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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
This might be my favorite Kristin Cashore book ever. I absolutely loved it. I loooooved reading books with animal characters when I was little, and no one does it better than Kristin Cashore! Also... I really thought at one point that I was crafty and figured out the twist/mystery but I was not even CLOSE. She totally, totally shocked me with how it all came together and I was thrilled about it. Masterful.
This book is, in most ways, nothing like Hunger Games, but there are two specific similarities: 1. Hava is very Katniss-esque in that she's a fascinating character to read but probably would be a little difficult to like/connect with IRL. She takes a little getting used to, but I loved her so much by the end. 2. This book doesn't downplay traumatic experiences. One of the things Suzanne Collins does really well is show the very, very real and long-lasting effects of the trauma that Katniss and Peeta experienced in the arena. The whole story isn't about that trauma, but they don't just bounce back overnight. This book is the same. Hava struggles to come to terms with everything that has happened to her in a way that's very relatable, and I thought her emotional experiences were really beautifully crafted. Overall, it's a hell yes in every way!!!
This book is, in most ways, nothing like Hunger Games, but there are two specific similarities: 1. Hava is very Katniss-esque in that she's a fascinating character to read but probably would be a little difficult to like/connect with IRL. She takes a little getting used to, but I loved her so much by the end. 2. This book doesn't downplay traumatic experiences. One of the things Suzanne Collins does really well is show the very, very real and long-lasting effects of the trauma that Katniss and Peeta experienced in the arena. The whole story isn't about that trauma, but they don't just bounce back overnight. This book is the same. Hava struggles to come to terms with everything that has happened to her in a way that's very relatable, and I thought her emotional experiences were really beautifully crafted. Overall, it's a hell yes in every way!!!
This was a very interesting read. To follow Hava (the main character) through this story. Hava developed nicely throughout the book alongside the plot line. I was intrigued by the blurb as to what this book was going to entail. I am grateful that I have read this book the author was very clever with her writing style which kept me gripped to the storyline and made me want to know what was going to happen next. With how the story ended I felt like it gave closure to the story.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
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
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape
I love these characters they are my babies I treasure them
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't like whiney main characters, and that's all Hava did. understandably she is traumatized and I'm glad to see that she had character progression and lived beyond her sisters shadow. but I'm glad that arc is over. I found more interest in the other characters.
adventurous
inspiring
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:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Seasparrow might more aptly be called the care and feeding of foxes since a lot of the book is spent on that. This book focuses on Hava, Bitterblue’s half sister that the was hidden away most of her life to protect her from the evil king. She isn’t as easy to read a PoV from since she still has a lot of residual anger and hurt from that time in her life that seems to seep out at strange times.
Hava is Bitterblue’s spy most of the time. Her grace is to be able to look like something else in the room. A barrel, curtain or a statue and then she can evesdrop and learn secrets for the good of the kingdom. She likes having a purpose and she loves Bitterblue but she is also full of angst and anger and since the book is from her PoV it is a bit difficult to relate to sometimes.
If you like character driven stories then this is probably going to work for you in a lot of ways. For me, I got bored through the long sections of first sailing and then trekking across a frozen expanse after being shipwrecked. There were some small intrigues on the ship that were interesting especially with the finding of another blue fox but other than that a lot of it is just talking and being inside Hava’s head.
I did better once they were back in the Kingdom and working some political intrigues instead of just trying to survive. Hava is so broken in so many ways and lashes out at so many around her that care about her. Caring for the baby foxes helps her for sure to learn how to love and care for something and heal a little but overall, she is just prickly.
I liked the conclusion to the book, however I don’t think we needed so many pages to get there, that was the struggle for me. It seemed like a good third of the book is about the foxes and fox babies while cute not really plot driving.
"I want you to know why I'm angry... I want you to know why I'm mean. The anger inside me is too big. If I look at it too close, I feel too much grief to survive."
Hava is Bitterblue’s spy most of the time. Her grace is to be able to look like something else in the room. A barrel, curtain or a statue and then she can evesdrop and learn secrets for the good of the kingdom. She likes having a purpose and she loves Bitterblue but she is also full of angst and anger and since the book is from her PoV it is a bit difficult to relate to sometimes.
If you like character driven stories then this is probably going to work for you in a lot of ways. For me, I got bored through the long sections of first sailing and then trekking across a frozen expanse after being shipwrecked. There were some small intrigues on the ship that were interesting especially with the finding of another blue fox but other than that a lot of it is just talking and being inside Hava’s head.
I did better once they were back in the Kingdom and working some political intrigues instead of just trying to survive. Hava is so broken in so many ways and lashes out at so many around her that care about her. Caring for the baby foxes helps her for sure to learn how to love and care for something and heal a little but overall, she is just prickly.
I liked the conclusion to the book, however I don’t think we needed so many pages to get there, that was the struggle for me. It seemed like a good third of the book is about the foxes and fox babies while cute not really plot driving.
adventurous
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is difficult in that it is from the pov of an unreliable narrator with a lot of issues. The problem with this is that you need to deal with a character blowing up at other characters being nice to them; which wouldn't be a problem if it didn't keep happening for over 300 pages. Once developement starts to happen the introspection is interesting, but god I wish it took less time to get there.