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heabooknerd's review
4.0
SHADEBLOOM was a good conclusion to The Gardener's Hand trilogy and I was glad to see Ev, Thiyo, and Alizhan together at last. Of course, it takes a long time to get there and the majority of the book is spent with the characters separated in various ways. Though I wanted all three together sooner, I did enjoy watching Thiyo and Ev begin to bond as their own couple. And all the distance does make the reunion that much sweeter.
Ev is still definitely my favorite character and I enjoyed seeing her take control and really begin to find her place in the world. Thiyo, who was a bundle of charm in the previous book, was much more grumpy and subdued. I won't spoil it, but he has a good reason for his mood and it was different to see such a serious side to Thiyo. Alizhan also really comes into her own as she finds her independence and begins to see the real side of Iriyat. There was a lot of growth for each character.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and liked the conclusion. My only real complaint is that memory loss/manipulation was a huge factor in the story and may have been overused to advance the plot. It felt like as soon as someone would get their memory back they'd lose it in another way.
Content Warning: References to abuse, torture, homophobia based on sexual orientation and gender identity; main character references almost being raped
Ev is still definitely my favorite character and I enjoyed seeing her take control and really begin to find her place in the world. Thiyo, who was a bundle of charm in the previous book, was much more grumpy and subdued. I won't spoil it, but he has a good reason for his mood and it was different to see such a serious side to Thiyo. Alizhan also really comes into her own as she finds her independence and begins to see the real side of Iriyat. There was a lot of growth for each character.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and liked the conclusion. My only real complaint is that memory loss/manipulation was a huge factor in the story and may have been overused to advance the plot. It felt like as soon as someone would get their memory back they'd lose it in another way.
Content Warning: References to abuse, torture, homophobia based on sexual orientation and gender identity; main character references almost being raped
achingallover's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Grief, Racism, Sexual content, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Murder
theduchess93's review against another edition
5.0
I wish I could give this book seven stars out of five. Or a hundred. What an absolutely phenomenal end to my favorite series in years!! Felicia Davin should just write everything from now on because she seems to be one of the few authors who actually follows through with plotlines and does not queerbait in the slightest.
millbot's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
4.5
Loved every second of this trilogy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
freya_amber's review
4.5
Switched to an ebook with this one and it was much better. The audiobook narration isn't bad, but it made the books feel slower and less exciting.
lautir's review
5.0
I came into this series knowing basically nothing about it and now it's easily one of my top trilogies for the year.
Book one set the stage well, exploring the socio-political life of a seaside town, introducing our main antagonists and protagonist. Then books 2 and 3 take us on the tour of the larger world and all the different ways of living that there are in the world before bringing us back to the seaside town for it's the dramatic conclusion.
Davin has crafted a unique world, one that's tide-locked to its sun. Meaning the part of the planet that's facing the sun is always the same. This makes it so there are cities in permanent sunlight and cities in permanent dark.
One of my favourite things Davin does is really flesh out the antagonist's story. In the first book you can find yourself feeling sorry for her, possibly even taking her side. She had redeeming qualities and an admiral goal, but her methods are inexcusable. Davin does a great job of creating a villain with lots of depth as well as one who instills fear.
And the queer rep! We have a central f/f relationship which is why I started the series in the first place. Every letter in LGBT is here and there is even a genderfluid MC in the 2nd book onwards. And then a burgeoning polyship between the MCs and wow it's so nice to see this made explicit and not just hinted at. There is very much a love story at the center of this series but it's also very focused on found families and getting out of abusive relationships.
Overall, some of my fave fantasy I've read in years and I'm excited to see what Davin writes next!
Book one set the stage well, exploring the socio-political life of a seaside town, introducing our main antagonists and protagonist. Then books 2 and 3 take us on the tour of the larger world and all the different ways of living that there are in the world before bringing us back to the seaside town for it's the dramatic conclusion.
Davin has crafted a unique world, one that's tide-locked to its sun. Meaning the part of the planet that's facing the sun is always the same. This makes it so there are cities in permanent sunlight and cities in permanent dark.
One of my favourite things Davin does is really flesh out the antagonist's story. In the first book you can find yourself feeling sorry for her, possibly even taking her side. She had redeeming qualities and an admiral goal, but her methods are inexcusable. Davin does a great job of creating a villain with lots of depth as well as one who instills fear.
And the queer rep! We have a central f/f relationship which is why I started the series in the first place. Every letter in LGBT is here and there is even a genderfluid MC in the 2nd book onwards. And then a burgeoning polyship between the MCs and wow it's so nice to see this made explicit and not just hinted at. There is very much a love story at the center of this series but it's also very focused on found families and getting out of abusive relationships.
Overall, some of my fave fantasy I've read in years and I'm excited to see what Davin writes next!
lilymouse's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
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? No
5.0
I have yet to relinquish my awe for the first two books; this last one has just increased it tenfold. I honestly have no words to describe the brilliance and moving story that I just consumed but I know it has consumed me in return. Beautiful.
ruth_miranda's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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? N/A
5.0
The Gardener's Handbook has become one of my favourite fantasy tales not only in the indie publishing world, but the trad as well. To say Felicia Davin has created something beautiful and that will stay with me is putting it mildly - this trilogy has in fact inspired and influenced my own writing through the uniqueness of her characters - everyone of them with their peculiarities so well-fleshed and exposed to the reader in such organic ways - to the beauty of her worldbuilding. The entire trilogy felt diverse without it being indoctrinating, like so many similar works I've read through the years, and the relationships and ties between characters did not feel odd or untrue to character, or even forced, like some readers commented - to me, they felt very obvious and foreshadowed in the previous books. I enjoyed the conclusion of the trilogy, though there were a few tidbits I wish had been further explored and perhaps a bit more explained, but all in all, i'm sure i'll be reading these books again. And Iriyat will always be one of my favourite villains EVER!
electrumempousa's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
What a perfect fitting ending to this trilogy. I loved getting to explore more of the world. Thiyo’s journey was so heartbreaking but such an important part of his development. Amazing to see them all get their happy ending. Really great look at what can happen to somebody when they experience something traumatic and how it can change you. Will go done as one of my favourite series.
eemms's review against another edition
4.0
A really great conclusion. Again, loved seeing more of this world. I don't want to say too much because the joy of discovery was high in this book. Where they go, who they find there, it all unfolds in a really engaging way.
I really liked Thiyo's path in this book, he goes through a very personal struggle that made him a lot more sympathetic as a character (to me at least). At the end of book 2, I wasn't expecting a poly ending (or at least if it had ended that way without more growth, I wouldn't have really bought it), but book 3 sold me on it.
My one critique is the pacing of the ending had a bit of a hiccup. Overall though, really good.
I really liked Thiyo's path in this book, he goes through a very personal struggle that made him a lot more sympathetic as a character (to me at least). At the end of book 2, I wasn't expecting a poly ending (or at least if it had ended that way without more growth, I wouldn't have really bought it), but book 3 sold me on it.
My one critique is the pacing of the ending had a bit of a hiccup. Overall though, really good.