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joanna1905's review against another edition
3.0
This was a slog and I have no idea why. This book has everything I’d usually love but for some reason I just didn’t connect with it.
There’s honestly nothing I can point to as a reason for this so I think it’s more of a me issue - I think perhaps it took me too long to get into which caused me to be less motivated to read it, so it took me far longer to read than a book this length usually would. Reading it so slowly just made the story feel even slower.
The only thing I can point to plot wise was the relationship with Kasta and Po which happened wayyyyyy earlier than I was expecting. Now don’t get me wrong it was glaringly obvious that their relationship was going to end up being romantic however they had been so slow to get along as friends that I was expecting it to culminate near the ending and not so early on. This made it feel a little rushed to me, perhaps not from Po’s pov because his grace meant he could glean so much about Kasta but it seemed uncharacteristic that Kasta would flip that quickly.
I loved the journey though the mountains, that was super cool and badass af.
The end was fairly predictable however the knife to the throat of old mate did surprise me, I definitely thought he was going to be a more prolonged villain.
All in all this is a well written book with a solid plot, perhaps a tad slow but that’s hardly the worst a fantasy could be accused of.
I don’t think it helped that I went into it thinking it was an adult fantasy not a young adult one which meant I went into it with slightly different expectations. Knowing it’s ya makes does help contextualise it a little - because as much as I adore ya I don’t think there’s a fantasy ya alive that could come close to touching some of the great adult works (I’m looking at you Kingkiller Chronicles).
But comparison is the thief of joy so let’s stop with that - this is definitely one I’d be interested in continuing but I have a lot more books that are higher priority at the moment - but certainly one day.
There’s honestly nothing I can point to as a reason for this so I think it’s more of a me issue - I think perhaps it took me too long to get into which caused me to be less motivated to read it, so it took me far longer to read than a book this length usually would. Reading it so slowly just made the story feel even slower.
The only thing I can point to plot wise was the relationship with Kasta and Po which happened wayyyyyy earlier than I was expecting. Now don’t get me wrong it was glaringly obvious that their relationship was going to end up being romantic however they had been so slow to get along as friends that I was expecting it to culminate near the ending and not so early on. This made it feel a little rushed to me, perhaps not from Po’s pov because his grace meant he could glean so much about Kasta but it seemed uncharacteristic that Kasta would flip that quickly.
I loved the journey though the mountains, that was super cool and badass af.
The end was fairly predictable however the knife to the throat of old mate did surprise me, I definitely thought he was going to be a more prolonged villain.
All in all this is a well written book with a solid plot, perhaps a tad slow but that’s hardly the worst a fantasy could be accused of.
I don’t think it helped that I went into it thinking it was an adult fantasy not a young adult one which meant I went into it with slightly different expectations. Knowing it’s ya makes does help contextualise it a little - because as much as I adore ya I don’t think there’s a fantasy ya alive that could come close to touching some of the great adult works (I’m looking at you Kingkiller Chronicles).
But comparison is the thief of joy so let’s stop with that - this is definitely one I’d be interested in continuing but I have a lot more books that are higher priority at the moment - but certainly one day.
bobbelena's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
alittlebird's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.75
It's just really cute, okay? It speaks to my inner child.
sofia_santana's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
inook_u's review
4.0
OMG!!!!!
Why ddn't I read this book anytime sooner? It was amazing!
Review up soon on my channel. (:
Why ddn't I read this book anytime sooner? It was amazing!
Review up soon on my channel. (:
sanday's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
baldwinme40's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I guess I will join the conversation about feminism here - I don't think it's terrible to have a main character who doesn't want to get married or have children. I think it's kind of refreshing, that a lot of readers can identify with this, and I don't think the novel was necessarily an attack on marriage; it's just what Katsa feels in a world where divorce doesn't seem to exist and marriage carries connotations of slavery. I would have liked to see it explored more as she reconciled her commitment issues with what marriage is to her and what it could be with her and Po. But at the same time, it's not like love (or infatuation, whatever you'd call their relationship) has to last forever. A lot of people aren't the getting-married type and that's okay and they can see themselves in her. And maybe they change their minds and maybe not but it's sure as hell obnoxious when people tell them they will (like Giddon). Same with the short hair and boyish clothes. Female main characters don't have to be feminine and kickass all at once. I like it when they are, too, but I don't demand it from every book I read.
And y'all saying Katsa should have been more girly but then complaining when she showed emotions and cried sometimes, too - Uh huh. Got my eyes on ya.
She did start out hardly in control of her temper and her powers. She'd be a lot to handle in real life but I do think she is likable as a character, especially as she takes responsibility for Bitterblue.
That being said, it's not like Cashore did a great job of rounding out the other female characters or necessarily celebrating femininity. Bitterblue, Faun, and Katsa - all three of the active women in the story ended up in pants, and two of them with short hair. I would have liked to see more exploration of gender roles in this world to get a good picture of where they're coming from, but this book would have benefited from a female character who wore dresses and didn't fight and was still portrayed as strong and intelligent, not a victim.
I think what people take issue with is the singularity of viewpoints. I've been reading the Tiffany Aching series by Terry Pratchett, which focuses on witches in the Discworld. Most witches remain single out of practicality, some take lovers and never marry, and some (like Tiffany) do fall in love. These are all valid, and it's just whatever works best on an individual level. Those books are constantly challenging the stereotype (such as contrasting plain, practical Tiffany with the blond, beautiful princess who steals Tiffany's beau) and then acknowledging the validity of people who DO fit into that category (surprise! she's a witch, she's perfectly nice, and Tiffany has to reconcile with her and let go of her prejudice and envy).
But judging anything based off Terry Pratchett is hardly fair. I enjoyed this while I was reading it. I had some strong emotional reactions to Bitterblue's story. Could have done without the romance, but I say that about everything. I'll be reading the next two because this was a fun, fast read, I'm expecting more out of Cashore's second and third novels, and I am quite attached to the characters. I'm always here for lady assassins, basically.
I guess I will join the conversation about feminism here - I don't think it's terrible to have a main character who doesn't want to get married or have children. I think it's kind of refreshing, that a lot of readers can identify with this, and I don't think the novel was necessarily an attack on marriage; it's just what Katsa feels in a world where divorce doesn't seem to exist and marriage carries connotations of slavery. I would have liked to see it explored more as she reconciled her commitment issues with what marriage is to her and what it could be with her and Po. But at the same time, it's not like love (or infatuation, whatever you'd call their relationship) has to last forever. A lot of people aren't the getting-married type and that's okay and they can see themselves in her. And maybe they change their minds and maybe not but it's sure as hell obnoxious when people tell them they will (like Giddon). Same with the short hair and boyish clothes. Female main characters don't have to be feminine and kickass all at once. I like it when they are, too, but I don't demand it from every book I read.
And y'all saying Katsa should have been more girly but then complaining when she showed emotions and cried sometimes, too - Uh huh. Got my eyes on ya.
She did start out hardly in control of her temper and her powers. She'd be a lot to handle in real life but I do think she is likable as a character, especially as she takes responsibility for Bitterblue.
That being said, it's not like Cashore did a great job of rounding out the other female characters or necessarily celebrating femininity. Bitterblue, Faun, and Katsa - all three of the active women in the story ended up in pants, and two of them with short hair. I would have liked to see more exploration of gender roles in this world to get a good picture of where they're coming from, but this book would have benefited from a female character who wore dresses and didn't fight and was still portrayed as strong and intelligent, not a victim.
I think what people take issue with is the singularity of viewpoints. I've been reading the Tiffany Aching series by Terry Pratchett, which focuses on witches in the Discworld. Most witches remain single out of practicality, some take lovers and never marry, and some (like Tiffany) do fall in love. These are all valid, and it's just whatever works best on an individual level. Those books are constantly challenging the stereotype (such as contrasting plain, practical Tiffany with the blond, beautiful princess who steals Tiffany's beau) and then acknowledging the validity of people who DO fit into that category (surprise! she's a witch, she's perfectly nice, and Tiffany has to reconcile with her and let go of her prejudice and envy).
But judging anything based off Terry Pratchett is hardly fair. I enjoyed this while I was reading it. I had some strong emotional reactions to Bitterblue's story. Could have done without the romance, but I say that about everything. I'll be reading the next two because this was a fun, fast read, I'm expecting more out of Cashore's second and third novels, and I am quite attached to the characters. I'm always here for lady assassins, basically.
raychel923's review
4.0
After I read this book I did not want to continue with the series because I thought I'd be cheating on Katsa and Po. Fantasy and romance are my downfalls and anything that captures both in such a delicious way, as this book did, creates a spectacular read.
jenny_hedberg's review against another edition
5.0
Woooow, snacka om bra bok. Jag har allvarligt talat sträckläst, inte ens flyttat min blick från sidorna i boken. jag älskar den, språket är så härligt målande men ändå rakt på sak.
Boken handlar ju om Katsa som är "graced" med förmågan att slåss otroligt bra. Den här förmågan har gjort henne utstött och hennes enda vän är hennes kusin prins Raffin. Hon används som ett vapen av kungen vilket gör att alla avskyr henne. När hon är ute på ett uppdrag på eget initiativ träffar hon på en man med samma skicklighet i att slåss som hon. Han låter henne inte gå iväg utan att hon förklarar vad hon gör på ett ställe där det inte är meningen att hon ska vara. De slåss men han låter henne gå efter ett tag. När hon senare kommer hem till kung Randas slott är han där och de börjar träna tillsammans. Resten får ni läsa själva.
Boken handlar ju om Katsa som är "graced" med förmågan att slåss otroligt bra. Den här förmågan har gjort henne utstött och hennes enda vän är hennes kusin prins Raffin. Hon används som ett vapen av kungen vilket gör att alla avskyr henne. När hon är ute på ett uppdrag på eget initiativ träffar hon på en man med samma skicklighet i att slåss som hon. Han låter henne inte gå iväg utan att hon förklarar vad hon gör på ett ställe där det inte är meningen att hon ska vara. De slåss men han låter henne gå efter ett tag. När hon senare kommer hem till kung Randas slott är han där och de börjar träna tillsammans. Resten får ni läsa själva.