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emberise's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Rape, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Misogyny
brendalovesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I just finished rereading this about nine years after the first time. I really liked it the first time I read it, but I'm having a hard time figuring out why. I didn't like it as much this time.
I was reading it on my Kindle before bed, so maybe I was tired and it was hard to focus. Whatever the case, there were a lot of boring bits. I'll continue on in the reread, and hope the books aren't all worse than I remember.
I was reading it on my Kindle before bed, so maybe I was tired and it was hard to focus. Whatever the case, there were a lot of boring bits. I'll continue on in the reread, and hope the books aren't all worse than I remember.
syllareads's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
caitann's review against another edition
*soft dnf* 10/10 for the cover, obsessed, beautiful, but despite the classic fantasy comfort vibes sweeping me at the start, over halfway now and I’m just not attached to any characters or the world and my mood has already moved on 😅
kelkelau's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
lynnegrace's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
skycrane's review against another edition
5.0
When the book started with a pronunciation guide, I was a little hesitant about what I was about to read, but it turned out to be really, really good. Honestly, thinking about it, I've never read a bad book that started with a linguistics lesson, so I shouldn't have been worried. Like the map, I found it completely irrelevant to my actual enjoyment of the book, but I guess having those things is a good sign that the author really thought about their world, its people and customs. And that all comes through very much in the story, not in a way where people are constantly explaining things, but in the sense that Deverry is a place with a distinct culture and deep reasons for why it is the way it is.
The presentation of the story is somewhat novel. It mostly follows Jill, her father Cullyn, the Lady Lovyan and her son Rhodry, and Nevyn, who is basically a wizard. But there are a couple interludes featuring previous incarnations of these characters (except for Nevyn, who is several centuries old and was there in person). I wasn't immediately absorbed by these, but I really liked the sort of karmic emphasis on how a soul's past sins and entanglements will shape their future lives. The plot summary on Goodreads talks about a struggle with darkness and quest to fulfill destinies, but that's not really what this book is about. Those elements are there, but the main focus is the very human drama of these characters and their relationships.
Addendum: I'm writing this now just about two weeks after starting Daggerspell, and a day after finishing the series. This series has been my life for the past 13 days, and I loved every book. Cannot recommend highly enough.
The presentation of the story is somewhat novel. It mostly follows Jill, her father Cullyn, the Lady Lovyan and her son Rhodry, and Nevyn, who is basically a wizard. But there are a couple interludes featuring previous incarnations of these characters (except for Nevyn, who is several centuries old and was there in person). I wasn't immediately absorbed by these, but I really liked the sort of karmic emphasis on how a soul's past sins and entanglements will shape their future lives. The plot summary on Goodreads talks about a struggle with darkness and quest to fulfill destinies, but that's not really what this book is about. Those elements are there, but the main focus is the very human drama of these characters and their relationships.
Addendum: I'm writing this now just about two weeks after starting Daggerspell, and a day after finishing the series. This series has been my life for the past 13 days, and I loved every book. Cannot recommend highly enough.
katyanaish's review against another edition
4.0
No original review, so on re-read (June 2023) I'm writing one.
I first read this book 30 years ago, and I loved it. Loved the whole series. The paperbacks held a place of honor on my bookshelves for decades. But I never re-read it. I was afraid to, because I've picked up some early favorites to re-read, and it utterly ruined them. Fantasy from the 80s and 90s just doesn't hold up so well now - I've changed, the world has changed, and my "dealbreakers" are much different now than they were in my early teens.
But I've been thinking about this series, and I wanted to revisit it. So, trying to keep my expectations low, I did.
And I loved it. So much so that I'm tempted to bump my rating to 5 stars.
It's a complex series, a group of individuals meeting and re-meeting across many lives, being reincarnated and picking up old baggage - old debts, old vengeance - and trying to find a path clear of all that, to live the lives they were meant for if they could just get out of their own way. Honestly, even as I was wound back up by the story - laughing, crying (a lot of crying, honestly) - I was flabbergasted at the added layers I could see now that I'm older. And also flabbergasted at how I can see how this old beloved series shaped my young self, and my perspective on the world and life.
It's not perfect. There are nits I could pick. Even as a tremendously strong female character, it's frustrating seeing Jill subjugate herself for men she cares about. But none of it really bothers me because, I think, it works with the overall theme of the series: nothing is perfect. But we try, again and again, and we break free of what is holding us back, holding us down, eventually.
Happily moving on to book 2...
I first read this book 30 years ago, and I loved it. Loved the whole series. The paperbacks held a place of honor on my bookshelves for decades. But I never re-read it. I was afraid to, because I've picked up some early favorites to re-read, and it utterly ruined them. Fantasy from the 80s and 90s just doesn't hold up so well now - I've changed, the world has changed, and my "dealbreakers" are much different now than they were in my early teens.
But I've been thinking about this series, and I wanted to revisit it. So, trying to keep my expectations low, I did.
And I loved it. So much so that I'm tempted to bump my rating to 5 stars.
It's a complex series, a group of individuals meeting and re-meeting across many lives, being reincarnated and picking up old baggage - old debts, old vengeance - and trying to find a path clear of all that, to live the lives they were meant for if they could just get out of their own way. Honestly, even as I was wound back up by the story - laughing, crying (a lot of crying, honestly) - I was flabbergasted at the added layers I could see now that I'm older. And also flabbergasted at how I can see how this old beloved series shaped my young self, and my perspective on the world and life.
It's not perfect. There are nits I could pick. Even as a tremendously strong female character, it's frustrating seeing Jill subjugate herself for men she cares about. But none of it really bothers me because, I think, it works with the overall theme of the series: nothing is perfect. But we try, again and again, and we break free of what is holding us back, holding us down, eventually.
Happily moving on to book 2...
33lle's review against another edition
I’ve read this book twice, and I still don’t understand anything, which kinda sucks because I have all the books.
jcrit15's review against another edition
1.0
I couldn't get into it - just didn't love the writing style. I gave up after about 50 pages.