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elisergray's review against another edition
4.0
Patricia McKillip's language is incredibly beautiful and lyrical. I'm heading to the library to search for more of her books--it's been too long! One of my students saw that I was currently reading this book, however, and asked "What's it about?" I responded with, "Um..." It seemed very difficult to explain. It was full of magic that I didn't really understand and couldn't explain, but somehow that didn't matter. It was about a world where things didn't make sense, but that was perfectly okay with me.
abbajane's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Really great classic fantasy. The pacing was a little off sometimes, and there were stretches of action/magic that I couldn't quite follow what was happening, but overall an enchanting novel.
xeyra's review against another edition
4.0
I cannot say this one was one of my favourites by this author. I confess that it really didn't grab me much at the beginning and there were times when, during the reading, I became confused. McKillip's writing is beautiful but her metaphors and her symbolism and her flowery dialogue and descriptions in this book would occasionally confuse me and I got lost.
This does not mean I didn't like the book, though, because after a while I started immersing myself in the story, started feeling for the characters (Saro was an especially favourite of mine), loving them and being frustrated by them at times, wanting to know how things would end up for them. I liked the end; it was a fitting one, it had a bittersweet taste to it. It was not the easiest novel to read, no, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, just not as much as the other novels by this author I've had the pleasure of reading recently.
This does not mean I didn't like the book, though, because after a while I started immersing myself in the story, started feeling for the characters (Saro was an especially favourite of mine), loving them and being frustrated by them at times, wanting to know how things would end up for them. I liked the end; it was a fitting one, it had a bittersweet taste to it. It was not the easiest novel to read, no, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, just not as much as the other novels by this author I've had the pleasure of reading recently.
florawr's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
devor's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
rachelmac476's review against another edition
3.0
This is my third Patricia McKillip book and the first that fell a bit flat for me.
While In the Forests of Serre and The Forgotten Beasts of Eld enchanted me, this one didn't quite have the appeal of the former two. Though I found the ending beautiful, the first 2/3rds or 3/4ths of the book weren't quite what I had hoped.
I still have a good size stack of her books waiting for me, though, and have high hopes that there will be plenty more for me to enjoy.
While In the Forests of Serre and The Forgotten Beasts of Eld enchanted me, this one didn't quite have the appeal of the former two. Though I found the ending beautiful, the first 2/3rds or 3/4ths of the book weren't quite what I had hoped.
I still have a good size stack of her books waiting for me, though, and have high hopes that there will be plenty more for me to enjoy.
emmacatereads's review against another edition
1.0
I HATE that I’m rating a McKillip so low. I feel so sad. But this book really didn’t do it for me. It was utterly gorgeous, lyrical, and poignant, much like her other books. It also made very little sense to me. There’s a line between poetic and nonsensical and I think this books crossed it just a few too many times for me personally. Honestly my favorite chapters were the ones with Saro in the kitchen, and the descriptions of the food and the daily goings-on. I didn’t much care for what was going on with Talis and Atrix for most of the book.
t_thekla's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
even when she misses… it’s still a hit
arthurbdd's review against another edition
5.0
Does wonderful things with what would otherwise be fairly cliched material. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2009/05/20/261/