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half_prince's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Also, while the plot of the book itself isn’t as grand as it could’ve been, I appreciated how Cashore took the first 2 parts to lay out the ground work for the rest of the book and to focus on developing Hava’s character and thoughts, which become more relevant later on as she tries to figure out who she is and come to terms with her past. Also, the book was excellently edited; as soon as I got a bit tired of one setting and was looking move along in the plot, the book did so without focusing too much on unneeded transitions.
As for the plot, the multiple mysteries that slowly get revealed is present in this book, like in the other graceling realm novels, and it’s an aspect of Cashore’s writing that I absolutely love and look forward to with each new book in the series. Although I did predict one of the larger revelations a good 100 pages before my suspicions were confirmed, I found that it was more rewarding (as all the clues were well placed) than boring (I would much rather have a plot twist be well developed and somewhat predictable, rather than come out of nowhere with nothing setting it up).
In addition, per the revelations in previous books in the series, there is mention of what King Leck had done and how it affects Hava (both past and present). However, based off my recollection of Bitterblue, Seasparrow is about the same in terms of how graphic the descriptions are (not very, just enough to understand that he was a terrible man, to put it lightly) and his crimes are brought up less often (as they do not pertain to the plot as much, and are mostly present for character growth).
After hesitantly getting back into the Graceling series earlier this year with Winterkeep, Seasparrow was a very quick and easy read and I look forward to seeing how the Graceling Realm continues to evolve, should there be new additions to the series.
**Personal Note: I like to use yugioh cards as bookmarks. For this book, I used Unicode-P.U.N.K Amazing Dragon as the card art matched the cover color-wise.
Minor: Rape, Child death, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
There is a helpful note to the reader in the beginning of the book that has warnings regarding sexual assault and sexual abuse that is witnessed/experienced by characters prior to the events in the book. I believe that it would also be helpful to mention that the main character, Hava, does not have these experiences herself (and thus mentions/references are recollected in first person, but they are in second person pov).lenabrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Minor: Animal death and Animal cruelty
scriptrix's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty
totallyshelfaware's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual violence
Minor: Rape and Gaslighting
donaghys1's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Grief
Moderate: Violence, Animal death, and Mental illness
Minor: Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Death, Addiction, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Torture
There is a shipwreck. The characters are in survival mode from about page 150 to about page 360.heartbrekker's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
When I reviewed Winterkeep, I compared it to Bitterblue, but now the true comp titles to one another within the Graceling Realm are Bitterblue and Seasparrow. Seasparrow, much like Bitterblue, is a story of a woman finally beginning her journey to healing her childhood traumas and coming to terms with her own identity amidst political turmoil and strife.
"If you could eavesdrop without anyone knowing— if you could turn yourself into a barrel, or a coil of lines, or a clump of canvas on deck where two people are standing, whispering secrets to one another— are you sure you wouldn't?"
Hava has always been one of my favorite side characters throughout the series, and it was incredible to have her as the sole POV of this installment. She's gritty and sarcastic, blunt and curious, empathetic and angry. Hava is the epitome of my favorite type of protagonist because she's so far from perfect yet that makes her so imperfectly human. Moreover, it was interesting to watch her different interactions with people like Bitterblue, Gideon, Linny, or Annet. Hava changes her attitude within her relationships to fit her emotions, and I think it was very realistic that she had so many issues with Bitterblue because their relationship is so secretive and flawed. Sibling relationships are still to this day one of my favorite parts to books, especially because they're so rarely used, so it was great to have Bitterblue's POV in mind when reading Hava's POV. You can't start to heal those relationships with loved ones until everything is put onto the table, and with the chaos of returning home, Bitterblue and Hava take some time to attend to that. I'm very excited for people to meet Hava's friend Linny in particular because he adds so much to her growth and vulnerability— something I don't think Hava has really ever done before on page or off.
Also one more side note— I’m curious to see how people view Hava and her sexuality, possibly demisexuality. This is probably the first Graceling book that doesn’t focus on romance really at all as a main side plot. It’s definitely there in undertones throughout the book, but again, this is Hava’s journey towards her identity so romance is the last of her immediate worries. The romance is like a bud blooming into spring right at the end of the book, so it’s more a promise of what’s to come rather than what’s on the page.
"... languages are like a blanket you can crawl into and be warm. And words are like pebbles you can throw."
Also, because this book was in first person POV, we got a much deeper version of Hava as an individual than Winterkeep, for example, which had multiple POVs. Did I miss Bitterblue's perspective— Adventure's even? Yes! But I think they would have detracted from Hava's story because they're such fan favorites. Readers are forced to give Hava all of their attention, which is something she's lacked her entire life due to her camouflage abilities.
"When someone wraps you in a towel, you can feel your own edges. You can begin to learn who you are."
Arguably, Seasparrow is definitely a character driven story rather than plot, in my opinion. Yes, the zilfium mines and bombs coming to the Seven Kingdoms are imperative to the plot, but Seasparrow is about Hava's journey overall. We always come back to her struggles, her isolation, and her pain. She monologues frequently to the point that I forgot about the zilfium (unless she was ranting about chemistry haha). I was a bit stunned by this throughout the beginning of the book because Bitterblue and Winterkeep were an even mix of character and plot, but ultimately, character fits the story best here. Sadly, I do think the plot dragged at times, and I think 50ish pages could’ve been taken out, which wouldn’t have affected the story at all. I had to push myself to keep going because it felt repetitive then, but once I got through, it was better.
"I want to live in a world where the simplest way to be safe from explosive weapons is not to build explosive weapons in the first place."
Something I've been drawn to since Winterkeep is Kristin Cashore's constant attention to environmental harm and atomic weaponry. It's a conversation that I think hardly any YA books, let alone fantasy books, choose to actively bring up. Cashore has always been ahead of the game when it comes to important, current event conversations, but Seasparrow felt so personal, especially because another year has gone by where I learn further and further information about our earth and how it suffers. The stormy seas in this book were just another example of how these bombs are affecting this realm physically, which doesn't even begin to bring up the human emotions these weapons invoke of greed, fear, and impending death. It mirrors our world, and Cashore is simply a genius.
"Because my wish to be a person you can trust is bigger than my fear of your temper."
I don't think I can say anymore without giving away spoilers. I'm hoping Cashore has another book in mind to write because I simply can't get enough of the Graceling Realm! Coming back to these books through Winterkeep and now Seasparrow was a beautiful dream. Seasparrow does not seem like the end, and I'd love to see Hava's journey more after the events at the end. I'll update this review when I can scream about spoilers.
"Love is hope for other people."
Thank you to Penguin Teen for allowing me to review an eARC of one of my anticipated releases!
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, and Gore
Moderate: Drug use, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug abuse, Vomit, and Kidnapping
More details on TWs: Rape (not of the MC but she sees it), attempted rape (not of the MC), death of a loved one (detailed), PTSD, attempted murder, hallucinations (mushrooms), amputation, extreme weather conditions (cold), drowning (near drowning of MC too), threat of atomic warfare, and postpartum detachment