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pixiecircle's review
slow-paced
1.5
to the author if you make it to this review somehow: do not read this
this book took me over a week to get through, and when i tell you i'm so relieved to be done with it, i'm not joking. when i reached about 1/4 of the way through this book, i just knew the author learned how to write by writing fanfic. in their acknowledgments they thank the les mis fandom on tumblr which gave me whiplash but also proved me right. i thought this made a lot of sense, though, since their characters are very flat and inconsistent, and the way they speak is so fanfic-y. jean does whatever the narrative needs, it's so inconsistent. i didn't understand why muirin liked her, other than that she was nice to her. this book is also heavily telling and not showing, which adds to the fanfic feeling of it.
don't get me started on the depiction of language acquisition girl omg. maybe it's different for people learning english from other languages, but as someone who works with japanese --> english efl, the things muirin picked up and her sentence structure was... not it.
there's also an author's note in which the author stresses multiple times that they do not care about historical accuracy and it's like yeah man... we can tell. the characters speak with such a modern tone (and frequently, modern diction), it's hard not to assume the author didn't care about historical accuracy. just because your novel is about mythical creatures does not mean the other aspects shouldn't be given the proper amount of care.
also way too many similies, too many descriptions of the weather as an attempt to set the vibe (overdone), and just straight-up goofiness in naming the good goat "honey" and the bad goat that kicks "kicker".
honestly really disappointed here since i was looking forward to this for quite a while. i will not be reading from this author again.
this book took me over a week to get through, and when i tell you i'm so relieved to be done with it, i'm not joking. when i reached about 1/4 of the way through this book, i just knew the author learned how to write by writing fanfic. in their acknowledgments they thank the les mis fandom on tumblr which gave me whiplash but also proved me right. i thought this made a lot of sense, though, since their characters are very flat and inconsistent, and the way they speak is so fanfic-y. jean does whatever the narrative needs, it's so inconsistent. i didn't understand why muirin liked her, other than that she was nice to her. this book is also heavily telling and not showing, which adds to the fanfic feeling of it.
don't get me started on the depiction of language acquisition girl omg. maybe it's different for people learning english from other languages, but as someone who works with japanese --> english efl, the things muirin picked up and her sentence structure was... not it.
there's also an author's note in which the author stresses multiple times that they do not care about historical accuracy and it's like yeah man... we can tell. the characters speak with such a modern tone (and frequently, modern diction), it's hard not to assume the author didn't care about historical accuracy. just because your novel is about mythical creatures does not mean the other aspects shouldn't be given the proper amount of care.
also way too many similies, too many descriptions of the weather as an attempt to set the vibe (overdone), and just straight-up goofiness in naming the good goat "honey" and the bad goat that kicks "kicker".
honestly really disappointed here since i was looking forward to this for quite a while. i will not be reading from this author again.
kaelyng130's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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? No
4.0
theteaisaddictive's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I’m in the unique position of having read an early draft of this book, many years ago, and getting to see it in its final form is so, so special.
I really enjoyed this book — the love story is sweet, the slow pace and atmosphere pitch-perfect. I’m a sucker for Canadians describing the deep impact the natural world has on their protagonists, and Jean’s remote cottage and bustling village life felt so real and vivid. Although the language barrier between Jean and Muirin does result in a slightly awkward ‘lore drop’ chapter towards the end of the book, it’s worth it to see a character otherwise made voiceless (both by the language barrier and her material circumstances) make her side of the story perfectly clear.
This is a perfect balm to a retelling of the same legend I read several years ago, which sided with the Tobias of its own story. Animal brides, and selkies specifically, are a favourite folk tale of mine, and I was so happy to see one with a queer twist; and multiple queer characters, at that!Is the epilogue a tad overdrawn with how happy it is? Perhaps, but with everything the girls went through and the historical setting, I really don’t find myself getting to annoyed at it. They certainly earned their happy ending.
In conclusion: I am proud to be the number one Tobias hater, and it’s memorialised forever in the author’s note. 🐐🦭🦊🌊
I really enjoyed this book — the love story is sweet, the slow pace and atmosphere pitch-perfect. I’m a sucker for Canadians describing the deep impact the natural world has on their protagonists, and Jean’s remote cottage and bustling village life felt so real and vivid. Although the language barrier between Jean and Muirin does result in a slightly awkward ‘lore drop’ chapter towards the end of the book, it’s worth it to see a character otherwise made voiceless (both by the language barrier and her material circumstances) make her side of the story perfectly clear.
This is a perfect balm to a retelling of the same legend I read several years ago, which sided with the Tobias of its own story. Animal brides, and selkies specifically, are a favourite folk tale of mine, and I was so happy to see one with a queer twist; and multiple queer characters, at that!
In conclusion: I am proud to be the number one Tobias hater, and it’s memorialised forever in the author’s note. 🐐🦭🦊🌊
ac_rva's review
emotional
tense
fast-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Animal death
sagefikse's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
sabrinareads's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
rat_fairy's review against another edition
4.5
what this book does best is pure vibes. it’s a historical fantasy, set near the ocean in a cold winter. it’s wonderful. although, i dont think that the reveal of Mourin (hopefully im spelling her name correctly, listened to the audiobook) being a selkie needed to be so drawn out, as it just made a massive lore dump at the end even though readers already know. but otherwise this was incredible, i’d very much recommend the audiobook as the narrator did wonderful voices for every character