Reviews with content warning for Incest - Deerskin

Reviews tagging 'Incest'

Deerskin by Robin McKinley

46 reviews

howl's review against another edition

dark hopeful slow-paced

A brutal yet sensitively handled fairy tale retelling. Slow at times but worth it! Also, Xe Sands is the best audiobook narrator

Content Warnings

bunky_jones's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.25

Content Warnings

clevermird's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

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

I've read and reviewed plenty of books by Robin McKinley before, and by now, I'm well-familiar with her signature style. A plucky but down-to-earth heroine (often with a love of horses), a fairytale-esque ambiance, a light romance plot, and a happy (if somewhat rushed) ending. In many ways, Deerskin is more of the same, but in just as many, it's completely different.

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.

Content Warnings

drasticpear's review against another edition

Go to review page

Maybe at some point, I'll come back to it. I liked it while I was reading it but once I put it down it was hard to pick up again.

Content Warnings

hollowistheworld's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

fabphryne's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.75

Content Warnings

bespectacledone's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

A very difficult story told beautifully and with great care, but it still could be triggering to many people so please heed the content warnings. McKinley handles her dark subject matter so well though, that I really enjoyed this story of growth, and I found the ending very satisfying.

Content Warnings