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ipanzica's review
4.0
This was an interesting fantasy story with multiple strong female characters. While I liked the main storyline with Axis and Kane, I found many of the subplots dull. It also took me longer to get into this book than usual but it was worth it since the ending of the book was great.
themarnacle's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely fantastic story. As are all of Patricia A. McKillip's books. Loved every moment of it.
stephenmeansme's review against another edition
4.0
Everything I wanted OD MAGIC to be.
Seriously! You've got a restive princess, a school of magic, an old lady wizard, the discovery of strange magic...
Only this time McKillip brings the McKillip from page 1, so rather than reintroducing McKillippy magic into the world we get the fairy-tale aesthetic of THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD and the history-mixing-with-the-present of OMBRIA IN SHADOW. The character relationships are better, too, and while the climax pays off in a pretty expected way, the story was overall quite satisfying.
4 stars.
Seriously! You've got a restive princess, a school of magic, an old lady wizard, the discovery of strange magic...
Only this time McKillip brings the McKillip from page 1, so rather than reintroducing McKillippy magic into the world we get the fairy-tale aesthetic of THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD and the history-mixing-with-the-present of OMBRIA IN SHADOW. The character relationships are better, too, and while the climax pays off in a pretty expected way, the story was overall quite satisfying.
4 stars.
humvee's review against another edition
3.0
An intriguing tale, slow to start but with a satisfying end
I have read a lot of Patricia McKillip's fantasy novels. In the end, I enjoyed this story. But it takes a great long time to take shape. I do like getting lost in the worlds she creates for us, and her characters are interesting and likeable. Not every author gifts us with such.
I have read a lot of Patricia McKillip's fantasy novels. In the end, I enjoyed this story. But it takes a great long time to take shape. I do like getting lost in the worlds she creates for us, and her characters are interesting and likeable. Not every author gifts us with such.
crocheta's review
5.0
At first, I was a bit confused with the beginning as everything seemed to be apart, but eventually, all the stories converge and I couldn't stop reading, I needed to know how it ended.
rebelbelle13's review
4.0
Alphabet of Thorn was beautiful in a way I'm not sure I was expecting. This was a cover buy for me, and I'm not sorry for it. This is my first read by this author, and I truly enjoyed the experience. The writing is whimsical, flowery, ethereal, and, as several reviewers have stated, like poetry in paragraph form. It reads like a fairy-tale, like something that took place thousands of years ago in a place that no longer exists. It takes awhile to get into, between the language used and the shift in perspectives, but about 100 pages in I found my groove and didn't look back. This is a stand-alone fantasy (a bit rare nowadays) and tells the story of Nepenthe, an orphan in the kingdom of Raine, who works in the kingdom's library translating old languages. She comes across a manuscript written in a language of thorns, and as she translates it, she becomes more and more obsessed with the story.
There are several things I really liked about Alphabet of Thorn:
- Nepenthe and Bourne's relationship is filled with love, kindness, and open communication. The have an instant attraction to each other, have sex, and their relationship blooms from there. There is never any arguments, harsh words, or falling out. Refreshing to see.
- Laidley's relationship with Nepenthe. He loves her, but platonically, and she loves him back the same. There's never a love triangle with him and Bourne, and Laidley supports Nepenthe in all she does. Also refreshing to see.
- Kane's willingness to throw away everything for what she wants and never looks back. She finds a way to get what she wants and goes for it.
- The woods are magical, and anything can happen in them. If you have a magical talent, they speak to you and show you things. If not, it is just a gorgeous wood.
- Tessera is a young queen, but already very wise. She mostly listens and learns. When faced with the inevitable, she faces it bravely.
- Vevay, Tessera's mage, is very supportive of the young queen, and has no designs on the throne.
- There is little to no exposition. You also aren't dropped *in media res* and clueless for the first couple chapters. You're given just enough to understand the plot and the setting, and no more.
- That ending. I wasn't expecting it, and it was different from most everything I have read before. It was surprising, and brought everything in the story together really nicely.
All in all, this was a very positive story. The characters supported one another, there wasn't any negative language or emotions, and the whole thing just felt good.
The downsides? As I've mentioned, the language is a bit tough to follow, and I think there were a few too many perspectives. Also, the ending was too short for my liking. I wished we could have gotten just one or two more chapters. All in all, this was a pleasant reading experience, and I can't wait to read more from this author!
There are several things I really liked about Alphabet of Thorn:
- Nepenthe and Bourne's relationship is filled with love, kindness, and open communication. The have an instant attraction to each other, have sex, and their relationship blooms from there. There is never any arguments, harsh words, or falling out. Refreshing to see.
- Laidley's relationship with Nepenthe. He loves her, but platonically, and she loves him back the same. There's never a love triangle with him and Bourne, and Laidley supports Nepenthe in all she does. Also refreshing to see.
- Kane's willingness to throw away everything for what she wants and never looks back. She finds a way to get what she wants and goes for it.
- The woods are magical, and anything can happen in them. If you have a magical talent, they speak to you and show you things. If not, it is just a gorgeous wood.
- Tessera is a young queen, but already very wise. She mostly listens and learns. When faced with the inevitable, she faces it bravely.
- Vevay, Tessera's mage, is very supportive of the young queen, and has no designs on the throne.
- There is little to no exposition. You also aren't dropped *in media res* and clueless for the first couple chapters. You're given just enough to understand the plot and the setting, and no more.
- That ending. I wasn't expecting it, and it was different from most everything I have read before. It was surprising, and brought everything in the story together really nicely.
All in all, this was a very positive story. The characters supported one another, there wasn't any negative language or emotions, and the whole thing just felt good.
The downsides? As I've mentioned, the language is a bit tough to follow, and I think there were a few too many perspectives. Also, the ending was too short for my liking. I wished we could have gotten just one or two more chapters. All in all, this was a pleasant reading experience, and I can't wait to read more from this author!
adru's review
McKillip on mu suur lemmik - pealtnäha lihtsad ja lyhikesed lood, aga nii head.
frappucinno's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
meganac's review against another edition
4.0
“What are the thorns really telling her? It's why she won't let us see them, why she clings to them--or they cling to her--as though she got herself buried in a bramble thicket and she can't get out and we can't get in to free her."
It took me awhile to finish this one, but I rather liked it. It's told in an old-faerytale sort of way, almost dryly, focusing more on the detail of the world in a poetic way than the story itself, but it isn't boring or slow-paced. It reminded me of Arthurian retellings, and a bit like Lord of the Rings. Plus, fantasy worlds with libraries are my heartthrob.
This is the story of a young woman, called Nepenthe, orphaned and left for librarians to raise. When she is grown, she comes to translate a book written in some strange thorny alphabet that seems to call to her in a way other books have never done. She becomes obsessed with the thorns, much to the consternation of her friends. It is the story of a young student mage, unwittingly a force of change in the world by his interactions with Nepenthe. It is the story of a mage hundreds of years old, seeking to protect the kingdom and guide its royals. It is the story of Tessera, a girl thrust into queenship. And it is the story of Axis and Kane.
I loved the detail in this book, as well as the simultaneously explained backstory of Axis and Kane. This is a book that I would recommend, and I have a feeling Axis and Kane will be in my head for the rest of my life.
It took me awhile to finish this one, but I rather liked it. It's told in an old-faerytale sort of way, almost dryly, focusing more on the detail of the world in a poetic way than the story itself, but it isn't boring or slow-paced. It reminded me of Arthurian retellings, and a bit like Lord of the Rings. Plus, fantasy worlds with libraries are my heartthrob.
This is the story of a young woman, called Nepenthe, orphaned and left for librarians to raise. When she is grown, she comes to translate a book written in some strange thorny alphabet that seems to call to her in a way other books have never done. She becomes obsessed with the thorns, much to the consternation of her friends. It is the story of a young student mage, unwittingly a force of change in the world by his interactions with Nepenthe. It is the story of a mage hundreds of years old, seeking to protect the kingdom and guide its royals. It is the story of Tessera, a girl thrust into queenship. And it is the story of Axis and Kane.
I loved the detail in this book, as well as the simultaneously explained backstory of Axis and Kane. This is a book that I would recommend, and I have a feeling Axis and Kane will be in my head for the rest of my life.
synoptic_view's review
Really not sure how I felt about this one. For the first half of the book, it was heavy on tropes: orphan girl with a mysterious past working in an ancient library is embroiled in a love triangle. Nothing wrong with tropes per se, but I wasn't getting much out of them in this arraingment.
Things started picking up once the story within a story about Axis and Kane--the unstoppable king and his sorcerer-lover--developed more. The writing of that story was snappy and the plot was more novel. The frame story's writing was more stilted and relied too much on contrived puns about thorns, fish, and the like.
At the same time, I would love to discuss the story with someone who has read it and has more depth of experience with fantasy, fable, and precocious librarians who may or may not wear bell bandoliers (nudge, nudge Carly!). There might be more to this than I am getting, and with how easily this story went down, I am happy to read more by McKillip.
Things started picking up once the story within a story about Axis and Kane--the unstoppable king and his sorcerer-lover--developed more. The writing of that story was snappy and the plot was more novel. The frame story's writing was more stilted and relied too much on contrived puns about thorns, fish, and the like.
At the same time, I would love to discuss the story with someone who has read it and has more depth of experience with fantasy, fable, and precocious librarians who may or may not wear bell bandoliers (nudge, nudge Carly!). There might be more to this than I am getting, and with how easily this story went down, I am happy to read more by McKillip.