Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5 Stars - I'm rounding up as ultimately this is a incredibly well done book, the different style compared to the rest of the series took some getting used to. And well, this is a bleak hard book in a lot of ways.
This entire book is in a lot of ways a coming of age drama even though Hava is no longer a child. Her grace is one of hiding and makes her whole life one of loneliness and isolation. She's socially still fairly inept and isn't sure that connections with others is even something that she wants. Since the only perspective we get in this book, unlike others in the series, is Hava's we really get to know her. Hava isn't always pleasant. She's sharp tongued and quick to anger. She doesn't know how to relate to people trying to help her, or teach her. She pushes back against being asked to do things and nothing ever seems to be easy with her. But an ocean voyage in the winter, entrapped upon a ship with few outlets, starts Hava's own internal investigation and questioning. A shipwreck and the isolation, tragedy, and trials that the group much endure just compounds Hava's self analysis.
This journey is long and arduous. It forces Hava to address her own selfishness and upon discovery of a kidnapped blue fox, puts front and center Hava's inability to ignore someone in pain and trapped. She knows what it's like to be hidden away and damaged because of it. She's determined to rescue the blue fox and punish those responsible.
I found the first half of this book was hard. Hava isn't very likeable to begin with. Her sharp tongue and inability to let people in makes her very difficult to empathize with. But somehow I still kept rooting for her to find her way out of her own mental anguish and to realize that not all connections with people are bad. She has so much anger towards her past and her father, moving on isn't going to be easy for her.
The journey across the ice and snow is arduous and Kristin Cashore's writing is evocative. You really do feel the bleakness of their plight. The last third of the book really does pick up pace and the addition of the fox kits makes everything more enjoyable. I appreciated all of the change that Hava was going through while also still feeling trapped not just in her past, but in the miles of ice they barely escaped from.
I love this series. I do hope we get another book here. There's so much more to be explored. I hope to see Hava continue to develop as a person.
This entire book is in a lot of ways a coming of age drama even though Hava is no longer a child. Her grace is one of hiding and makes her whole life one of loneliness and isolation. She's socially still fairly inept and isn't sure that connections with others is even something that she wants. Since the only perspective we get in this book, unlike others in the series, is Hava's we really get to know her. Hava isn't always pleasant. She's sharp tongued and quick to anger. She doesn't know how to relate to people trying to help her, or teach her. She pushes back against being asked to do things and nothing ever seems to be easy with her. But an ocean voyage in the winter, entrapped upon a ship with few outlets, starts Hava's own internal investigation and questioning. A shipwreck and the isolation, tragedy, and trials that the group much endure just compounds Hava's self analysis.
This journey is long and arduous. It forces Hava to address her own selfishness and upon discovery of a kidnapped blue fox, puts front and center Hava's inability to ignore someone in pain and trapped. She knows what it's like to be hidden away and damaged because of it. She's determined to rescue the blue fox and punish those responsible.
I found the first half of this book was hard. Hava isn't very likeable to begin with. Her sharp tongue and inability to let people in makes her very difficult to empathize with. But somehow I still kept rooting for her to find her way out of her own mental anguish and to realize that not all connections with people are bad. She has so much anger towards her past and her father, moving on isn't going to be easy for her.
The journey across the ice and snow is arduous and Kristin Cashore's writing is evocative. You really do feel the bleakness of their plight. The last third of the book really does pick up pace and the addition of the fox kits makes everything more enjoyable. I appreciated all of the change that Hava was going through while also still feeling trapped not just in her past, but in the miles of ice they barely escaped from.
I love this series. I do hope we get another book here. There's so much more to be explored. I hope to see Hava continue to develop as a person.
Wow. Like, this book is genius. Not necessarily for me, but achingly beautiful and utterly successful at what it sets out to do.
This is a slow, melancholic character study. It's about Hava, who was severely neglected as a child, coming to terms with her trauma and finding ways to make friends. In the background, there's also a shipwreck and a cute telepathic fox.
This is a slow, melancholic character study. It's about Hava, who was severely neglected as a child, coming to terms with her trauma and finding ways to make friends. In the background, there's also a shipwreck and a cute telepathic fox.
It was too long for my liking. I did really enjoy the first-person narration, which was surprising! Also, after being in Fire, Bitterblue, and Giddon's brain for so long, it was delightful to return to a Katsa-esque fucked up main character (not that those three aren't fucked up, but you know what I mean).
I think that a lot of this could have been trimmed and shortened, especially since we'd all figured out the resolution on like, page 450. The last fifth of the book was saved by Raffin and Bann being delightful, secret weddings, and screaming fox kits obsessed with bees.
As always, I love Cashore's writing and her characters, so my main qualms are with the plot. All the dialogues were mwah chef's kiss. I desire Giddon carnally and I am a lesbian. We exist.
I think that a lot of this could have been trimmed and shortened, especially since we'd all figured out the resolution on like, page 450. The last fifth of the book was saved by Raffin and Bann being delightful, secret weddings, and screaming fox kits obsessed with bees.
As always, I love Cashore's writing and her characters, so my main qualms are with the plot. All the dialogues were mwah chef's kiss. I desire Giddon carnally and I am a lesbian. We exist.
Waffled over how to rate this book for the longest time. I think it's 3.5 stars but it's unfair to previous books in the series — which are proper 4-stars — to round up.
Fresh off the various disappointments of Winterkeep, I nearly DNF'ed this book 5 to 6 times in the first 20%. My intense dislike of the immature, sometimes weirdly contemporary voice of the last book bubbled up almost immediately, the delightful acidity of Hava's voice from before suddenly mired in My name is Percy Jackson, I'm 12 years old-style, first-person narration. There's nothing wrong with PJ, or middle grade — it just didn't line up with the voice I felt I'd heard Hava use previously.
It's the Baby-Sitters Club recap chapters, for me, almost all of which swing between recounting Winterkeep (which I unfortunately remember) and Hava sharing her fascination with ships and sailing with what feels like the enthusiasm and syntax of a small child who loves something far past the point of caring whether anyone else is interested. ("This is aft! This is rigging!" Thank you! I get it!)
However. As soon as it settles in and goes, it GOES.
I was both delighted and relieved by Cashore's return to character-driven writing, complete with pacing that feels odd or lopsided until you realize which narrative expectations she's purposely upending. It might not work for everyone, and I feel like some of the bigger themes didn't fully cohere in the end, but I love the tight focus on Hava's internal life enough to enjoy the ride. The callbacks to Hava's traumas, old and new, and her difficult reckoning with them make this book feel spiritually much closer to Bitterblue for me, in the best way. I'd be chugging right along and then suddenly weeping at Hava's astonishment that people admire, respect, and love her.
Something has undoubtedly shifted in Cashore's writing and how her work's being edited, and I mourn the loss because I think it's a difference in both heft and cohesion, but occasionally there's a line like, "If we must be trapped, let there be something we can do about it. Even if it hurts." — and I'm back in, honestly. She's writing towards the current moment, for young readers whom I hope will be buoyed by it.
Fresh off the various disappointments of Winterkeep, I nearly DNF'ed this book 5 to 6 times in the first 20%. My intense dislike of the immature, sometimes weirdly contemporary voice of the last book bubbled up almost immediately, the delightful acidity of Hava's voice from before suddenly mired in My name is Percy Jackson, I'm 12 years old-style, first-person narration. There's nothing wrong with PJ, or middle grade — it just didn't line up with the voice I felt I'd heard Hava use previously.
It's the Baby-Sitters Club recap chapters, for me, almost all of which swing between recounting Winterkeep (which I unfortunately remember) and Hava sharing her fascination with ships and sailing with what feels like the enthusiasm and syntax of a small child who loves something far past the point of caring whether anyone else is interested. ("This is aft! This is rigging!" Thank you! I get it!)
However. As soon as it settles in and goes, it GOES.
I was both delighted and relieved by Cashore's return to character-driven writing, complete with pacing that feels odd or lopsided until you realize which narrative expectations she's purposely upending. It might not work for everyone, and I feel like some of the bigger themes didn't fully cohere in the end, but I love the tight focus on Hava's internal life enough to enjoy the ride. The callbacks to Hava's traumas, old and new, and her difficult reckoning with them make this book feel spiritually much closer to Bitterblue for me, in the best way. I'd be chugging right along and then suddenly weeping at Hava's astonishment that people admire, respect, and love her.
Something has undoubtedly shifted in Cashore's writing and how her work's being edited, and I mourn the loss because I think it's a difference in both heft and cohesion, but occasionally there's a line like, "If we must be trapped, let there be something we can do about it. Even if it hurts." — and I'm back in, honestly. She's writing towards the current moment, for young readers whom I hope will be buoyed by it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟
I hated the first 200ish pages, and ended up temporarily DNFing it because it was such a slog to get through. I decided to push myself through finishing it recently and ended up loving the rest! I cried twice nearer the end, and I loved the growth of the main character - Hava - so much! I didn’t like her going into this, but as I got to know her more I ended up really relating to her, and I was so happy at how her story played out. But I don’t want to base my rating off of only the ending, but anything less than 5 stars feels like it doesn’t encapsulate how this book made me feel! Also Linny was so amazing (and they are so nonbinary coded it’s insane).
Also I headcannon Hava as autistic and asexual
I hated the first 200ish pages, and ended up temporarily DNFing it because it was such a slog to get through. I decided to push myself through finishing it recently and ended up loving the rest! I cried twice nearer the end, and I loved the growth of the main character - Hava - so much! I didn’t like her going into this, but as I got to know her more I ended up really relating to her, and I was so happy at how her story played out. But I don’t want to base my rating off of only the ending, but anything less than 5 stars feels like it doesn’t encapsulate how this book made me feel! Also Linny was so amazing (and they are so nonbinary coded it’s insane).
Also I headcannon Hava as autistic and asexual
Seasparrow was a slow but beautiful character study of a familiar Graceling Realm character, Hava. I have been interested in Hava ever since she was first introduced as a 16-year-old in Bitterblue. In the last book, Winterkeep, I loved getting to see Hava’s relationships with Bitterblue and Giddon and her adventures in Winterkeep as a 21-year-old. Seasparrow picks up right where Winterkeep left off, which was a real treat. While Winterkeep followed a cast of different characters in third person POV, Seasparrow is told exclusively by Hava in first person POV.
Hava is funny, blunt, endearing, caring, and cold all at the same time. Her voice was distinct and unique, and I was sad to part with it when the story ended. I really loved seeing Hava thrive onboard the Monsea and also loved seeing her relationship with Linny and the others develop. As in Winterkeep, the foxes were my favorite part of the story. I absolutely adored that, while Hava had a difficult time understanding and relating to other people, she could easily love and understand the foxes.
I think, if you have enjoyed the other Graceling Realm books, Seasparrow is well worth your time, although it does feel different from the others in many ways. I hope that Kristin Cashore chooses to write more books set in this universe!
Hava is funny, blunt, endearing, caring, and cold all at the same time. Her voice was distinct and unique, and I was sad to part with it when the story ended. I really loved seeing Hava thrive onboard the Monsea and also loved seeing her relationship with Linny and the others develop. As in Winterkeep, the foxes were my favorite part of the story. I absolutely adored that, while Hava had a difficult time understanding and relating to other people, she could easily love and understand the foxes.
I think, if you have enjoyed the other Graceling Realm books, Seasparrow is well worth your time, although it does feel different from the others in many ways. I hope that Kristin Cashore chooses to write more books set in this universe!
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
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