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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
adventurous
reflective
sad
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
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Le Guin was a master. The world building is simple (but unique) and takes a backseat to the characters and their interpersonal relationships. Le Guin often straddles the line between sci-fi and fantasy but I would say this one is solid fantasy.
Ursula LeGuin's Annals of the Western Shore sries was one of the series recommended to me after my public adulation of Kristin Cashore's Graceling books. I picked up the first two books at an adorable indie bookstore in downtown Buffalo while at a reading for another author, and dove into Gifts almost immediately.
Gifts tells the story of a continent divided into two lands: in one, the people have cities and more creature comforts, while the other is more feudal in nature, protected by "brantors" which are people who have shown the most concentrated and powerful gifts. Orrec is the son of a brantor, and shares his father's gift: the power to unmake, or destroy. Only Orrect has no control over his gift, and he is voluntarily blindfolded to protect those around him from his gift. His childhood friend, Gry, also refuses to use her gift: She can call animals, but refuses to use it to call animals to a hunt.
I can see why people would recommend this series to me, knowing both how much I loved LeGuin's Earthsea series as well as the similarities to Graceling, but I was oddly disappointed with Gifts. Both the characters and the country seemed far too close to Earthsea for me, and I felt like someone had written a mash-up of Graceling and the Earthsea stories. While obviously, Gifts came before Graceling, it came after Earthsea, and the similarities were just too close for comfort. I kept waiting for Ged to appear at some point in the story, and still have two more books to read, and am not discounting a crossover.
I was hoping for a totally new series from a writer I adored, but Gifts felt far too familiar to me. In addition, I knew the story's "surprise" ending far too early, and felt the rest of the book was anticlimactic after that.
This review originally posted at Epinions.com: http://www.epinions.com/review/Gifts_by_Ursula_K_Le_Guin/content_583805472388
Gifts tells the story of a continent divided into two lands: in one, the people have cities and more creature comforts, while the other is more feudal in nature, protected by "brantors" which are people who have shown the most concentrated and powerful gifts. Orrec is the son of a brantor, and shares his father's gift: the power to unmake, or destroy. Only Orrect has no control over his gift, and he is voluntarily blindfolded to protect those around him from his gift. His childhood friend, Gry, also refuses to use her gift: She can call animals, but refuses to use it to call animals to a hunt.
I can see why people would recommend this series to me, knowing both how much I loved LeGuin's Earthsea series as well as the similarities to Graceling, but I was oddly disappointed with Gifts. Both the characters and the country seemed far too close to Earthsea for me, and I felt like someone had written a mash-up of Graceling and the Earthsea stories. While obviously, Gifts came before Graceling, it came after Earthsea, and the similarities were just too close for comfort. I kept waiting for Ged to appear at some point in the story, and still have two more books to read, and am not discounting a crossover.
I was hoping for a totally new series from a writer I adored, but Gifts felt far too familiar to me. In addition, I knew the story's "surprise" ending far too early, and felt the rest of the book was anticlimactic after that.
This review originally posted at Epinions.com: http://www.epinions.com/review/Gifts_by_Ursula_K_Le_Guin/content_583805472388
mysterious
I really love some of Ursula Le Guin's books (like The Left Hand of Darkness), and am not so crazy about others (Earthsea). This one is a good one. I wish there were more authors writing for young adults who craft interesting, complex tales with the subtlety and poetry that she does.
Entertaining plot with an air of mystery in the beginning that's sometimes hard to follow. Ursula K. Le Guin is constant with her plot and ties up most of the loose ends. I would highly recommend this to other people.
I am left with the sensation that Ursula K. Le Guin is a master-writer but can't pinpoint why.
I found the first half of this book very slow. There was a lot of backstory and history that had to be told before the meat of the story began. I enjoyed the story once it began. Orrec was an interesting character. I had previously read the 2nd book in this series, Voices, so I knew the ultimate outcome of Orrec and Gry, just not how they got there.