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wordwilderness's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5/5 Stars
Of Honey and Wildfires by Sarah Chorn is a lyrically written fantasy novel inspired by the American Wild West. Honestly, I didn't expect to be dazzled by this book. I'm more interested in dragons and sword fights than horses and gunfights; but Chorn made me fall in love with her colorful fantasy world. She writes with such emotional awareness and knowledge. I knew I had to add more of her books to my TBR after finishing Of Honey and Wildfires.
Writing Style
The plotline follows 3 main characters during two main time periods, which worked well with the lyrical writing style. The missing pieces of the story created an air of mystery surrounding the characters. This type of storytelling can get confusing, but it was executed perfectly. I always had just enough details to keep me interested and guessing at what the author would reveal next.
The only issue I had with the writing (and the book as a whole) was it sometimes distracted me from the actual story. At times I wish the book focused less on the prose and more on what the characters were doing.
Worldbuilding
Surprisingly, the worldbuilding ended up being one of my favorite parts of this book. Worldbuilding isn't usually my favorite part of fantasy, but the magic system in Of Honey and Wildfires is one of my favorites of all time. Chorn seamlessly wove shine oil into her Old West setting while making subtle jabs at American capitalism. I can absolutely believe an addictive miracle medicine would be exploited by the rich at the expense of everyone else. Without being obvious or preachy, Chorn showed how shine oil was used to control the population of Shine Territory. It's obvious that the author put a lot of thought into her magic system and what it would say about the world.
Characters
The characters were all beautifully written and complex. I loved how the author framed violence, love, forgiveness, and grief through them. Lots of books I read have violence without really facing the ugly truth, but Chorn doesn't shy away from addressing all the messy conflict and emotions that go with it.
Recommendation
Overall this was a fantastic read. I'd recommend it to any fan of fantasy, especially someone who loves unconventional worldbuilding and lyrical prose.
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Chronic illness, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Death of parent
Minor: Child death, Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, and Murder
Further details on DEADNAMING content warning:
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