Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Given to the Sea by Mindy McGinnis

1 review

nytephoenyx's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Given to the Sea is a bit of an underwhelming book. There was something to the language in the dialogue that reminded me of Shakespeare – at once lyrical, pondering, and riddling. But the story itself didn’t hold up to the twists and turns in the writing, and by the time I finished the book, I was happy to see it gone.

There are four POVs in Given to the Sea, but of all the characters (POV or otherwise) only one of them stood out with any kind of interest of variety. Dara was the most developed of the characters, principally because she actually had emotions that bled through the page. Not a lot, but there was a trickle, and most of it was bottomless anger. Otherwise? I found the characters shallow and unmotivated. Each one seemed to have a prime directive intended to color their behaviour. This worked well in another of McGinnis’s books (The Female of the Species) but makes a fantasy feel lacking.

There’s clearly interesting mythology behind this world, particularly with the Indiri, but McGinnis only barely explores it. In fact, the world and plot alike feel stretched too thin. There is a regiment battling their way through the land, the magic pulling Khosa to the sea, Vincent’s ascent, the search for any other Indiri, the love triangle… quadrangle? There’s a lot going on. There’s also the community of the rejected that plays between the two warring (ish?) kingdoms that shows the deep ableism of the characters in the book. Also ageism.

Let’s not forget the attempted rape and obsession with impregnating Khosa. Which probably took up the greatest chunk of the book.

To be honest, Given to the Sea is a mess. McGinnis wanted to do too many things and as a result she did none of them well. Add the lack of interesting characters and the insufferable romance plot/subplot/who knows and the problematic society… this just isn’t worth pursuing. McGinnis’s thrillers are better (if not still extremely memorable), but I recommend steering clear of this fantasy duology.
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