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maryconnors6's review against another edition
5.0
"Have you ever thought," she got out, "that we just did those things, and the spirits don't care?"
Adrian Tchaikovsky is such a master of prose! Although clearly a fantasy novel, the world he crafted felt so perfectly neolithic that it had the tone of historical fiction. This really helped to ground the more fantastical elements with the gods and shapeshifting. The brutality of both the setting and gender roles was certainly apparent, but it didn't feel unnecessary or like it was put in there to make a point. Granted, the female characters had so many great moments where they completely decimated accepted gender norms, but it fit in well with the story. The characters were so realistic and each one had moments of heroism and selfishness that really added dimension to the overall narrative, and made their decisions, even contrary ones, at critical points believable. The theme of tribalism and the discourse on individuality and equality were so interesting and well done. I did have some minor critiques with the way some of the characters conflicts were resolved so simply and the magic was conveniently introduced in a deux ex machina fashion, but I would 100% recommend! The Tiger and the Wolf is the first in the series, but it read like a standalone, which was great!
Age Considerations: violence, swearing, talk of rape, cannibalism? (still unclear if that counts as cannibalism), 18+
Adrian Tchaikovsky is such a master of prose! Although clearly a fantasy novel, the world he crafted felt so perfectly neolithic that it had the tone of historical fiction. This really helped to ground the more fantastical elements with the gods and shapeshifting. The brutality of both the setting and gender roles was certainly apparent, but it didn't feel unnecessary or like it was put in there to make a point. Granted, the female characters had so many great moments where they completely decimated accepted gender norms, but it fit in well with the story. The characters were so realistic and each one had moments of heroism and selfishness that really added dimension to the overall narrative, and made their decisions, even contrary ones, at critical points believable. The theme of tribalism and the discourse on individuality and equality were so interesting and well done. I did have some minor critiques with the way some of the characters conflicts were resolved so simply and the magic was conveniently introduced in a deux ex machina fashion, but I would 100% recommend! The Tiger and the Wolf is the first in the series, but it read like a standalone, which was great!
Age Considerations: violence, swearing, talk of rape, cannibalism? (still unclear if that counts as cannibalism), 18+
laura_302's review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.75
mypacificroad's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
This was my first read of 2024 šš½ it was a solid Epic Fantasy, I would even call it a classical Fantasy if that makes sense?
The story is set in the Bronze Age and everyone is a shapeshifter. People are divided into clans depending on what animal they can shapeshift into and this is where Maniyeās life gets complicated.
Her father is the chief of the Winter Runner Wolf Clan and her mother the Queen of the Tiger Clan. During the Tiger-Wolf war, the wolf chief captured the Tiger Queen and murdered her after forcing her to have a child. Now Maniye has two souls inside of her who are constantly at war with each other, and must choose one before they destroy her.
But who will she choose? The Tiger Clan who are unaware of her existence? Or the Wolf Clan who have never treated her respectfully?
This was a good solid Fantasy. Tchaikovsky manages to create a very complex world without being infodumpy. There is quite a lot of fighting which may or may not be your thing your thing. It did take me a while to get into the story but what made me enjoy it were the characters and the friendships they develop with each other.
I was very much expecting the ending, but now I am very curious as to where Tchaikovsky is taking the story.
tinynavajo's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my holy bananas! This book was so good! I absolutely love the cover photo and I loved the story, and the magic, and just everything!
In a world where you are born under a certain animal and you are able to Step into that animal's skin, there can only be one soul within a body, else you will die. For Maniye of the Winter Runners, one tribe of many that fall under the Shadow of the Wolf, she is born with not one soul, but two. Her mother was the Queen of the Tigers, the Shadow Eaters who are the nightmare of many. Unable to decide between her two selves, she runs from her tribe, determined to make her own shadow in the world.
But when you are the daughter of two tribal chiefs, not everything goes as planned. Maniye must make her own way in the world where people are people, even in animal form. In doing so, will she be able to choose between her two heritages? Or will they destroy her in the end?
In a world where you are born under a certain animal and you are able to Step into that animal's skin, there can only be one soul within a body, else you will die. For Maniye of the Winter Runners, one tribe of many that fall under the Shadow of the Wolf, she is born with not one soul, but two. Her mother was the Queen of the Tigers, the Shadow Eaters who are the nightmare of many. Unable to decide between her two selves, she runs from her tribe, determined to make her own shadow in the world.
But when you are the daughter of two tribal chiefs, not everything goes as planned. Maniye must make her own way in the world where people are people, even in animal form. In doing so, will she be able to choose between her two heritages? Or will they destroy her in the end?
jaydavies's review against another edition
3.0
I found the world building very hard to understand. There were many mentions of wars and customs to the point that I wish there was a separate book just on the history and religion of each clan. Still Maniyeās story is fascinating and kept me going till the end. I gave it 3 stars because I honestly didnāt care for the āhorse peopleā and the āsouthernsā until the very end. They didnāt affect to much of the plot and their perspective really dragged the story down until they met up with Maniye.
keltaklo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
julicke95's review against another edition
3.0
3,5 stars. Took me a while to get into it, but I enjoyed it well enough in the end. The magic system and the worldbuilding were pretty interesting, but I feel like the characters could have used some more work, Asmander in particular. At first it seemed he was going to be a major character, as a lot of the story happened from his POV, but later on he seemed to be mostly an accessory to Maniye's story. Also, his motivations were pretty shifty and unclear to me a lot of the time and I'm still not sure what kind of character he's supposed to be. I suspect he'll be more important in the next book, so hopefully I'll find out then. Hopefully the plot will be a bit more diverse as well, as this one was basically one long chase. Though it did have some unexpected twists and turns, which I appreciated.
stressedspidergirl's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, and I could see a lot of hints that the author did a lot of research or had a lot of training in his field. The worldbuilding was really good, and I really enjoyed the way that things were designed.
I read these at the recommendation of a friend and I have no regrets. I didn't really like where the books went at the end in terms of adding in *spoiler* aliens kind of, but overall I really liked the rest of it and would read them again, no regrets.
I read these at the recommendation of a friend and I have no regrets. I didn't really like where the books went at the end in terms of adding in *spoiler* aliens kind of, but overall I really liked the rest of it and would read them again, no regrets.