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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
This book was absolutely incredible and hands down my favorite in the series. The main characters were mostly female which is incredibly refreshing for fantasy, especially considering it released in 1990. I also really appreciated Ursula's afterword regarding the social and political themes in the series and how she needed time to experience her own life as a woman before writing from an older woman's perspective.
What I enjoy most in these books are the words of wisdom spoken between various characters as they have discussions on many aspects of their own lives and the world at large. This book in particular had some really fantastic exchanges between Tenar, Moss, Therru, Ged, and Arren, the ones with Tenar, Moss, and Therru being my favorites.
This whole series is great and one I've been meaning to read for a long time. I binge-listened to the first four books in the past two months (about to start Tales from Earthsea), watched the Studio Ghibli adaptation of Tales from Earthsea, and I have no regrets. There's so much heart here, and personally that's the main ingredient I look for in good fantasy writing and writing in general. ❤
Side note since this was an audiobook- the narrator, Jenny Sterlin, did a wonderful job especially with Therru's voice. I wish she narrated them all!
What I enjoy most in these books are the words of wisdom spoken between various characters as they have discussions on many aspects of their own lives and the world at large. This book in particular had some really fantastic exchanges between Tenar, Moss, Therru, Ged, and Arren, the ones with Tenar, Moss, and Therru being my favorites.
This whole series is great and one I've been meaning to read for a long time. I binge-listened to the first four books in the past two months (about to start Tales from Earthsea), watched the Studio Ghibli adaptation of Tales from Earthsea, and I have no regrets. There's so much heart here, and personally that's the main ingredient I look for in good fantasy writing and writing in general. ❤
Side note since this was an audiobook- the narrator, Jenny Sterlin, did a wonderful job especially with Therru's voice. I wish she narrated them all!
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really loved the reflections on power, on man and womanhood, and on freedom. I think I will be thinking about those things for a long time and will continue to come back to those thoughts.
However, the story itself felt a little weak and more of a sketch of a story than actually things happening for logical reasons. I know part of it is because it is a sort of revision of the earlier Earthsea books but I would have appreciated a more coherent story and a little more intrigue to draw my attention.
However, the story itself felt a little weak and more of a sketch of a story than actually things happening for logical reasons. I know part of it is because it is a sort of revision of the earlier Earthsea books but I would have appreciated a more coherent story and a little more intrigue to draw my attention.
honestly i had been finding these books underwhelming up until this one, but decided not to give up on the series because 1) they’re middle grade and i don’t rly like fantasy so i’m not the target audience and 2) i like ursula le guin and i want to know what happens to the characters. i’m so glad i stayed with this because this book was so good and i’m going to be thinking about it a lot. this also was a lot more adult than the previous books, which might be part of why i enjoyed it more. i love when a book is a conversation the author has with themself, and le guin is one of the best at it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Sexism, Violence
I didn’t think I could love a book more than The Tombs of Atuan. Tehanu is perfect. The first three books of Earthsea are tales of great feats and adventure. Tehanu is about a deeper kind of magic and the fight for a place in a rigid and unrelenting world. It’s a story that can exist outside of Earthsea but also must exist within it. Tenar is one of the strongest characters ever committed to the page. She does not hide her true name because her power comes from living openly and courageously. A lesson for our own world from the land of fiction.
This was very much a follow up from The Tombs of Atuan. It isn’t as grand an adventure as Wizard or Farthest Shore, but focuses on one island and the story there. I feel like I was hoping for something more on a grand scale, so was disappointed not to see it in this one, when I had it in the previous book. I did enjoy having a continuation of Tenar’s story. However, I did not absolutely love this book From what I have read of the rest of the books in this world, this is helping set up for them. I am hoping I enjoy those a little more than I enjoyed this one.