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queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: (provided by the author) sexual assault/child sexual abuse mention, (provided by me) animal abuse mention, PTSD
Seasparrow by Kristin Cashore is the fifth and final book in the Graceling Realm series. I have loved spending time in this world with these characters. This one was a little slower than some of the previous books, but it still gives you so much.
We follow Hava's point of view after the events of the previous book. She and a group with Queen Bitterblue are sailing back to Monsea from Winterkeep, but are caught in a winter storm and pushed off course to the far north. Things get dire when they are in a shipwreck and forced to survive on the Arctic ocean and on the ice, with only their feet and wits to carry them to civilization.
Hava finds out that one of the crew has smuggled a pregnant blue fox aboard and drugged her. Have saves her and becomes the caregiver of a bunch of sentient blue foxes. I love that we got to see more blue foxes in this book. I desperately want one as a companion. A good chunk of this book is about survival. The last third of the book is mostly Hava trying to figure out who she is and where she belongs, and dealing with her anger, pain, and trauma.
Cashore does an excellent job of depicting the complexities of trauma and grief throughout this series, while also showing the potential for healing. I'm so glad we got to learn more about Hava and her Grace of making a person see her as what she projects herself to be (a sculpture, a curtain, a bundle of rope, trees). I read Hava as being ace-spec and maybe neurodivergent. It's bittersweet seeing this story end. I could go on reading about this world, following different characters forever.
Seasparrow by Kristin Cashore is the fifth and final book in the Graceling Realm series. I have loved spending time in this world with these characters. This one was a little slower than some of the previous books, but it still gives you so much.
We follow Hava's point of view after the events of the previous book. She and a group with Queen Bitterblue are sailing back to Monsea from Winterkeep, but are caught in a winter storm and pushed off course to the far north. Things get dire when they are in a shipwreck and forced to survive on the Arctic ocean and on the ice, with only their feet and wits to carry them to civilization.
Hava finds out that one of the crew has smuggled a pregnant blue fox aboard and drugged her. Have saves her and becomes the caregiver of a bunch of sentient blue foxes. I love that we got to see more blue foxes in this book. I desperately want one as a companion. A good chunk of this book is about survival. The last third of the book is mostly Hava trying to figure out who she is and where she belongs, and dealing with her anger, pain, and trauma.
Cashore does an excellent job of depicting the complexities of trauma and grief throughout this series, while also showing the potential for healing. I'm so glad we got to learn more about Hava and her Grace of making a person see her as what she projects herself to be (a sculpture, a curtain, a bundle of rope, trees). I read Hava as being ace-spec and maybe neurodivergent. It's bittersweet seeing this story end. I could go on reading about this world, following different characters forever.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Death
beebeewin's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What can I say, other than I was surprised by this book! I feel like at first, I was not truly getting into the story. It was quite slow at the beginning and that wasn't helped by the fact that Hava is a hard to character to like. But in the end, Hava's characterization is probably one of the best parts of this book. Hava as a character is neither good nor bad. She is someone who's been scarred by trauma and can't express her emotions or feelings because of that. This book is about her coming to terms with the trauma and working to be better. By the end you can see her growyh and how she is working on, but not yet perfected, her ability to process her emotions. As someone who's experienced a lot of childhood trauma this book felt so fucking personal. Kristin Cashore once again did a great job of writing the processing of trauma. I think I talked about this in the first three books of this series, Cashore does not hide from the trauma and the truly deep scars it leaves on people. I think the fourth book lost this thread, but it is back here. Due to the setting of the story Cashore was able to do a great job of slowly having Hava unpack the trauma she experienced and learning how to live in the world that comes afterwards. It was interesting, the survival aspect of this novel really tied in with how Hava had to survive as a child and was so well written and I assume researched.
I definitely found myself really getting into it once it got into the second act. The third act was a lot more reflective, but that made sense for the novel narratively. But I think the lowness at the beginning is why I'm not giving it a higher rating. It did take a while to get into and I felt like at least 100-150 pages could have been trimmed. I think Cashore was trying to build Hava's perspective but i think the rest of the novel did that well ao much could have been removed. I do appreciate Hava's perspective, it's someone who was on the outskirts, which made me way more interested in her perspective.
I also really appreciated the romance. It wasn't over the top like some other books I've been reading recently. Instead it was really the slow build, as these two people are healing themselves and want to be together as they heal with one another. It felt so honest to the story and truly lovely.
I would definitely recommend this last book in the series (so far)!
I definitely found myself really getting into it once it got into the second act. The third act was a lot more reflective, but that made sense for the novel narratively. But I think the lowness at the beginning is why I'm not giving it a higher rating. It did take a while to get into and I felt like at least 100-150 pages could have been trimmed. I think Cashore was trying to build Hava's perspective but i think the rest of the novel did that well ao much could have been removed. I do appreciate Hava's perspective, it's someone who was on the outskirts, which made me way more interested in her perspective.
I also really appreciated the romance. It wasn't over the top like some other books I've been reading recently. Instead it was really the slow build, as these two people are healing themselves and want to be together as they heal with one another. It felt so honest to the story and truly lovely.
I would definitely recommend this last book in the series (so far)!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Grief, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Rape, Child abuse, and Death
imds's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Classism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Violence, Abandonment, Vomit, Child abuse, Grief, Sexual violence, Death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Child death, Trafficking, Bullying, Suicide attempt, Pedophilia, Drug use, Pregnancy, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
lizziaha's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
My main qualm with this book is that survival stories just aren’t really my thing. Luckily for me, there were other parts to this book. I particularly loved Hava’s relationships with Jacky, Linny, and Giddon. Something about the way that Hava is always expecting to be ignored or rejected and then someone (usually Giddon or Linny and sometimes Bitterblue) comes along and proves her wrong is so compelling. I love that even though there’s a broad cast of characters, each one feels distinct, and their personalities are complex, even if they don’t play a huge role in the book. The blue foxes are such a wonderful addition to the story and the way the audiobook narrator voiced them just made them so adorable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Abandonment, Murder, Animal cruelty, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent
Moderate: Kidnapping, Blood, Gore, Trafficking, Drug use, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Grief, Homophobia, and Rape
Minor: Sexism, Misogyny, Torture, and Classism
thelexy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
The effects of the abuse are in the story, not explicit descriptions of the abuse itself. Which seems like a much more respectful way to address these topics.sonshinelibrarian's review
5.0
Wow. This was just as good and just as rough as Bitterblue. Cashore continues to deal with the trauma and PTSD and emotional baggage and damage caused by King Leck, this time with Hava. In a lot of ways Hava seems younger than her 20 (21?) years, but it's so clear the ways her growth has been hindered by everything she's gone through. And Cashore lets her grow without glossing over anything. Hava literally has to relearn how to think about herself and about others, to find a way to move forward while realizing and acknowledging that the past will always affect her in some ways. I pretty much cried straight through the last third of this book. I'm ready to cry just writing this review.
Trigger warnings abound for this book, but Cashore handles everything with a sense of hope that keeps it from getting too dark. This book destroyed me in the best possible way and, like with Bitterblue, I'll be thinking about it for years to come.
Trigger warnings abound for this book, but Cashore handles everything with a sense of hope that keeps it from getting too dark. This book destroyed me in the best possible way and, like with Bitterblue, I'll be thinking about it for years to come.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Animal cruelty, and Grief
Moderate: Rape, Murder, Abandonment, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Child abuse and Pedophilia
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
3.5
I still think that Graceling and Fire are two of Cashore's best works, and I haven't felt that from these recent installments in the Graceling universe. Don't get me wrong, I love this world and I think it's fascinating. We get back to some of the politics towards the end of this book, which is when I think Cashore is at her strongest. Political intrigue, great characters. That's the magic for her.
Hava, the main character in this one, isn't the most likeable at the beginning, but her journey is one of reckoning with the abuse and neglect she faced as a child. Throughout, she's able to work through that, to allow herself to trust once again. It's a character arc that really works, and the addition of the foxes does wonders. The foxes were honestly my favorite part of this book!
However, I would love if Cashore focused on a different aspect of this world if she wants to keep writing Graceling books. Show me a different set of characters, with maybe a mention of those we already know. It would help build the world even more, and the world is one of the best parts of this series.
All in all, I enjoyed this, but not as much as the early Cashore books.
Hava, the main character in this one, isn't the most likeable at the beginning, but her journey is one of reckoning with the abuse and neglect she faced as a child. Throughout, she's able to work through that, to allow herself to trust once again. It's a character arc that really works, and the addition of the foxes does wonders. The foxes were honestly my favorite part of this book!
However, I would love if Cashore focused on a different aspect of this world if she wants to keep writing Graceling books. Show me a different set of characters, with maybe a mention of those we already know. It would help build the world even more, and the world is one of the best parts of this series.
All in all, I enjoyed this, but not as much as the early Cashore books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent, Child abuse, and Sexual assault
Minor: Homophobia, Child death, and Rape
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Grief, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Drug use, Murder, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, Pregnancy, Death, Medical content, Confinement, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Addiction, Pedophilia, Child death, Rape, Torture, War, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Excrement, Sexism, Homophobia, and Vomit
Needles, nonconsensual drugging. Near-drowning, distress at sea. Urination. Frostbite, amputation.juju_99's review
adventurous
reflective
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Emotional abuse
sunshine_kait's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Animal death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Sexual violence