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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
Heather Fawcett set the bar extremely high with The School Between Winter and Fairyland, and so far none of her books have reached that peak. She never fails with the worlds she builds though, and this is certainly no exception.
While the story moves at a slower pace, as they traverse the mountains, the writing still held me captive and needing to know what would happen next.
Kamzin is the younger daughter of the Elder. Despite her lack of talent for magic, she's apprenticed to Chirri, to be the next shaman. Chirri has all but given up on her, and her friend Tem often does Kamzin's tasks for her. Kamzin's sister, Lusha, is on track to be the next Elder.
Everything changes with the appearance of the Royal Explorer, River Shara. Lusha is supposed to guide his expedition to Raksha, the highest mountain in the Aryas, a peak that no one has been able to climb, and that only two living people know the location of. Lusha, and Kamzin. The morning they are meant to set out, Kamzin wakes to find that River's supplies have been ransacked, and his assistant Mara and Lusha are both missing.
Lusha may read the stars, and have the quiet strength that makes her a born leader, but she doesn't know the mountains like Kamzin does. River quickly recruits Kamzin to restock the supplies and lead his expedition. Kamzin can't resist the call of the mountains, the mystery of Raksha. The opportunity to make a name for herself, to rise up to be an explorer herself. As well as concern for her sister, all serving to spur her on into the mountains. Not to mention the draw of River himself.
The mountains aren't so eager to give up their secrets, and soon Kamzin feels the responsibility for the lives she's leading deeper and deeper into the unknown. Could her sister still be alive? Can they all make it safely through the Aryas? And is the talisman they seek and the secrets of Raksha worth the risk?
This left me eager to get my hands on the next one. Definitely look into this if you don't mind a slow burn, and lots of traveling. The slower spots are worth what they lead up to.
While the story moves at a slower pace, as they traverse the mountains, the writing still held me captive and needing to know what would happen next.
Kamzin is the younger daughter of the Elder. Despite her lack of talent for magic, she's apprenticed to Chirri, to be the next shaman. Chirri has all but given up on her, and her friend Tem often does Kamzin's tasks for her. Kamzin's sister, Lusha, is on track to be the next Elder.
Everything changes with the appearance of the Royal Explorer, River Shara. Lusha is supposed to guide his expedition to Raksha, the highest mountain in the Aryas, a peak that no one has been able to climb, and that only two living people know the location of. Lusha, and Kamzin. The morning they are meant to set out, Kamzin wakes to find that River's supplies have been ransacked, and his assistant Mara and Lusha are both missing.
Lusha may read the stars, and have the quiet strength that makes her a born leader, but she doesn't know the mountains like Kamzin does. River quickly recruits Kamzin to restock the supplies and lead his expedition. Kamzin can't resist the call of the mountains, the mystery of Raksha. The opportunity to make a name for herself, to rise up to be an explorer herself. As well as concern for her sister, all serving to spur her on into the mountains. Not to mention the draw of River himself.
The mountains aren't so eager to give up their secrets, and soon Kamzin feels the responsibility for the lives she's leading deeper and deeper into the unknown. Could her sister still be alive? Can they all make it safely through the Aryas? And is the talisman they seek and the secrets of Raksha worth the risk?
This left me eager to get my hands on the next one. Definitely look into this if you don't mind a slow burn, and lots of traveling. The slower spots are worth what they lead up to.
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Kidnapping
runaway sister, falling to death, frostbite, avalanche
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I gave it two stars because of the world-building - it was well-done; I think maybe a bit too well-done that everything else didn't live up to my expectations - heck the title was kind of a lie and don't get me started on the lust-triangle.
Y'all can pass this one.
Y'all can pass this one.
This is a debut? You're kidding. This is enchanting. What a delightfully strong sense of place, of travel, of the hard work it takes to get anywhere. Some people find the pace plodding, but I found it deliberate, cautious, and building. What a magnificent feast for the brain, constructing dizzying mountains and spindly paths and open valleys and dark forests and black, black caves.
To get it out of the way: the nitpicks. I have three paragraphs of nitpicks. Enjoy them.
Yes, there is a love triangle that is entirely unnecessary. Kam doesn't even seem to care that it's there: she's quite clear that she has no romantic interest in Tem, and it's him and only him trying to encourage something. She sort of likes River, but it almost feels more like an awe-inspired puppy devotion to someone who can match her climbing skills. The romance is hacky and unnecessary and weighs down the journey.
Also, I hate cliffhangers for a series when I didn't know I was reading a series. I would have much preferred the strength of a single volume story which wrapped up everything. Sure, the ending is quite cool and sets up something great, but...man, I really love it when things Finish in one volume, y'know?
Also also, last nitpick paragraph, aside from Tem and River, the additional companions don't do much except complain. And, while we're on the topic of characters, I'm not sure Kam necessarily had that much of a character arc--not all that much really changes for her. She doesn't really learn to cool down, or stop showing off, or anything much. She remains as she is. My books may be blending together as I try to catch up with my Goodreads reading challenge, but she never seemed to have a very clear Easily Resolved Character Problem that most teen novels have--sure, she got drunk and embarrassed her dad at the start, but that scene had no bearing on her ability to go on her journey, nor did alcohol ever play in again. Sure, she wasn't much good at magic, but that never changed; she uses tools at the end, nothing "within herself" as it were. She was already a top-notch climber, so even though the feats were frightening, she was already one of the best. The only thing that changed was her feelings for River, which went through the usual standard tropey Teen Romance rollercoaster.
But OH MY STARS. That pacing! That word-painting delight! That landscape! That mountain! Those ghosts! Those tunnels! Those dragons! That fox companion! Those bird-monsters that attacked! The sky-city! Those realistic injuries! Those death-defying climbing stunts! That fire demon! That plot twist! That ending!!
Chilling, memorable. A sense of place, a sense of weight. A book for explorers, for people who want to push their limits. It feels like this world has a culture and rich stories supporting it.
Kam maybe didn't have a character arc, but she's still terrifically fun to read about. Watching her show off, be humbled, be the best at what she does, have fun, mourn, and generally be awesome is lots of fun. I wish she had an arc, had something to develop, but sometimes just a flat story is okay. A nice breather, honestly. Tho, it bugged me that the boys took initiative with nearly all the kisses: I think she only started the kisses herself twice out of like...what, six or seven times? But, the romance is never my favorite part of any book anyway.
Bless you for Not having an awkward sex scene on top of a desolate mountain. Frostbite in uncomfortable places would have spoiled quite a lot.
This book doesn't come with a map anywhere, and my heart is broken because of it.
To get it out of the way: the nitpicks. I have three paragraphs of nitpicks. Enjoy them.
Yes, there is a love triangle that is entirely unnecessary. Kam doesn't even seem to care that it's there: she's quite clear that she has no romantic interest in Tem, and it's him and only him trying to encourage something. She sort of likes River, but it almost feels more like an awe-inspired puppy devotion to someone who can match her climbing skills. The romance is hacky and unnecessary and weighs down the journey.
Also, I hate cliffhangers for a series when I didn't know I was reading a series. I would have much preferred the strength of a single volume story which wrapped up everything. Sure, the ending is quite cool and sets up something great, but...man, I really love it when things Finish in one volume, y'know?
Also also, last nitpick paragraph, aside from Tem and River, the additional companions don't do much except complain
Spoiler
and also die, so that Kam can be sadBut OH MY STARS. That pacing! That word-painting delight! That landscape! That mountain! Those ghosts! Those tunnels! Those dragons! That fox companion! Those bird-monsters that attacked! The sky-city! Those realistic injuries! Those death-defying climbing stunts! That fire demon! That plot twist! That ending!!
Chilling, memorable. A sense of place, a sense of weight. A book for explorers, for people who want to push their limits. It feels like this world has a culture and rich stories supporting it.
Kam maybe didn't have a character arc, but she's still terrifically fun to read about. Watching her show off, be humbled, be the best at what she does, have fun, mourn, and generally be awesome is lots of fun. I wish she had an arc, had something to develop, but sometimes just a flat story is okay. A nice breather, honestly. Tho, it bugged me that the boys took initiative with nearly all the kisses: I think she only started the kisses herself twice out of like...what, six or seven times? But, the romance is never my favorite part of any book anyway.
Bless you for Not having an awkward sex scene on top of a desolate mountain. Frostbite in uncomfortable places would have spoiled quite a lot.
This book doesn't come with a map anywhere, and my heart is broken because of it.
adventurous
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rounded up to 3.6*.
An adventurous and richly atmospheric trek through Tibetan-inspired mountains with complex characters that was lacking something for me for it to be a truly great read. This was a re-read, and overall I liked it, and it was close to having that something special. I think my biggest gripe was with Kamzin's character: she's a good character but at times her motivations felt very wishy-washy, full of contradictions and not knowing what she wanted. However there was some character development there which I am hoping to see expand in the next book. The character of River was interesting and multi-layered, and I empathized with his actions. I did enjoy the worldbuilding and setting, and think this is where the book really shined. The imagery was beautifully and vividly described and I was wholly captivated by the landscape. Kamzin's love for the mountains was also very evident here and it made me like her all the more for it. I think this is the author's first book so I am hoping to see an improvement in the sequel (after all her Emily Wilde series is one of my all time favorites).
An adventurous and richly atmospheric trek through Tibetan-inspired mountains with complex characters that was lacking something for me for it to be a truly great read. This was a re-read, and overall I liked it, and it was close to having that something special. I think my biggest gripe was with Kamzin's character: she's a good character but at times her motivations felt very wishy-washy, full of contradictions and not knowing what she wanted. However there was some character development there which I am hoping to see expand in the next book. The character of River was interesting and multi-layered, and I empathized with his actions. I did enjoy the worldbuilding and setting, and think this is where the book really shined. The imagery was beautifully and vividly described and I was wholly captivated by the landscape. Kamzin's love for the mountains was also very evident here and it made me like her all the more for it. I think this is the author's first book so I am hoping to see an improvement in the sequel (after all her Emily Wilde series is one of my all time favorites).
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Kamzin and her best friend Tem join the adventurous and magnetic River Shara and a small entourage to venture off into nature, trailing behind Kamzin’s sister Lusha and one of River’s former men on a dangerous expedition to Mount Rashka. The goal is to beat Lusha and Mara to the top of the mountain to snatch a talisman and give it to the Emperor. Without the talisman, the witches who live in the Nightwood forest would rise to power and wipe out any person not of witch descent. This adventure novel is packed with hiking, rock climbing, adventure, danger, and ultimately a quest for power and the truth.
I couldn’t help but notice the many Lord of the Rings similarities embedded in the novel with the whole gathering up a small party, hiking through different types of terrain, fighting off dangerous creatures, and trying to find a sacred talisman on the top of a treacherous mountain. Like in LOTR, others have attempted this journey but have failed so it is up to Kamzin and River’s team to make the long trek before the bind holding the witches to the forest breaks.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and will be reading the next installment, although I easily predicted the big revelation right at the beginning. Little clues were scattered here and there and none of the characters were intelligent enough to piece together the facts. I also didn’t like Kazmin’s disdain toward animals at the beginning of the novel. She treated the ravens and her fox harshly for no reason. There was a lot of telling instead of showing, including Kamzin always having a feeling and having something remind her of something that she couldn’t think of. There is a skewed love triangle. Tem is in love with Kamzin while Kamzin only wants to remain friends. Kamzin is in love with River and the feeling is reciprocated to a degree. Some parts of the story were dragged out and could have been shortened, but all in all, this was a nice story even though it was predictable from the beginning. I knew how the novel would end based on all the clues so the cliffhanger ending won’t be a shocker to anyone who reads between the lines.
I received an ARC of Even the Darkest Stars from Edelweiss.
I couldn’t help but notice the many Lord of the Rings similarities embedded in the novel with the whole gathering up a small party, hiking through different types of terrain, fighting off dangerous creatures, and trying to find a sacred talisman on the top of a treacherous mountain. Like in LOTR, others have attempted this journey but have failed so it is up to Kamzin and River’s team to make the long trek before the bind holding the witches to the forest breaks.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and will be reading the next installment, although I easily predicted the big revelation right at the beginning. Little clues were scattered here and there and none of the characters were intelligent enough to piece together the facts. I also didn’t like Kazmin’s disdain toward animals at the beginning of the novel. She treated the ravens and her fox harshly for no reason. There was a lot of telling instead of showing, including Kamzin always having a feeling and having something remind her of something that she couldn’t think of. There is a skewed love triangle. Tem is in love with Kamzin while Kamzin only wants to remain friends. Kamzin is in love with River and the feeling is reciprocated to a degree. Some parts of the story were dragged out and could have been shortened, but all in all, this was a nice story even though it was predictable from the beginning. I knew how the novel would end based on all the clues so the cliffhanger ending won’t be a shocker to anyone who reads between the lines.
I received an ARC of Even the Darkest Stars from Edelweiss.