclude lasciando un alone di mistero ancora troppo pesante attorno a lui, il che è un vero peccato per il potenziale sprecato.
Parlando di potenziale sprecato, si nota una vera e propria divisione fra i due archi narrativi del libro, con la seconda metà che lascia abbastanza a desiderare: per quando interessante sia stata la trama, il libro ne era così pieno che non ha lasciato i personaggi respirare e farsi abbastanza spazio.
Questo, a lungo termine, mi ha lasciato meno coinvolta nella storia, perchè sia il mio interesse per i vari personaggi che lo sviluppo delle relazioni fra i vari personaggi erano troppo superficiali.
Un vero peccato considerando che la prima parte del libro mi ha stregato al punto da averla letta quasi tutta in un colpo: la tumultuosa relazione fra Evike e Gaspar è stata gestita con maestria, ma appena questi si separano e la trama si espande, la scintilla viene persa.
Per quanto rispetti la decisione di aver mantenuto un volume unico, una duologia avrebbe permesso di addentrarsi più profondamente nel rapporto fra religiosità e magia, e sull'aspetto politico della storia: la seconda parte sembra incentrata su questi temi ma vengono trattati in modo troppo velato considerando la loro centralità nei conflitti fra le varie parti.
Inoltre, la narrazione limitata solamente al punto di vista di Evike ha aggravato la cosa, in quanto la ragazza è come un pesce fuor d'acqua nella capitale e non le è stato dato tempo per mostrarci come arriva a comprendere a pieno la situazione in cui si ritrova, nonostante ci venga detto il contrario.
La storia poteva essere molto più profonda se avessimo avuto un duplice punto di vista, includendo Gaspar come protagonista. Senza, purtroppo, ho trovato la seconda parte molto blanda e insulsa.
Purtroppo tutte queste carenze sono cultimate nell'epilogo, per cui ho davvero scosso la testa tutto il tempo.
Detto questo, è pur sempre un debutto e il suo stile narrativo mi piace da morire, per cui questa esperienza non mi precluderà dal leggere i suoi altri libri.
Non sono grande fan della prosa in prima persona e sono molto pochi i libri per cui credo sia adatta. Per questo libro, ritengo che la terza sarebbe stata preferibile: Evike non è una protagonista particolarmente reticente, per cui non vedo l'utilizzo della prima persona come essenziale quando è apertamente schiva e reattiva nei confronti dei personaggi e l'ambiente che la circonda.
Il modo in cui costruisce questo mondo tramite descrizioni tematiche e storie raccontate da Evike stessa è favoloso, anche se è palese che ha dei descrittivi preferiti che non esita a ripetere (take a shot per ogni "I closed my four fingers into a fist" ed è subito cirrosi epatica). C'è una particolare attenzione per l'aspetto culturale e quell'amore nei minimi dettagli si sente attraverso le pagine: le descrizioni e figure retoriche utilizzate non appesantiscono la lettura come temevo, ma arricchiscono l'atmosfera rendendola immersiva.
Seguire Evike nelle sue vicende è stata una delizia, ho proprio un debole per protagoniste di questo tipo, ma l'entusiasmo è stato breve per lo sviluppo che viene stranamente smorzato a metà storia: non si capisce cosa la mandi avanti, per cui mi è sembrato un po' un personaggio allo sbaraglio.
Gaspar era altrettanto interessante all'inizio, ma la storia si conclude lasciando un alone di mistero ancora troppo pesante attorno a lui, il che è un vero peccato per il potenziale sprecato.
Parlando di potenziale sprecato, si nota una vera e propria divisione fra i due archi narrativi del libro, con la seconda metà che lascia abbastanza a desiderare: per quando interessante sia stata la trama, il libro ne era così pieno che non ha lasciato i personaggi respirare e farsi abbastanza spazio.
Questo, a lungo termine, mi ha lasciato meno coinvolta nella storia, perchè sia il mio interesse per i vari personaggi che lo sviluppo delle relazioni fra i vari personaggi erano troppo superficiali.
Un vero peccato considerando che la prima parte del libro mi ha stregato al punto da averla letta quasi tutta in un colpo: la tumultuosa relazione fra Evike e Gaspar è stata gestita con maestria, ma appena questi si separano e la trama si espande, la scintilla viene persa.
Per quanto rispetti la decisione di aver mantenuto un volume unico, una duologia avrebbe permesso di addentrarsi più profondamente nel rapporto fra religiosità e magia, e sull'aspetto politico della storia: la seconda parte sembra incentrata su questi temi ma vengono trattati in modo troppo velato considerando la loro centralità nei conflitti fra le varie parti.
Inoltre, la narrazione limitata solamente al punto di vista di Evike ha aggravato la cosa, in quanto la ragazza è come un pesce fuor d'acqua nella capitale e non le è stato dato tempo per mostrarci come arriva a comprendere a pieno la situazione in cui si ritrova, nonostante ci venga detto il contrario.
La storia poteva essere molto più profonda se avessimo avuto un duplice punto di vista, includendo Gaspar come protagonista. Senza, purtroppo, ho trovato la seconda parte molto blanda e insulsa.
Purtroppo tutte queste carenze sono cultimate nell'epilogo, per cui ho davvero scosso la testa tutto il tempo.
Detto questo, è pur sempre un debutto e il suo stile narrativo mi piace da morire, per cui questa esperienza non mi precluderà dal leggere i suoi altri libri.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Antisemitism, Blood, and Animal death
stardust_heidi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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? Yes
3.75
I have no idea how to rate this book. I listened to the audiobook. Saskia Maarleveld did an amazing job, as per usual. But the story itself... It was fine? I think part of it was what usually happens when I listen to fantasy on audiobook (for the first time) -- I miss a lot as I go about my day. And I'm fairly slumpy right now. But at the same time, it lacked something that made me look forward to listen to it every day. I think the story was solid enough for me to keep going, for sure, but not enough to love it. It was very gruesome and dark, so beware. The romance was not particularly moving, but I like how they connected by the end. The mythology and lore parts of the story are pulled from is interesting.
I liked it okay but definitely won't reread it. I'm hoping Ava Reid's other books are better. 😬
I liked it okay but definitely won't reread it. I'm hoping Ava Reid's other books are better. 😬
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Gore
immovabletype's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
3.25
man, i thought this was going to be a solid 4 stars for a good chunk of the novel, while we're following the two main characters on a quest of sorts. this is hate-to-love, and throughout their journey they're grappling with preconceptions about each other based on centuries of hatred and oppression between their people (the fantasy is very cleverly based on pagan, christian, and jewish mythology, with all the attendant real world conflicts--the author "has a degree in political science . . . focusing on religion and ethnonationalism" and her expertise shows). grappling while wanting to grapple each other, if you know what i mean. it makes for a very intimate narrative, slow-paced but propulsive . . . but then the journey ends, the world opens up, and our two lovers are separated. what was compelling me to keep reading just kind of dropped out of sight for a while and i found it harder to pick up as much as i had been, and even after they were reunited it never quite got that spark back for me. and then i loathed the epilogue.
idk. there were things that happened in the latter part of the book that i liked and i think were necessary to forward the narrative and themes. however. it just could've been done better. i will also say, this is sold as adult fantasy. i would argue it feels a lot more ya. the heroine is almost a classic ya heroine, the tropes are very ya tropes. these aren't necessarily bad things, but that's not gonna work for everyone, so i wanted to make a note of it.
i did enjoy this for the most part, i'm glad i read it because now i know that ava reid is gonna knock it out of the park for me someday (this was a debut). i'm quite looking forward to reading more from her.
idk. there were things that happened in the latter part of the book that i liked and i think were necessary to forward the narrative and themes. however. it just could've been done better. i will also say, this is sold as adult fantasy. i would argue it feels a lot more ya. the heroine is almost a classic ya heroine, the tropes are very ya tropes. these aren't necessarily bad things, but that's not gonna work for everyone, so i wanted to make a note of it.
i did enjoy this for the most part, i'm glad i read it because now i know that ava reid is gonna knock it out of the park for me someday (this was a debut). i'm quite looking forward to reading more from her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Blood, Bullying, Confinement, Gore, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Religious bigotry, Violence, Murder, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Genocide, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Minor: War
Genocide istriley's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Blood, Death, Gore, Self harm, and Violence
Moderate: Racism, Animal death, Antisemitism, Child death, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, and Kidnapping
Minor: Physical abuse, Grief, and Vomit
abibea's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Child abuse, Blood, Antisemitism, Violence, Genocide, and Self harm
chrispybacon's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The book had a strong premise but poor execution. I was excited to have a heroine in her mid-twenties but Evike is so dumb I could not relate to her at all. None of her relationships are healthy - the Yehuli want her to convert (they also help her but they are very interested in her joining them), her love interest is a coward and also her jailer, her whole village physically and verbally abused her. Her life was shit and I would have left all of them in the dirt. It makes zero sense to return to her abusers.
The plot is a lot of walking, being horny, being angry, being horny, plans backfiring, suffering deadly injuries but surviving them, more being horny and more walking. Somewhere in there were aspects of accepting yourself, growing into your powers (and loosing them), and conflicts about religions and cultures clashing which suffered greatly under all the rest.
The plot is a lot of walking, being horny, being angry, being horny, plans backfiring, suffering deadly injuries but surviving them, more being horny and more walking. Somewhere in there were aspects of accepting yourself, growing into your powers (and loosing them), and conflicts about religions and cultures clashing which suffered greatly under all the rest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Colonisation, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Death of parent, Abandonment, Antisemitism, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Blood, Gore, Grief, Toxic relationship, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexism, Sexual content, and Torture
sarai00's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Gore
averi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Death, Murder, Self harm, War, Antisemitism, Body horror, Blood, Gore, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Ableism
marleywrites's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.25
Gáspár was my favorite character in this story, I was very pleased with how much we got to dig into his narrative and character arc. He and Évike are a really dynamic couple, this was enemies to lovers done right!!
Évike’s character has been through so much trauma, that when she finally grasped the truth of her magic, I was cheering for her. When she finally was able to wade through her trauma and get a handle on it later in the novel, I was so happy for her. The journey was rough, but we really see a lot of growth in Évike in this story. She experiences countless betrayals and is bullied relentlessly by not only her wolf-girl family, but also by the king and Nándor.
I really appreciated the comparison to Christianity, from a Jewish perspective. Reading this story made me want to dig into the stories and learn more about this religion.
Another aspect I really enjoyed was the travel involved. The journey itself was very engaging due to the beautiful depictions of nature, but I I loved meeting all the different creatures in the story. It was fascinating to see these mythological creatures come to life on the page.
Ava Reid’s writing really impresses me- it’s lyrical and lush and I can really feel every emotion and see everything just as the character sees it. I read their book <i>Juniper and Thorn</i> before this book, so I wasn’t sure if I’d find it as good. But honestly I loved both novels a lot and look forward to reading more books by Reid.
Évike’s character has been through so much trauma, that when she finally grasped the truth of her magic, I was cheering for her. When she finally was able to wade through her trauma and get a handle on it later in the novel, I was so happy for her. The journey was rough, but we really see a lot of growth in Évike in this story. She experiences countless betrayals and is bullied relentlessly by not only her wolf-girl family, but also by the king and Nándor.
I really appreciated the comparison to Christianity, from a Jewish perspective. Reading this story made me want to dig into the stories and learn more about this religion.
Another aspect I really enjoyed was the travel involved. The journey itself was very engaging due to the beautiful depictions of nature, but I I loved meeting all the different creatures in the story. It was fascinating to see these mythological creatures come to life on the page.
Ava Reid’s writing really impresses me- it’s lyrical and lush and I can really feel every emotion and see everything just as the character sees it. I read their book <i>Juniper and Thorn</i> before this book, so I wasn’t sure if I’d find it as good. But honestly I loved both novels a lot and look forward to reading more books by Reid.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Body horror, Blood, and Animal death
Moderate: Torture, Religious bigotry, Murder, Bullying, Death of parent, Death, and Genocide
Minor: Sexual harassment, Body shaming, and War
I’m not sure if racism was the best word to use but they were discriminating against the Yehuli people based on their religion and blood. Wasn’t sure what to call that other than religious bigotry and racism/ethnicity based discrimination.