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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
adventurous
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
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
I have owned this book for so long and I have finally read it and I loved it! I’ve read Uprooted and enjoyed it but I like this one even better. It reads like a fairytale and I loved the depiction of the Staryk and the demon. I also enjoyed the twist with the tsar’s character. I do wish the falling action/resolution was more written out as I felt the book ended very quickly after the climax. But I really enjoyed the story and will definitely read it again one day.
A fun fairy tale story, with lots of interesting magical details. Probably could have been shorter, with less POV from side characters.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Really enjoyed this. If I had the free time, I would have read this in one huge chunk. It was atmospheric and magical. One thing about this book that took a bit to get used to is the frequent POV changes. Unlike other fantasy books, it doesnt tell you who it is switching to, but once you've been exposed to all the characters, you can easily differentiate between the unique tones. Great read.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
I adored Novik's Scholomance, so I was eager to read this. And while I quite enjoyed this, at least for Miryem's story, I felt that there were entirely too many POVs, several of them unnecessary and some outright unlikable.
Irina, for example, did not manage to grow even a spec of sympathy in my heart. She wasn't made to look intelligent and capable prior to her wedding, and after that, all she did was plot, and plot. And it wasn't the understandable plotting that Miryem did, or that Wanda did, looking mainly to being better off and safe, Irina wasn't only focusing on those elements. She found herself to be a tsarina and she immediately began plotting like one, planning how to murder her husband, how to get some other heirs for the throne, and throwing away any lifes that she saw fit in her plots. So what if the Staryk had a kingdom, and all they wanted was to keep out Chernobog? If she could gamble their lives in exchange for her safety and the arbitrary safety of whomever she saw fit? Well then, that's what she would do, and she'll say "sorry" as if makes a difference.
In the grand scheme of things, Irina was the biggest detractor for me, because I was constantly hoping to go back to Miryem and see where she would turn her own story towards, but we'd get endless pages about poor, poor Irina, who would have sacrificed a kingdom if it meant she could have her way. Woe.
Mernatius, by comparison, was a lot more likable, coming through as someone truly stuck, and struggling with what little they can still achieve in life. That his mother had traded his life for the demon's contract was genuinely tragic.
Hey ho. Was an OK read, if not for Irina.
Irina, for example, did not manage to grow even a spec of sympathy in my heart. She wasn't made to look intelligent and capable prior to her wedding, and after that, all she did was plot, and plot. And it wasn't the understandable plotting that Miryem did, or that Wanda did, looking mainly to being better off and safe, Irina wasn't only focusing on those elements. She found herself to be a tsarina and she immediately began plotting like one, planning how to murder her husband, how to get some other heirs for the throne, and throwing away any lifes that she saw fit in her plots. So what if the Staryk had a kingdom, and all they wanted was to keep out Chernobog? If she could gamble their lives in exchange for her safety and the arbitrary safety of whomever she saw fit? Well then, that's what she would do, and she'll say "sorry" as if makes a difference.
In the grand scheme of things, Irina was the biggest detractor for me, because I was constantly hoping to go back to Miryem and see where she would turn her own story towards, but we'd get endless pages about poor, poor Irina, who would have sacrificed a kingdom if it meant she could have her way. Woe.
Mernatius, by comparison, was a lot more likable, coming through as someone truly stuck, and struggling with what little they can still achieve in life. That his mother had traded his life for the demon's contract was genuinely tragic.
Hey ho. Was an OK read, if not for Irina.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The premise of the book is loosely based on the tale of Rumplestiltskin, though not quite in the ways I expected. Overall, enjoyed it and the story was unique compared to other fantasy novels on the market as of late. The writing was engaging and detailed, though not overly so. My biggest criticism of the book has to do with pacing. The start was slow and the end was fast and it felt unbalanced. Other than that, I also found it difficult to root for certain characters, as they were not fleshed out enough for me to really care about their fates. Lastly, the jumps between character POVs was a worrying technique I appreciated, but I wasn't sure why the author didn't start each shift between characters with their name, so the reader didn't have to piece together whose point of view they were reading from now.
I loved the writing, and strong characters, bust most of all how all the threads came together at several points. It’s a hard thing to balance, but the book meets and surpasses what it sets up to do. Excellent ending as well.
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Book was too slow for me, but the world is incredibly well crafted