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scifi_rat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Plot: 4★
Prose: 4★
Pace: 3.5★
Concept/Execution: 4★/3★
Characters: 3.5★
Worldbuilding: 3★
Ending: 3★
Prose: 4★
Pace: 3.5★
Concept/Execution: 4★/3★
Characters: 3.5★
Worldbuilding: 3★
Ending: 3★
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Animal death, Pregnancy, Sexism, Medical content, Miscarriage, Death, and Violence
Minor: Torture, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child death, Confinement, Infidelity, and Animal cruelty
laurenelisewrites's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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
I am madly in love with this story. I need a movie adaptation ASAP.
A few of the million things I love about this book? The magic system - soft and mysterious and whimsical. The faerie tale influences - familiar tropes and characters with a new twist. Fantasy and light horror intertwined to create a world so unique and dense and perfect. THE CHARACTERS. Marra makes me feel so seen. I relate to her internal struggles and feelings and humor so deeply! The found family, each peculiar member, has made a home in my heart forever. The writing - which has taught me so much about what truly makes a story moving and immersive. How you don't need three pages of setting description to immerse a reader.
My favorite quote: "It was hard to be frightened of the unknown when the unknown kept chickens."
A few of the million things I love about this book? The magic system - soft and mysterious and whimsical. The faerie tale influences - familiar tropes and characters with a new twist. Fantasy and light horror intertwined to create a world so unique and dense and perfect. THE CHARACTERS. Marra makes me feel so seen. I relate to her internal struggles and feelings and humor so deeply! The found family, each peculiar member, has made a home in my heart forever. The writing - which has taught me so much about what truly makes a story moving and immersive. How you don't need three pages of setting description to immerse a reader.
My favorite quote: "It was hard to be frightened of the unknown when the unknown kept chickens."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, and Child death
Moderate: Violence, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Death, and Physical abuse
Minor: Grief
fraeyalise's review
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
This book was incredibly hard to read at the beginning, especially having a baby recently, and having a relatively traumatic pregnancy.
It's so, so dark at the beginning. I almost put it down, I was in such horror and despair.
But it does get better, and I am glad I kept going.It is all okay in the end.
It's so, so dark at the beginning. I almost put it down, I was in such horror and despair.
But it does get better, and I am glad I kept going.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Pregnancy
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Child death
Minor: Abortion and Child abuse
queenkath32's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Child death, Confinement, and Miscarriage
fulper's review
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Body horror and Death
erebus53's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This is a book that has been on my radar for a while and I only just got around to it. I had expected a YA feel and was pleasantly impressed that it maintained that while also not over romanticising things. I would probably say it's as good as Hunger Games if not so epic. As a note, the narration is particularly well done, well enunciated and performed.
Big pluses for me include hardly any combat. There is conflict, and problem solving, and awkward conversation, but less cut-and-thrust. We have a fairytale vibe, of 3 impossible quests to start the mission, princesses being all betrothed about the place, a grandmother sage, fairy godmothers, and a demon-possessed chicken (utterly relatable). The star of the show is definitely Bonedog, an undead construct wired together of animated bone, inhabited by a simple pup who barely notices that he doesn't actually have anything left down there to lick.
When Marra realises that her sister is being physically abused by a cruel prince intent on putting an heir in her, she musters up the fortitude to leave the safety of her knitting in the convent, and quests together a party of friends intent on a bit of regicide. The whole story is woven with wry dialogue, wit and fae uncertainty.
Some of the things like the fairy market have some very visceral and unsettling moments. This creates a lot of the sense of immersion and tension that would normally be sword battles and boss fights in a more militant fantasy story. It sticks with me longer though. An encounter with a super-creepy haunted puppet, becomes a lesson about consent.
The male love interest is depicted as noble and honourable eye-candy. Unlike most YA novels this brewing romance is not a fluffy little thing. Coming from a place of mutual respect, probable mortal peril, and traumatic experiences, Marra and Fenris develop a relationship over the course of the book, and they take their sweet time coming to a point of mutual comfort with the idea.
Reminds me of that joke about being an adult; realising that the most "Grown Up drink" you can have is not coffee or booze, but water. (I notice that the old woman recognises Fenris as being a wolfish name, but otherwise it is not mentioned.)
Well worth a read if you are into fantasy stuff with strong female characters. Bits of this vibe with me along the lines of Neil Gaiman, Jim Henson, Studio Ghibli and the like. Glad I finally found myself a copy!
Big pluses for me include hardly any combat. There is conflict, and problem solving, and awkward conversation, but less cut-and-thrust. We have a fairytale vibe, of 3 impossible quests to start the mission, princesses being all betrothed about the place, a grandmother sage, fairy godmothers, and a demon-possessed chicken (utterly relatable). The star of the show is definitely Bonedog, an undead construct wired together of animated bone, inhabited by a simple pup who barely notices that he doesn't actually have anything left down there to lick.
When Marra realises that her sister is being physically abused by a cruel prince intent on putting an heir in her, she musters up the fortitude to leave the safety of her knitting in the convent, and quests together a party of friends intent on a bit of regicide. The whole story is woven with wry dialogue, wit and fae uncertainty.
Some of the things like the fairy market have some very visceral and unsettling moments. This creates a lot of the sense of immersion and tension that would normally be sword battles and boss fights in a more militant fantasy story. It sticks with me longer though. An encounter with a super-creepy haunted puppet, becomes a lesson about consent.
The male love interest is depicted as noble and honourable eye-candy. Unlike most YA novels this brewing romance is not a fluffy little thing. Coming from a place of mutual respect, probable mortal peril, and traumatic experiences, Marra and Fenris develop a relationship over the course of the book, and they take their sweet time coming to a point of mutual comfort with the idea.
Reminds me of that joke about being an adult; realising that the most "Grown Up drink" you can have is not coffee or booze, but water. (I notice that the old woman recognises Fenris as being a wolfish name, but otherwise it is not mentioned.)
Well worth a read if you are into fantasy stuff with strong female characters. Bits of this vibe with me along the lines of Neil Gaiman, Jim Henson, Studio Ghibli and the like. Glad I finally found myself a copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Child death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Pregnancy, Death, Grief, and Blood
Minor: Sexual violence
trips's review
adventurous
dark
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Story was fun, and a little dark, but felt more YA than Adult? *shrug*
This book feels like a very true dark fairytale in the first half of the book, showing the harrowing realities of childbirth especially in the middle ages, the dark realities of the world Marra lives in and such but as you get further and further into the book, the lighter it gets? I wouldn’t say it gets silly, but the stakes feel a lot less daunting for Marra to overcome. I feel like this is partially because she is gaining a group of people to help her with her task but I also think its because the plot kinda meanders in the like 25% especially and I was just like “holy crap get to the end we know what must be done!”. Regardless of how I felt about the book I think it objectively has some interesting conversations regarding the themes of the book, and I found the prose to be highly engaging and I constantly wanted to return to the book to find out what happened next. This was my first time reading T Kingfisher and I would love to read more from this author, it was overall a nice time.
This book feels like a very true dark fairytale in the first half of the book, showing the harrowing realities of childbirth especially in the middle ages, the dark realities of the world Marra lives in and such but as you get further and further into the book, the lighter it gets? I wouldn’t say it gets silly, but the stakes feel a lot less daunting for Marra to overcome. I feel like this is partially because she is gaining a group of people to help her with her task but I also think its because the plot kinda meanders in the like 25% especially and I was just like “holy crap get to the end we know what must be done!”. Regardless of how I felt about the book I think it objectively has some interesting conversations regarding the themes of the book, and I found the prose to be highly engaging and I constantly wanted to return to the book to find out what happened next. This was my first time reading T Kingfisher and I would love to read more from this author, it was overall a nice time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Body horror, and Animal death
katvou's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Murder, and Body horror
Minor: Blood, Gore, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Torture, Physical abuse, War, Cannibalism, and Violence
toastrats's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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: Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Body horror, and Sexism
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Suicide
anna_fangirling's review
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
slow-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
4.5
This book is different than I expected; it was darker than I anticipated but I loved it. The magic system in this was so cool and unlike anything I’ve read. The descriptions in the book were beautifully worded; while it was filled with dark content and the way it was poetically executed softened the dark. The character’s motivation was compelling, made me care deeply for the main character and rooting for her to succeed.
The pacing was interesting. Less focused on action than expected. Lots of ‘this went somewhere I didn’t expect but this is cool!”. There were some parts that were a bit squicky for me (the tooth scene; if you know, you know).
The pacing was interesting. Less focused on action than expected. Lots of ‘this went somewhere I didn’t expect but this is cool!”. There were some parts that were a bit squicky for me (the tooth scene; if you know, you know).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Child death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, and Body horror
Minor: Cannibalism