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rachaelbunny's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Alcoholism, Classism, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Animal death and Vomit
jwells's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
It amazes me how many reviewers will automatically label a book a comedy or tag it as funny, just because Sir Terry's name is on the cover. The later Discworld books get dark, and this one is QUITE dark. Note content warnings. It's not a laugh riot.
Great series though. I love watching Tiffany grow into her role. New characters Mrs. Proust and Preston are good additions.
Great series though. I love watching Tiffany grow into her role. New characters Mrs. Proust and Preston are good additions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death of parent, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse
dizzylizzie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Suicide attempt, and Miscarriage
frnk's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Suicide attempt, and Miscarriage
anidharker's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
5.0
Eskarina Smith! What a pleasant surprise!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, and Death of parent
bluejayreads's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
The Tiffany Aching books all have a pattern. Some sort of magical evil being or force comes to the Chalk or after Tiffany herself. Tiffany must gather information and figure out what the thing is and how to stop it and rein in the Nac Mac Feegle while doing it. And then even though Tiffany is a child, she has to deal with it herself, occasionally advised but never helped by the older witches. And then, obviously, she deals with it. I don’t feel like that is a spoiler because the book never really has any doubt – it tries to make it sound like Tiffany could fail, but the reader knows she won’t and the real question is just how she does it.
In this book, Tiffany is 15 (and turns 16 somewhere during the story). She is The Witch now, coming into her own as the witch of the Chalk but still not entirely sure how to balance a witch’s duty of caring for others with taking care of herself. All throughout the book people were pointing out that Tiffany had to take better care of herself if she wanted to effectively help others, but I don’t elevate that to a theme because it never gets resolved. Tiffany does not take any of the advice, and in fact does not get a good night’s sleep until the last few paragraphs of the book.
All the attempted themes were a little muddled in this one. I think “it’s okay to ask for help when you need it” was trying to be a theme, as Tiffany needs to get the help of several people through the course of the story, but that’s undercut by the fact that if she were to ask another witch for help, they would lose all respect for her. Tiffany gets help from non-witches, but the “being a witch means dealing with everything yourself” message counteracted the “it’s okay to ask for help” message.
This book also introduced a lot of new and interesting characters: Roland’s fiance and her horrible mother, an abused girl from town who is definitely … something, a witch from Ankh-Morpok, and a guard at the Baron’s castle who is way smarter than he pretends to be. Esk from Equal Rites even made an appearance as an adult. I enjoyed all the new characters and dynamics in play, and I found myself really liking Preston, the guard. I’m hoping they all show up in the next Tiffany Aching book.
There’s only one Tiffany Aching book left, and even though I’m sad I’ve almost come to the end of my adventures with Tiffany, I have really high hopes for it. It’s also the last book in the Discworld series, though, so I’m considering waiting until I’ve read the rest of the series to make it a capstone of sorts for my Discworld reading experience. But I may just get too excited about reading more about Tiffany. We’ll see.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Body horror, and Suicide attempt
enidcoleslaw's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I think this is Pratchett's best work as a culmination of his development as a writer with Tiffany's development as a character. The ultimate coming-of-age book for those in their late teens and early twenties.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Abortion and Suicide attempt
trench8891's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Miscarriage
Minor: Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, and Terminal illness
disqmonde's review
adventurous
dark
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I Shall Wear Midnight hops between many places in a short page count and comes closer to horror than any other Discworld book. It serves as a coming-of-age story for protagonist Tiffany, not in the sense that she grows up, but that she now has to face the world alone. The spectre of misogyny haunts the various characters, as the idyllic world we know from previous books turns hostile, echoing the ebb and flow of hatred in our communities over time. Time feels short as various characters rush to stop one another and make sense of the world, but the pressure on the story increases even as our protagonists work against it. It's a tense and shifting story, with sharp narration that breaks the story down and questions it even as it carries it along.
Like other Witches books, I Shall Wear Midnight draws on English folklore and fairy tales, adding something of its own to make a story that hits close to home. It is a book about the terror of realizing just how cruel the world can be, and how little stands between it and you. One of the best Discworld novels, and one of the best young adult novels you could ask for. You may need to catch your breath.
Like other Witches books, I Shall Wear Midnight draws on English folklore and fairy tales, adding something of its own to make a story that hits close to home. It is a book about the terror of realizing just how cruel the world can be, and how little stands between it and you. One of the best Discworld novels, and one of the best young adult novels you could ask for. You may need to catch your breath.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Sexism, and Child abuse
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