Scan barcode
jamiebpen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage and Death
Moderate: Suicide
cballar5's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I received this ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Let me start by saying I should really read descriptions more. I saw selkie and I thought for sure this was a fantasy novel.
Boy was I wrong! Even though this book isn’t what I was looking for, it ended up being very beautiful and touching. I’m not usually big into women’s fiction esque books, but I enjoyed this one.
Definitely a slow moving plot as we follow Esther’s journey. This is more of a book to read to smell the flowers rather than get to the finish line. It was a bit slow for me, but still enjoyable. This is not a one sitting kind of book. It’s absolutely more about the journey, and it is left very open ended.
The characters definitely have development throughout. I also appreciated the short viewpoints from other characters in the book. It was a really nice insight to plot points, plus it gave you a level of empathy for them you may not normally have. At the beginning of this book, all I could think of was how unfair Esther’s parents were. The further we progressed and the more we learned, the reader begins to understand so much more than what is on the surface.
The writing is almost reminiscent of a Brontë novel but more gothic and yet modern perhaps? It was a slow and descriptive read, but well thought out. It seems as though the author did a good bit of research in this one. There’s representation for the lgbt+ community and native communities, and considering where this takes place, offers a good bit of variety.
The main thing this book did for me was fuel my wanderlust. I’d never even heard of the Faroe Islands and now I’m dying to go see them. The music from the region is beautiful. I really loved how the author incorporated different cultures into this book, especially lesser known cultures. It was truly an experience to read. All in all, a good read, but more of a slow read. I think I would’ve enjoyed this more in a different mindset and time, but still wonderful. No regrets about reading it.
Let me start by saying I should really read descriptions more. I saw selkie and I thought for sure this was a fantasy novel.
Boy was I wrong! Even though this book isn’t what I was looking for, it ended up being very beautiful and touching. I’m not usually big into women’s fiction esque books, but I enjoyed this one.
Definitely a slow moving plot as we follow Esther’s journey. This is more of a book to read to smell the flowers rather than get to the finish line. It was a bit slow for me, but still enjoyable. This is not a one sitting kind of book. It’s absolutely more about the journey, and it is left very open ended.
The characters definitely have development throughout. I also appreciated the short viewpoints from other characters in the book. It was a really nice insight to plot points, plus it gave you a level of empathy for them you may not normally have. At the beginning of this book, all I could think of was how unfair Esther’s parents were. The further we progressed and the more we learned, the reader begins to understand so much more than what is on the surface.
The writing is almost reminiscent of a Brontë novel but more gothic and yet modern perhaps? It was a slow and descriptive read, but well thought out. It seems as though the author did a good bit of research in this one. There’s representation for the lgbt+ community and native communities, and considering where this takes place, offers a good bit of variety.
The main thing this book did for me was fuel my wanderlust. I’d never even heard of the Faroe Islands and now I’m dying to go see them. The music from the region is beautiful. I really loved how the author incorporated different cultures into this book, especially lesser known cultures. It was truly an experience to read. All in all, a good read, but more of a slow read. I think I would’ve enjoyed this more in a different mindset and time, but still wonderful. No regrets about reading it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm and Suicide
etalbert95's review against another edition
Too much ambiguity and the spiritual elements are confusing. Definitely not my scene.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
livcashmere's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Miscarriage, Child death, Death, Infertility, Mental illness, and Suicide
aloserful's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Miscarriage, Suicide, Death, Infertility, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy
poogi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Miscarriage
erica_cb's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Alcohol, Death, and Miscarriage
Minor: Animal death, Self harm, Pregnancy, Mental illness, and Vomit
erynn223's review against another edition
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage and Suicide
bookstorian's review against another edition
4.5
One year after the disappearance of her sister Aurora, Esther returns home for her memorial. Despite the time Esther and her family still cannot come to terms with her disappearance and so she travels from Tasmania to Copenhagen and then to the Faroe Islands along with Aurora’s diary in search of answers. A deeply moving and masterfully written novel that explores family, belonging, grief and transformation. Trust me, this book is just as enchanting as it’s cover art.
Whilst there were some elements of the novel that I found a bit frustrating (especially relationships at the end of the novel) as well as frequent repetition I really enjoyed being swept away by Esther’s story.
What I liked most about the novel was how intricately woven together everything was in order for the structure of the novel to work. From Aurora’s journal, to the fairy tales, rituals, Indigenous myths, the concept of skin and everything else in between. I truly appreciate just how much time the author has taken to create the plot and shape the characters and make all these concepts work in harmony together in one novel.
Flipping through my copy it is covered in highlight as I marvelled at Ringland’s lyrical writing, it was such a magical read. Other aspects of the story that I loved included the iridescent and incredibly vivid description of setting (and food) as well as the cast of characters and revelations that happened at each location, stories truly belong to places. In addition, the exploration of female stories, intertwined with the intimate exploration of sisterhood, motherhood and self transformation.
Not only have I stepped away with knew knowledge on so many topics, I desperately want to travel to not just Copenhagen but also the Faroe Islands now.
Similar to The Last Migration/Migrations
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Death
teresabattersby's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Book 1. I’m not sure how to describe this. She follows her sisters path to try to find out why she has gone. It combines a lot of traditional stories and the relationship with the sea of different peoples. A bit dark, but a good read. #tsreadinglist2023 #tsrecommendations
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide