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scareads's review
4.0
If you enjoyed the world of The Briar Crown, you are going to love this book.
Where The Briar Crown gave us some basis of the world and some history, Apple Seeds in the Snow is a deep dive into the worldbuilding and the history of Zemboska, and that was absolutely fantastic. We get lush descriptions and a vast cast of characters with differing magical abilities. Whereas in book 1 the Domovnians were a broken people, here we get to see them as they once were with their intricacies and their close interactions with nature. We get a deep dive into Oderberg culture and history with lore and differing landscapes that helped round the many characters wonderfully. I was here for every bit of it and devoured all those wordlbuilding details. In essence, the prose was absolutely enchanting and so cozy I wished I had a fireplace so I could snuggle up in its warmth with a hot cup of cinnamon cider while reading it. Honestly, delightful. And the plot, I really enjoyed the flow of most of the plot, particularly Ouna's interactions with the Oderbergs.
Now I did have a few niggles that pulled me out of the story and lessened my personal reading experience. One was Ouna's fluctuating superior attitude with L'adu that lasted until about 60% through the book. It felt odd because it had been suggested that the Domonovs didn't follow strict hierarchal rules with the lower classes and she is rather polite with all others. Because of this, I wished there had been a little more precision on the hierarchies of Domovnian culture. The second was the arranged marriage. Early on, it is suggested Ouna's parents made the arranged marriage choice because Ouna refused to pick herself, but I never understood why they chose Lord Gornuk? Why pick him out of everyone? What did they gain? There are other Waterborn to chose from, so why? And why can she not pick someone else now, considering she was able to before? Her parents love her, so I found it shocking they picked him,.
Overall, a comfortable read that felt cozy even with darker material sprinkled within. And that epilogue, so good!
Where The Briar Crown gave us some basis of the world and some history, Apple Seeds in the Snow is a deep dive into the worldbuilding and the history of Zemboska, and that was absolutely fantastic. We get lush descriptions and a vast cast of characters with differing magical abilities. Whereas in book 1 the Domovnians were a broken people, here we get to see them as they once were with their intricacies and their close interactions with nature. We get a deep dive into Oderberg culture and history with lore and differing landscapes that helped round the many characters wonderfully. I was here for every bit of it and devoured all those wordlbuilding details. In essence, the prose was absolutely enchanting and so cozy I wished I had a fireplace so I could snuggle up in its warmth with a hot cup of cinnamon cider while reading it. Honestly, delightful. And the plot, I really enjoyed the flow of most of the plot, particularly Ouna's interactions with the Oderbergs.
Now I did have a few niggles that pulled me out of the story and lessened my personal reading experience. One was Ouna's fluctuating superior attitude with L'adu that lasted until about 60% through the book. It felt odd because it had been suggested that the Domonovs didn't follow strict hierarchal rules with the lower classes and she is rather polite with all others. Because of this, I wished there had been a little more precision on the hierarchies of Domovnian culture. The second was the arranged marriage. Early on, it is suggested Ouna's parents made the arranged marriage choice because Ouna refused to pick herself, but I never understood why they chose Lord Gornuk? Why pick him out of everyone? What did they gain? There are other Waterborn to chose from, so why? And why can she not pick someone else now, considering she was able to before? Her parents love her, so I found it shocking they picked him,
Spoiler
especially since it then drove her curiosities with Olaf and affected her later interactions with L'aduOverall, a comfortable read that felt cozy even with darker material sprinkled within. And that epilogue, so good!
lilbookishdragon's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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