Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Of Honey and Wildfires by Sarah Chorn

3 reviews

tinyelfarcanist's review

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This is the story of the Esco dynasty, born from one man's sacrifice. And about a man that married into it and built a family.

It's a tale of grief, and how the outside world continues even when one's own universe crumbles down.

It's told in three different POVs: A young man (Arlen) who's presented with a red pill/blue pill decision; the coming of age of a girl (Cassandra) that lived lifetimes in her young years; and a dying girl (Ianthe) who's leaving this world and taking Cassandra's with it.

I found the prose in Ianthe’s chapters a little flowery for my taste, but they are short and sparse. If you like purple prose, you’ll love them, though.

I also had trouble with some of Cassandra's chapters, especially from when she was younger. Her dialogue felt stilted and unlike how a 5yo speaks.

Arlen's chapters were definitely my favourites and the ones that drive the story forward as they take place closer to present events. In a short period, he will discover a lot about his life and experience powerful emotions for the first time.

The author created a fascinating world where the magic resource (shine) encompasses every field as it can heal, heat, conserve, and be a powerful drug. The beautiful description of the scenery made me crave an adaptation.

I was warned of Chorn's books, and this still managed to ambush me. If you're planning to read one of her books, be ready to get your heart ripped out. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Racism, Terminal illness, Drug abuse, Addiction, Bullying, Grief, Blood, Drug use, Self harm, and Suicide

Moderate: Police brutality, Abandonment, Deadnaming, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Vomit, Death of parent, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Classism, Child death, and Pedophilia

Minor: Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, and Violence

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.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Chronic illness, Grief, and Addiction

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Death of parent

Minor: Suicide, Murder, Violence, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Deadnaming, and Child death

Further details on DEADNAMING content warning:

The trans character (Arlen) is deadnamed when another character demands to know what he was called before he named himself Arlen (trying to figure out his identity). The character also points out Arlen's breasts and lack of facial hair. The character does not continue to deadname the trans character and does not question the trans character's gender. The deadname is mentioned again when Arlen comes across the grave his parents gave him when they believed died as a baby

queenmackenzie's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a powerful novel and no mistake! With lyrical language that will tear open your heart over and over, and characters that breathe and step out of the pages, I couldn’t help but fly through it. Though I was initially unsure of the setting, the frontier out in the Wild West, this book certainly made a case for me trying out more westerns. The longing, freedom, and possibility that ooze out of each character, despite their harsh surroundings, is inspiring and captivating. Shine territory, where the magical oil-equivalent shine has been found, has both a sense of the infinite and entrapment. Wide opens skies, great mountains, and endless fields contrast with the controlling company that owns it all, and the magical Boundary that determines who leaves and who stays. 

‘To understand the end, you must know the beginning. I will dissect myself for you.’

The story opens with a haunting prologue, and is then framed by ‘The Interview’ set in the present day and slowly giving us the events that lead up to it. One of those being interviewed is Cassandra, the daughter of a local outlaw who works to undermine the company that owns Shine Territory, and its head Matthew Esco. After the death of her mother, Cassandra’s father leaves her with his sister to be raised in normal society, but his shadow follows her and she remains an outsider to the town. Her story is told from this moment, at five years old, when she is left with her aunt and uncle, and slowly escalates towards the climax of the book. 

Alongside this is Arlen Esco’s story, which begins two weeks before the culmination of events, and follows the son of Matthew Esco, the owner of the Territory, as he is sent out to see it for the first time. He soon discovers that certain things are not what he expects, and that these might change the way he views himself and his role in the company. Arlen and Cassandra’s narratives are tied together throughout by the short yet heart-gripping chapters of Ianthe, Cassandra’s best friend and lover, who is slowly and painfully dying from a lifelong illness. These chapters are full of anguish and poetry, and give the book a unique atmosphere, and all three characters are being pulled along towards an inevitable end, linked by invisible threads. 

‘ “There’s a land,” he said. “Far, fr away, across an ocean with a whirlpool for a heart. This is where the world starts, and the world ends.” ‘ 

Though this book deals so closely with grief, loss, and oppression, there is a hope that shines through it, and the ending left me feeling bittersweet. Satisfied, yet mournful. There is a soft magic beneath it all, that unravels the darkness of the events. One of the biggest things that, for me, create this aura is the story of Sefate, which appears a few times throughout. It is a story told to Arlen by his governess, about the tree at the start of the world. This briefly mentioned myth stayed with me, and made me nod in appreciation at the source of the series name: The Songs of Sefate. 

With Of Honey and Wildfires, Sarah Chorn has created a brilliantly balanced world of possibility and fate, and I urge readers of all genres to submerge themselves into her writing, with its lyrical style and incredible character work. Plus, the cover of the book alone should be enough to convince anyone to pick it up!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness

Moderate: Death and Suicide