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kristenreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Violence
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
honeypunk's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A book that had lots of potential but unfortunately fell flat.
The main characters Keyne/ Constantine Riva and Sinne unfortunately felt very shallow in the manner they were written.
I found it painfully obvious how Keyne was written by someone who is not a trans man. The first few chapters from his perspective were repeating how he felt different on the inside, noone understands what it's like to be perceived as someone you're not, dresses make him uncomfortable etc. All valid trans experiences but executed in a very shallow manner because there was nothing else to him. Trans people have personalities and not every single waking moment is spent thinking about how being trans is different or hard.
Similarly the portrayal of the disabled character Riva also felt shallow to me initially. Much like Keyne she kept repeating how hard it was to be a burn victim and for others to look at her differently. One guy appears and says he thinks she's strong for living with a disability, not weak, and suddenlyshe's anamoured with him.
It annoyed me as a disabled trans person how heavily these characters relied on tropes / stereotypes of what it's like to be disabled or trans. They didn't feel human a lot of the time as they hugely lacked in depth. Therefore when events happened that were intended to be emotional I just felt..meh.
But on the other hand, the premise for this story was a wonderful idea. The setting, the magic, the culture.. all made me so happy. It is lovely to see traditional British culture celebrated through story. I just wish it had been executed better , so I would have cared more about the plot.
The main characters Keyne
I found it painfully obvious how Keyne was written by someone who is not a trans man. The first few chapters from his perspective were repeating how he felt different on the inside, noone understands what it's like to be perceived as someone you're not, dresses make him uncomfortable etc. All valid trans experiences but executed in a very shallow manner because there was nothing else to him. Trans people have personalities and not every single waking moment is spent thinking about how being trans is different or hard.
Similarly the portrayal of the disabled character Riva also felt shallow to me initially. Much like Keyne she kept repeating how hard it was to be a burn victim and for others to look at her differently. One guy appears and says he thinks she's strong for living with a disability, not weak, and suddenly
It annoyed me as a disabled trans person how heavily these characters relied on tropes / stereotypes of what it's like to be disabled or trans. They didn't feel human a lot of the time as they hugely lacked in depth. Therefore when events happened that were intended to be emotional I just felt..meh.
But on the other hand, the premise for this story was a wonderful idea. The setting, the magic, the culture.. all made me so happy. It is lovely to see traditional British culture celebrated through story. I just wish it had been executed better , so I would have cared more about the plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Transphobia, and Ableism
agooding's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Moderate: Pregnancy, Transphobia, and Vomit
Minor: Deadnaming
picaresquedreamer's review against another edition
Boring, most characters were kinda irritating
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Transphobia, Violence, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Religious bigotry
musicalpopcorn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This was quite the story. I’m glad I looked up the Twa Sisters beforehand otherwise I think I would have had a massive shock about 3/4 of the way in. The book definitely takes a sharp turn.
I wasn’t all that interested in it to begin with. I didn’t find the story grabbed me, but once it took a darker turn, I definitely felt more inclined to see how it ended.
Interesting idea, so-so execution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, and Body horror
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Violence, Confinement, Deadnaming, Pregnancy, Grief, Transphobia, Murder, and Misogyny
careinthelibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
I was sure I'd like this trans-affirming early middle ages feminist retelling of one of Child's murder ballads and I did 😌
Didn't expect so much to feel like an honouring of <i>Hild</i> by Nicola Griffith, one of my all-time favourite historical fiction epics. Although <i>Hild</i> takes place in this book's future, it feels like they are referencing the same texts, worldviews, problems, and imaginings of the land. Even the references to the patterns that connect us all to the land felt very Griffith and very <i>Hild</i>! Love it.
Didn't expect so much to feel like an honouring of <i>Hild</i> by Nicola Griffith, one of my all-time favourite historical fiction epics. Although <i>Hild</i> takes place in this book's future, it feels like they are referencing the same texts, worldviews, problems, and imaginings of the land. Even the references to the patterns that connect us all to the land felt very Griffith and very <i>Hild</i>! Love it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Transphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Religious bigotry, and Sexism
Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexual content, Dysphoria, Death of parent, Grief, Ableism, Violence, War, and Toxic relationship
ginalucia's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book blew me away.
It took a while for me to grasp each character as an individual, but I think that's the point because they, fairly quickly, start to become completely different beings, all going in multiple directions but barging into one another.
I love the way the book handles the trans character. Showing us the internal and external struggle but moving it forward in a gentle and pleasing way. It's part of the story, but it doesn't overshadow or undershadow it.
So unexpected, emotional, gripping, and thoughtful. A tense but enjoyable ride.
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Transphobia, and Violence
Moderate: Pregnancy and War
charlottereadshistory's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
After reading probably too many Roman and Greek retellings over the last few years I was excited to read what I knew was an Ancient British/Saxon story based on the Twa sisters ballad.
I really enjoyed the storytelling that built up the complexities and relationships of the three siblings, and thought that the portrayal of Keyne, the middle sibling whose struggle to gain acceptance of their trans identity was sensitive and developed.
The addition of magic and that fantasy element didn't seem contrived or forced. Holland really built well trodden ideas in myth and folklore about the power of nature and the importance of being attuned to the land in this book - all important tenets of Paganism, which was the main religion at the time, despite the spread of Christianity.
I got a YA vibe from this book which I didn't mind at all - the characters definitely had fairly modern sensibilities and this isn't a book to read if you want a full understanding of life at the time with a bibliography of source matter at the back. However I really enjoyed the setting, and the ending was actually very dark and dramatic, which was a surprise.
I really enjoyed the storytelling that built up the complexities and relationships of the three siblings, and thought that the portrayal of Keyne, the middle sibling whose struggle to gain acceptance of their trans identity was sensitive and developed.
The addition of magic and that fantasy element didn't seem contrived or forced. Holland really built well trodden ideas in myth and folklore about the power of nature and the importance of being attuned to the land in this book - all important tenets of Paganism, which was the main religion at the time, despite the spread of Christianity.
I got a YA vibe from this book which I didn't mind at all - the characters definitely had fairly modern sensibilities and this isn't a book to read if you want a full understanding of life at the time with a bibliography of source matter at the back. However I really enjoyed the setting, and the ending was actually very dark and dramatic, which was a surprise.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Violence
Minor: Transphobia
caelfind's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Transphobia, Death, and War
confusible's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I liked this but I’d maybe give it a 3.5 out of 5. I love historical fiction and I haven’t read anything proto-Arthurian, so the subject matter intrigued me. The 3 daughters of a royal family navigating life as both Christianity and the Saxons are invading their surroundings. Ultimately I enjoyed parts of it, especially Keyne’s storyline and her adventures with Mori (I could read a whole book about Mori). I was intrigued by Riva initially but she grew boring while Sinne was annoying at first and I grew to love her later. The world building was great, particularly the use of magic and the description of the magic as tied to the land and a pattern that someone connected to the land can see and pull power from. I did struggle to keep track of which sister was narrating because their voices weren’t very distinct. I also wanted to know more about some side characters, like Os, Cador, and Arlyn. The book moved very slow for me at first but really picked up in the last third and then I couldn’t put it down and I thought Holland brought it all together well at the end. I enjoyed the themes of sisterhood, the power of nature, and the importance of staying true to your identity even if it takes others time to recognize it. One tip for the publisher is that a pronunciation guide for books like this would be very helpful, at least for American audiences, I think struggling with the names was part of why it took me so long to get into it.
One thing to add is that I really liked the way Sinne was turned into a harp, it was gruesome but it had to be and I think it fit with the story so well, we needed to hear a bit more from her
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror and Violence