Reviews

The Forest God by Jamie Lackey

kleonard's review against another edition

4.0

A lovely fairytale about responsibility and duty and happiness and being flexible in thought. My only concern is that in the writing about how Margery is ugly, she's described with a brown mark on one side of her face. The brown-vs-white skin here can easily be read as a metaphor for white supremacy.

alandd's review against another edition

5.0

No quiero dar ningún spoiler, ¡así que solo voy a decir que esta novela me afectó más de lo que esperaba! Es una linda historia con un poco de fantasía de cuento de hadas y paganismo, así que definitivamente fue algo que me gustó, pero aún esperaba que fuera solo entretenida y divertida. En realidad, está llena de lecciones y enseñanzas para niños y adultos por igual.
Reseña completa: https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2020/08/resena-review-forest-god.html

I don’t want to give any spoilers, so I’m just going to say that this novella affected me more than I expected! It’s a cute story with a bit of fairy-tale-y fantasy and Paganism, so it was definitely something I liked, but I still expected to be just entertaining and funny. Actually, it is filled with lessons and teachings for kids and adults alike.
Full review: https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2020/08/resena-review-forest-god.html

jentidders's review against another edition

4.0

The Forest God is an enchanting and quick-to-read retelling of the Celtic myth of sacred land marriage, in which a Witch's apprentice and a young Lord are torn between their desires and their duties while seeking to restore the bond between the land, its caretakers and the Forest God (embodied as a hare).

This folk tale was new to me, yet comfortingly familiar, and is equally suitable younger readers as well as adults. It would be particularly lovely to read out loud, in homage to the oral tradition of folklore.

annarella's review against another edition

5.0

A great novella, engrossing and entertaining. I think that the author is a talented storyteller and I loved the fleshed out characters and the plot that flows.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

wethefoxen's review against another edition

5.0

**Recieved as a Net Galley from Air and Nothingness Press**

This little novella is so heartbreakingly beautiful! A completely formed and immersive story in just over 80 pages, this is a must read for anyone who loves folklore, the woods, and the bittersweet taste of love in all its forms. Lackey's prose are to the point and vivid, telling the reader a story of redemption, evolution, and the importance of Nature and its balance.

almightygonzo's review

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-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? No

4.25

bethlynch's review against another edition

5.0

This was lovely and fantastic. I hope to read more by this author.

goldenfenris's review against another edition

5.0

I devoured this novella in one sitting. Partially because it is a novella and partially because I was swept up in this simple, but beautiful story. Nothing is overdone in this novella. It isn’t too lean or too heavy in certain areas. It was crafted with precision, so even though I greatly enjoyed the story, I was very satisfied with the ending. I don’t need it to be extended or changed in any way. However, because it is so short I don’t want to say too much about the plot and give anything away.

I also grew attached to the characters and their cozy setting rather quickly. While they all banter back and forth, they grow closer together and learn lessons about responsibility, love, and how what we may view as our greatest weakness may be our biggest strength. These are good lessons for people of any age to learn and I like the fact that it doesn’t shy away from the idea that sometimes it is necessary to make a hard decision. There are situations in life where we won’t get what we want because of our responsibilities.

Thank you to both Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC of this novella, but the thoughts and opinions are my own.

aconfundityofcrows's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

emrysmerlyn's review

5.0

“Even if you knew you’d start a new life tomorrow, would you want to die today?”

I was drawn to this book by its cover; for about six years now, I have made it a point to conduct an annual re-read of Richard Adams’s book Watership Down. You can probably guess why a fantasy featuring a dramatic rabbit illustration on the cover caught my eye. (Although it is in fact a hare, not a rabbit, on this cover). At a quick 80 pages, this poetic and magical little novella packs a punch.

The story is a delightful mix of magic and pragmatism — exemplified in the scene where Margery and Lord Hugh meet in the strawberry garden that the Witch maintains for the benefit of the Forest God. Lord Hugh asks how it is that she can pass through barriers that open only to the Forest God, and Margery replies simply: “Someone has to weed the strawberry patch.”

Premise:

A Witch’s apprentice, a dandy lord, and a god walk into a forest... and set out on a mission to right something broken in the world.

Characters:

The Forest God has been reborn, ready to live out this lifetime in the body of a hare. The god has lived many lives and assumed the cares and joys of all the creatures of the forest at some point during its many reincarnations.

Margery - A reluctant apprentice to the local Witch (nameless, as all full Witches are, after all, “She does not have her own separate self. A Witch needs a name no more than a tree does, or a river, or the Forest God.”). Margery actually more or less enjoys her work and the life she is currently living, but she’s deeply resentful of the fact that it was not her choice to live this way. She is kind and talented and a compassionate healer, burdened by fairly severe self-esteem issues.

Young Lord Hugh - A silly and rather notoriously useless Young Lord (back at it again with the Proper Nouns). He makes a life changing error one day, when he tries to do the Witch a favor by shooting a hare he sees eating the strawberries in her garden. He is good natured and confident, in the way of someone used to getting whatever he wants, and yet he is willing to make any effort to become the Lord his village needs.

I’m a sucker for stories about unlikely friendships, so this really hit the mark for me. It’s a love story where friendship and duty counterbalance the romance. I don’t typically go into novellas expecting them to be very character-driven, and was pleasantly surprised to find that this quiet fairy tale features a trio of cleverly well-drawn characters.