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planetwhileaway's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
stefaniajoy's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I feel very meh about this.
Loved the LGBTQ rep and thought there were some interesting worldbuilding details, but the way the book was constructed just didn't work for me. I didn't feel any attachment to the characters. The MC does a lot of stupid things on the basis of being "stubborn."
This is also the kind of book that has a lot of POVs, including snippets from the enemies and anyone else who might be trying to hurt the MC. Because of that, there isn't any sense of mystery. It's all a question of whether or not the protagonists will find out about the danger in time, and because it wasn't a dark book, the issue was how things would be solved and not whether they would be solved. I don't really enjoy stories where the reader knows more than the MCs. I just find it frustrating, particularly when the characters continue to be stubborn since that's their character trait. I don't plan to continue this series.
Loved the LGBTQ rep and thought there were some interesting worldbuilding details, but the way the book was constructed just didn't work for me. I didn't feel any attachment to the characters. The MC does a lot of stupid things on the basis of being "stubborn."
This is also the kind of book that has a lot of POVs, including snippets from the enemies and anyone else who might be trying to hurt the MC. Because of that, there isn't any sense of mystery. It's all a question of whether or not the protagonists will find out about the danger in time, and because it wasn't a dark book, the issue was how things would be solved and not whether they would be solved. I don't really enjoy stories where the reader knows more than the MCs. I just find it frustrating, particularly when the characters continue to be stubborn since that's their character trait. I don't plan to continue this series.
vabell's review
1.0
I started reading Sing the Four Quarters because it was on a list of best fantasy books with gay main characters. Well, I'd like to say that this should have never been even an honorable mention. The main character, Annice, is nothing more than an annoying adolescent.The relationship between her and Stasya was sisterly at best. Sex is a casual thing, and Stasya hasn't a care in the world when Annice comes back from a walk bearing a child in her womb. The story was just bad. She is the princess bard,disowned from the royal family for her decision, yet had she made ANY attempt to talk to them at all in the last 10 years, none of this would have happened. The king, her brother, is a kind and understanding sort. Had she had any faith in him at all, the story could have been resolved quick and clean. Annice is just a stock female character and Pjerin.. don't even get me started! He was all man (stereotypical manly man, all rage and passion, no DEPTH! Obvious that the book was written by a man hating lesbian), no personality whatsoever! All in all, I found the book to be boring and the characters dull. Would not recommend to anyone who likes characters with personality.
aloysiuss's review
5.0
This was really refreshing! Huff has an amazing ability to write complicated relationships really well. I keep repeating that this is one of the most unique plots I've ever come across in the fantasy genre. I love the development of the characters and the way that everything is delicately interwoven. My one reservation is that I occasionally felt that the characters were figuring things out too smoothly, but it made enough sense within the progression of conflict. Actually it's sometimes nice to have people in a book not being oblivious all the time. And of course the beautiful portrayal of romantic diversity is just as delight!
octopus_farmer's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really liked how smart it was with its miscommunication and its very casual inclusion of a lot of different people. Now, a lot of those people are stubborn and don’t get out of that, but at least the bards and the guards all felt diverse with complex reactions. I am also SO glad that the relationships ended as they did. The last Song sung was beautiful. I would like a little more exploration of what the kigh are but i liked how varied bards’ jobs were.
isobelthewizard's review against another edition
4.0
There had been a couple of days when everything had reminded her of Stasya-birdsong, bluebells, the stripped and scattered bones of a deer taken down by some large predator.
This was an absolute delight from start to finish. Glad as always to hear about the three strongest tenets of queer yearning; birds, flowers, & bones.
This was an absolute delight from start to finish. Glad as always to hear about the three strongest tenets of queer yearning; birds, flowers, & bones.
zorkkanna's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
wordnerdy's review
5.0
https://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2022/05/2022-book-77.html
Catching back up with classic fantasy series and I loved this one! It centers on a bard, whose brother the king exiled her from the family when she refused a political marriage to train to be a bard instead, and now she’s pregnant which is technically treason, oops (she is in a relationship with a woman but had a fling with a dude which is apparently fine, lots of cool queer characters in this, especially cool since it was written in the 90s). This is also a world where bards have magical powers to interact with nature spirits etc. Lots of great political plotting and families and friends and magic and love of all kinds. Just a really enjoyable read. A/A-.
Catching back up with classic fantasy series and I loved this one! It centers on a bard, whose brother the king exiled her from the family when she refused a political marriage to train to be a bard instead, and now she’s pregnant which is technically treason, oops (she is in a relationship with a woman but had a fling with a dude which is apparently fine, lots of cool queer characters in this, especially cool since it was written in the 90s). This is also a world where bards have magical powers to interact with nature spirits etc. Lots of great political plotting and families and friends and magic and love of all kinds. Just a really enjoyable read. A/A-.
mdfn's review
2.0
I wasn't sure what to expect - the magic system was interesting to me, but it didn't live up to my expectations. It seemed like the author was trying to address a lot of societal issues in one book, which made it a little hard to get into and to enjoy completely.
shays's review
3.0
“Annice had been fourteen when she left the palace for Bardic Hall in Elbasan and while she never regretted the decision, she did occasionally wish that some things could’ve been different.”
As is common in Tanya Huff’s fantasy novels, same sex relationships are common and unremarkable. In Sing the Four Quarters, this is true not just in Shkoder, but in other kingdoms as well, as evidenced by the early off-hand comment that one of Theron and Annice’s brothers made a marriage alliance with a distant nobleman. Homophobia is simply not a factor here. Instead, prejudice is attached to the ability to command the elements. In the neighbouring kingdom of Cemandia, this ability is viewed as unnatural, leading to tensions between the two countries. Annice also has an open relationship with Stasya; though the two go out separately to Walk the roads of Shkoder, they always come home to Bardic Hall and one another. Both their open relationship and Annice’s bisexuality are treated as entirely unremarkable, so if this is something you find enjoyable and refreshing in your fantasy, I can recommend this book in particular, but also Tanya Huff’s work more generally. Although this is the first in a series of books set in this world, each of the subsequent books follows different characters, so that Sing the Four Quarters can easily be read as a standalone. more
As is common in Tanya Huff’s fantasy novels, same sex relationships are common and unremarkable. In Sing the Four Quarters, this is true not just in Shkoder, but in other kingdoms as well, as evidenced by the early off-hand comment that one of Theron and Annice’s brothers made a marriage alliance with a distant nobleman. Homophobia is simply not a factor here. Instead, prejudice is attached to the ability to command the elements. In the neighbouring kingdom of Cemandia, this ability is viewed as unnatural, leading to tensions between the two countries. Annice also has an open relationship with Stasya; though the two go out separately to Walk the roads of Shkoder, they always come home to Bardic Hall and one another. Both their open relationship and Annice’s bisexuality are treated as entirely unremarkable, so if this is something you find enjoyable and refreshing in your fantasy, I can recommend this book in particular, but also Tanya Huff’s work more generally. Although this is the first in a series of books set in this world, each of the subsequent books follows different characters, so that Sing the Four Quarters can easily be read as a standalone. more