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emtees's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The second book in the Firebringer series, Dark Moon sees Jan separated from the other unicorns and carried off a city full of humans, where he is both mistaken for a messenger from the Horse God Dai’chon, and treated as a prisoner. The humans don’t believe horses or unicorns are sentient, and Jan has to content with a society that treats his people as beasts of burden and sacrifices them to their god. It doesn’t help that he has lost all memory of who he really is. Meanwhile, back in the Vale of the Unicorns, Jan’s father, Korr, is leading their people down a path of madness and destruction, convinced that Jan’s “death” is a sign that their Goddess, Alma, is displeased. Jan’s pregnant mate, Tek, is forced to flee the Vale when Korr turns on her, and seek refuge with her own mysterious mother, Jah-lila the Red Mare, a sorceress and prophet of Alma. There, Tek learns that a lot of the stories she’s been raised on aren’t exactly true.
I enjoyed this book, though not quite as much as the first one. Part of that was that it just used a couple tropes, such as the amnesia trope or the mysterious-ally-who-knows-everything-but-won’t-explain trope (seriously, Jah-lila gets annoying), that I never enjoy. But Birth of the Firebringer also had a mythological feel to it that was really unique, while this book is more concrete in its storytelling and worldbuilding. It was still very enjoyable. I still really like how this world is dominated by animals; though we do have humans now, the focal point is still the unicorns, and so everything is from their perspective. It was neat to see Jan’s take on familiar concepts like cities, kings, religious bodies, etc. We also met several new species of sentient animals, including the narwhals, sea-born cousins to the unicorns, and the herons, allies of the unicorns. The herons were especially funny, like a whole species of Disney sidekicks.
While the main plot focuses on Jan’s struggle to escape the humans and Tek’s quest to survive a harsh winter when her people have turned against her, the larger plot of the series is still happening in the background. Jan and a few closest to him now know that he is the Firebringer, destined to defeat the wyrms and restore the unicorns to their homeland, though he has no idea what that really means or how he is supposed to do it. There is some progress on that storyline by the end of this book. I really liked that the theme of how history depends on perspective, introduced in the first book, continues here. Jan’s eyes are opened to some of the ways his own people’s prejudices have shaped their history and by the end of the book he’s looking to change that. The final chapter promises that we will see what being the Firebringer really means, not just for Jan and the unicorns, but for the whole world, in the last book in the trilogy.
So now for the weird thing. Spoilers for a plot point that’s hinted at but not really clarified: A mystery is introduced in this book when we learn that Teki, Tek’s acknowledged father, is not actually her biological father. Jah-lila is vague about the identity of Tek’s real father, but while it is never outright stated, there is a lot in this book that implies that it is actually Korr, and that Tek and Jan are half-siblings as well as wedded mates. Which is definitely not a plotline that I expected in what is, technically, a YA novel about talking animals, if an unusually thoughtful one, though in some ways it fits with the mythological feel of this world. I’m not sure if that’s where the story is going, but I thought I’d mention it.
I enjoyed this book, though not quite as much as the first one. Part of that was that it just used a couple tropes, such as the amnesia trope or the mysterious-ally-who-knows-everything-but-won’t-explain trope (seriously, Jah-lila gets annoying), that I never enjoy. But Birth of the Firebringer also had a mythological feel to it that was really unique, while this book is more concrete in its storytelling and worldbuilding. It was still very enjoyable. I still really like how this world is dominated by animals; though we do have humans now, the focal point is still the unicorns, and so everything is from their perspective. It was neat to see Jan’s take on familiar concepts like cities, kings, religious bodies, etc. We also met several new species of sentient animals, including the narwhals, sea-born cousins to the unicorns, and the herons, allies of the unicorns. The herons were especially funny, like a whole species of Disney sidekicks.
While the main plot focuses on Jan’s struggle to escape the humans and Tek’s quest to survive a harsh winter when her people have turned against her, the larger plot of the series is still happening in the background. Jan and a few closest to him now know that he is the Firebringer, destined to defeat the wyrms and restore the unicorns to their homeland, though he has no idea what that really means or how he is supposed to do it. There is some progress on that storyline by the end of this book. I really liked that the theme of how history depends on perspective, introduced in the first book, continues here. Jan’s eyes are opened to some of the ways his own people’s prejudices have shaped their history and by the end of the book he’s looking to change that. The final chapter promises that we will see what being the Firebringer really means, not just for Jan and the unicorns, but for the whole world, in the last book in the trilogy.
So now for the weird thing. Spoilers for a plot point that’s hinted at but not really clarified:
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy and Slavery
Minor: Incest
All the warnings apply to sentient animals, not humans. The incest warning is only implied, not stated outright, and may be a red herring.unicornrhyfedd's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Pregnancy, Slavery, and Police brutality
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