Scan barcode
el_entrenador_loco's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? No
4.0
felinity's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars, might upgrade after reread.
Through myth and legend, history and ballad, story and song is this tale told. The intricacies of the world history, the academic jibes, the ominous warnings and the sociological studies were quite fascinating to me, almost surpassing the story itself as I saw how the passing of time would alter the "real" tale.
The storyline itself didn't seem as strong as I'd expect from [a:Jane Yolen|5989|Jane Yolen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1413465729p2/5989.jpg], and there are some elements of [a:Marion Zimmer Bradley|4841825|Marion Zimmer Bradley|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1305483488p2/4841825.jpg]'s Darkovan Reununciates, but, like MZB, the heroes are kept real: there's bickering and jealousy, love and death, success and failure, and some worrying prophecies. It took me a while to feel I grasped the concept of the dark sisters, and then I realized I'd completely misunderstood it, but that also gave me insight into how those outside the Hames might view them.
And a caveat for other Kindle readers who might, like me, be startlingly frustrated: as you near 86%, prepare for the end of the book. The remaining 15% contains, rather interestingly, scored music for some of the songs and also a preview of the next book, but the perceived early ending was a little disappointing.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
--
Reread as part of the ,a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35010638-the-great-alta-saga">omnibus edition, also from NetGalley. It fares better when read as a part of the whole, rather than left as standalone.
Through myth and legend, history and ballad, story and song is this tale told. The intricacies of the world history, the academic jibes, the ominous warnings and the sociological studies were quite fascinating to me, almost surpassing the story itself as I saw how the passing of time would alter the "real" tale.
The storyline itself didn't seem as strong as I'd expect from [a:Jane Yolen|5989|Jane Yolen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1413465729p2/5989.jpg], and there are some elements of [a:Marion Zimmer Bradley|4841825|Marion Zimmer Bradley|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1305483488p2/4841825.jpg]'s Darkovan Reununciates, but, like MZB, the heroes are kept real: there's bickering and jealousy, love and death, success and failure, and some worrying prophecies. It took me a while to feel I grasped the concept of the dark sisters, and then I realized I'd completely misunderstood it, but that also gave me insight into how those outside the Hames might view them.
And a caveat for other Kindle readers who might, like me, be startlingly frustrated: as you near 86%, prepare for the end of the book. The remaining 15% contains, rather interestingly, scored music for some of the songs and also a preview of the next book, but the perceived early ending was a little disappointing.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
--
Reread as part of the ,a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35010638-the-great-alta-saga">omnibus edition, also from NetGalley. It fares better when read as a part of the whole, rather than left as standalone.
brogan7's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
3.5
Parts of this book were riveting. There was something about the community of women, the struggles of coming of age, the mystery of the "dark sisters" that was very compelling.
On the downside, I found the book's dualism racist...the dark sisters and the light sisters were all so evidently white, and it would be so hard for a woman of colour to imagine herself in that world (does a woman with dark skin still have a dark sister?)--it just felt so exclusionary.
Also the violence was at times hard to take, I almost stopped reading after the first 30 pages.
On the downside, I found the book's dualism racist...the dark sisters and the light sisters were all so evidently white, and it would be so hard for a woman of colour to imagine herself in that world (does a woman with dark skin still have a dark sister?)--it just felt so exclusionary.
Also the violence was at times hard to take, I almost stopped reading after the first 30 pages.
rachelini's review against another edition
3.0
Part of the bundle of older fantasy novels by women writers that I bought a while back. This followed some true YA fantasy tropes: orphaned girl who discovers that she is the fulfillment of a prophecy. Good story, if a little heavy on the set up for the next book.
old_tim's review against another edition
5.0
How did I miss this all these years? A brilliant fantasy!
http://fedpeaches.blogspot.com/2016/04/still-not-fish.html
http://fedpeaches.blogspot.com/2016/04/still-not-fish.html
lamusadelils's review against another edition
4.0
Me gustó mucho el estilo de Jolen y cómo la historia se cuenta en diferentes versiones, incluyendo cómo serian las leyendas y canciones que eventualmente derivarian de los hechos. Esto es especialmente relevante en referencia a las muchas historias de fantasía que tienen tramas similares, ya que normalmente incluyen sólo una de las perspectivas (una leyenda o mito de algo que ocurrió hace mucho tiempo, una canción de lugares lejanos). El libro juega con la idea de la persona elegida y que tanto afecta el destino en contraste con las decisiones que la gente toma basándose en sus propias ideas acerca del destino.
Ademas, hay una gran variedad de personajes femeninos que actúan de maneras complejas y con motivaciones muy variadas.
En general el libro es muy bueno pero pareciera que los alcances de la historia se simplifican y aunque es genial ver historias de este tipo de hace décadas, muchos elementos podrían considerarse incluso trillados.
Ademas, hay una gran variedad de personajes femeninos que actúan de maneras complejas y con motivaciones muy variadas.
En general el libro es muy bueno pero pareciera que los alcances de la historia se simplifican y aunque es genial ver historias de este tipo de hace décadas, muchos elementos podrían considerarse incluso trillados.
veryreaderie's review against another edition
4.0
Took a while to start up and seemed like it was going to be overly-epic (Lord of the Rings style - more involved with the sweeping events than the actual people) but once the story started following Jenna properly I was hooked. So if the start seems too grand for you, just keep reading! Very hard to put down.
nannahnannah's review against another edition
3.5
Jenna, a white-haired babe orphaned three times, is taken in and raised by an all-women community who worships a white-haired goddess named Alta. There, she learns about dark sisters - shadow women called out from a great mirror who only appear during the night. She also discovers that she might be the subject of a prophecy that foretells the goddess's rebirth on earth.
Folktales, ballads, and history lessons interrupt each chapter, told from sometime in the future looking back. It really reveals how corrupt history can become with each retelling and from who's telling it (the historians are all men, lecturing about what they thought they knew about the all-women communities, while what's shown to the readers real-time in the chapters tend to differ).
I ended up enjoying the book, but it took until halfway for the story to really get moving. And I felt the entire book was written up to set up its sequel, which bummed me out. I wished the book had a complete beginning, middle, and ending. I might pick up the sequel, but we'll see . . .
Folktales, ballads, and history lessons interrupt each chapter, told from sometime in the future looking back. It really reveals how corrupt history can become with each retelling and from who's telling it (the historians are all men, lecturing about what they thought they knew about the all-women communities, while what's shown to the readers real-time in the chapters tend to differ).
I ended up enjoying the book, but it took until halfway for the story to really get moving. And I felt the entire book was written up to set up its sequel, which bummed me out. I wished the book had a complete beginning, middle, and ending. I might pick up the sequel, but we'll see . . .
nelsonseye's review against another edition
4.0
I vaguely recall having picked up [book:Sister Light, Sister Dark|1385324] back in the '90s at my public library and not finishing it. I am really glad I picked it up again. The world and mythology of Alta's warrior women and their prophecy was intriguing, and there were some very poignant moments. However, what really elevated the book for me was the snippets of songs, legends, and historical analyses interspersed in the story itself - these were excellent. I particularly loved some of the commentaries in the analyses and how they interpreted artifacts to determine "what actually happened." Comparing the legends with the story was also quite fun. I'm glad these books are available as ebooks now; I imagine finding hard copies (even in libraries) would be a challenge.
valhecka's review against another edition
3.0
Need to reread this - what I remember is sort of dreamlike and weird, but I do remember someone losing their arm somewhere. ...Is that right?