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bunky_jones's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Animal cruelty, Miscarriage, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Confinement, Child abuse, and Rape
clevermird's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The most beautiful woman in the seven kingdoms is in need of a husband. Her father sets many tasks for the suitors, but in the end, the prince of another land wins her hand. Although the two are madly in love, the queen falls ill, leaving behind their young daughter and a plea for her husband to never marry again unless it is to a woman as beautiful as she is. As the princess grows into womanhood, her similarity to her mother becomes increasingly evident and her father makes a horrific choice. Beaten, traumatized, and half-mad with fear, the princess runs away and begins trying to survive in a world that she has never experienced before.
This book was rough. While I'm no stranger to dark and disturbing content, seeing it written out here in such a dreamy, restrained style added to the horror in ways I was not prepared for. From the very first page, we're hit by something "off" and the first segment of the story is extremely effective, slowly unwrapping the self-centered and shallow nature of the royal parents and the life their daughter leads, culminating in the horrific violation that provides the incitement for the rest of the book.
From there, the story follows the princess' survival and recovery - the two are inextricably intertwined - as she struggles through a winter alone in the woods and then seeks out a new life in another land. Each of these segments I think I enjoyed a bit less than the last, although I didn't dislike any of them. The climax is satisfying and, while perhaps I would have preferred a slightly more extended conflict, it didn't feel as rushed as some books by this author and I rather liked the slightly open-ended nature of the final scene. Healing, like many things in life, is not something that simply ends with Hallmark-movie neatness. McKinley's typical attention to horses as companions and protectors for the protagonist is swapped here for a focus on dogs, but the featuring of animals as characters in their own right is still endearing and brings a much-needed softness to an otherwise deeply sad story.
There are a few things to dislike, however. The story drags a bit toward the 2/3 mark and, while many of the more coincidental or "easy" moments in the story are acceptable in its nature as a fairytale retelling (this one being based on the story known in various iterations as "All Furs" or "Donkeyskin"), there were times when I found the resolutions slightly straining to disbelief. While I wasn't as bothered by it as I often might be - the focus here is on the princess' inner journey, not the events of the plot itself - it is still a mark against the book.
While Deerskin is a far cry from much of the authors' other work, I think it will wind up becoming one of my favorites, a portrayal of tragic and horrific circumstances suffused with hope and affection.
Graphic: Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Animal cruelty, Rape, Sexual violence, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Child abuse
Minor: Animal death
bespectacledone's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Miscarriage, Incest, Sexual assault, and Rape
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, and Medical content
Minor: Excrement
coris's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Miscarriage, Child abuse, and Rape
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Fatphobia
gracefully_jk's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Blood, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, and Excrement
smuttymcbookface's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
When the most beautiful woman in all the Kingdoms, the Queen, dies, and makes the King promise never to remarry unless the person is more beautiful than she is, he falls into a grief. A different kingdom gift Lissla a fleethound to help with her grief, and through this fleethound, Ash, she finds strength to be seen by those she wishes.
Years later, when she's just turned 17, the King realises that she is just as beautiful as her mother was, and so demands that she marries him in three days. Despite her attempts to lock herself away, he attacks her before their marriage.
Clinging onto her last piece of strength, she leaves the castle to a forest, where she and Ash are reborn, though with lasting scars from her trauma.
Deerskin was a beautiful story, told in a fairytale narrative. It was easy to feel what the characters felt, and to understand the hurt, the loss, and the bonds that formed. In addition, it was so sweet to read about the fleethound, and how the character quirks line up exactly with the sighthounds of these ages.
I have two things that I didn't like about this story. The first is that I found it too long-winded in certain parts. Thoughts and ideas were often repeated to show a train of thought, but when this happened consistently through scenes, it became difficult to read. My second issue was with the fantastical elements; I sometimes found these quite hard to follow, or when I did follow, a little ridiculous (
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Miscarriage, Incest, and Rape
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, and Child abuse
lottomotto's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Physical abuse, Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Violence
jessicafee86's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
There are so many things that I could say about this book, it is one of my all time favorite books. I've read it at least 15 or 20 times over the years. It's a tough read for a lot of reasons, the content is very adult in nature and is a very tough topic to read about. The book is also a slow writing style and takes a bit to get started but it's well worth it. Some people have problems getting past the first part because of the *spoiler alert!* incest between her and her father and the seemingly calm way that she seems to handle it. But it makes more sense when you keep reading and is such a beautiful story. I've never come across a book like this one before, it's definitely not for everyone, but it's worth trying.
2018 Re-read Update: Been a few years since I've read this and it's still just as good as I remember.
2024 Re-Read: It's funny how six years can bring out different feelings. I had forgotten how many things in this book shaped me as a person when I was growing up. I don't think I will ever not love this book. Discovered it around 25 yrs ago and it's still the only book I've re-read consistently.
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Grief, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Incest, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal cruelty, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
ashleyjapan's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Rape, Incest, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma
Minor: Violence, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Misogyny, and Miscarriage