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betharanova's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
4.0
Fun and sweet!
The Wounds of Wisdom takes place in a medieval fantasy world with dramatic, chewy lore. Gods, dragons, fae, and most importantly, a bitter, complicated history among the nations make for constant fun and intrigue. The protagonists have been blessed with strange powers outside the bounds of ordinary magic, and an isolationist kingdom has gathered them all up to train them. Surely nothing nefarious will happen~.
The characters are young, in their teens. And they act like it: wrapped up in their feelings, prone to jumping to conclusions, trying to handle everything themselves. They face a mix of teen troubles and heavy fantasy plot stakes. The main POV belongs to Celin, a native Artruan with dreams of knighthood. She's too trusting and kind, but it comes in no small part from desperation. She tangles fates with Atrus's crown prince, whose evasion of his duties comes in turn from an awareness of what his country lacks. And then there's the prince's stoic foreign bodyguard, who doesn't pretend to be super cool but nonetheless is~. As much as there's action and reveals, there's also a LOT of bonding time and tender feeling, especially among these three.
And for once, it felt natural. I have read too many books where fantasy characters talk like modern therapists or Tumblr posts. This book could be sappy, but it never veered into annoying or condescending therapist talk. Concepts and frameworks by which the characters understood their problems were woven into the worldbuilding. YA authors pay attention, please.
The writing is overall very good. It has a young tone, but that matches the characters. It flows well, and the narrative has such awareness and care. It doesn't leave a character development thread or reveal untended. It does go too fast sometimes; I don't know how long the physical book is, but it could have been longer. I would have been happy to spend more time in this world. And perhaps that would have helped the slightly confused pacing around the climax. We had fantastic dramatic beats, but we changed direction so much that it was hard to savor them. On the other hand, this is a debut novel that otherwise shows an understanding of structure and craft, so I'm very much expecting that to smooth out in the sequels. Which I will definitely be reading.
A very sweet, heartfelt, fantasy YA novel with tasty lore and fun characters.
The Wounds of Wisdom takes place in a medieval fantasy world with dramatic, chewy lore. Gods, dragons, fae, and most importantly, a bitter, complicated history among the nations make for constant fun and intrigue. The protagonists have been blessed with strange powers outside the bounds of ordinary magic, and an isolationist kingdom has gathered them all up to train them. Surely nothing nefarious will happen~.
The characters are young, in their teens. And they act like it: wrapped up in their feelings, prone to jumping to conclusions, trying to handle everything themselves. They face a mix of teen troubles and heavy fantasy plot stakes. The main POV belongs to Celin, a native Artruan with dreams of knighthood. She's too trusting and kind, but it comes in no small part from desperation. She tangles fates with Atrus's crown prince, whose evasion of his duties comes in turn from an awareness of what his country lacks. And then there's the prince's stoic foreign bodyguard, who doesn't pretend to be super cool but nonetheless is~. As much as there's action and reveals, there's also a LOT of bonding time and tender feeling, especially among these three.
And for once, it felt natural. I have read too many books where fantasy characters talk like modern therapists or Tumblr posts. This book could be sappy, but it never veered into annoying or condescending therapist talk. Concepts and frameworks by which the characters understood their problems were woven into the worldbuilding. YA authors pay attention, please.
The writing is overall very good. It has a young tone, but that matches the characters. It flows well, and the narrative has such awareness and care. It doesn't leave a character development thread or reveal untended. It does go too fast sometimes; I don't know how long the physical book is, but it could have been longer. I would have been happy to spend more time in this world. And perhaps that would have helped the slightly confused pacing around the climax. We had fantastic dramatic beats, but we changed direction so much that it was hard to savor them. On the other hand, this is a debut novel that otherwise shows an understanding of structure and craft, so I'm very much expecting that to smooth out in the sequels. Which I will definitely be reading.
A very sweet, heartfelt, fantasy YA novel with tasty lore and fun characters.
memento_morri's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
4.5
findtheword's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
missmegs13's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
jendarle's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
3.75
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