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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
I enjoyed this folklore-infused fantasy tale a lot more than [b:Spinning Silver|36896898|Spinning Silver|Naomi Novik|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1513872748l/36896898._SX50_.jpg|58657620], which was a great relief. It's easy to follow and full of Howl's Moving Castle-like magic and old-but-young-n-hot-wizard meets hotheaded girl vibes, as well as a dose of dark and eldritch man v nature stuff. I didn't mind the slight Mary Sue-ness of our heroine; what's YA/NA fantasy without some tropes to play with? What I wasn't so keen on was the pacing, the deeper parts of the world lore, and the oh-no-why romance.
I found it slow but readable at first as it built up the world and circumstances of our protagonist discovering her conveniently inexplicable magic powers that defy all known rules of her world's magic, but towards the end it seemed repetitive and frustratingly glacial to get to the point of each encounter with the world's darker powers. By the time the actual actual resolution came about, I wasn't particularly invested and it did sap some of my enjoyment of the book. So too with the confusing lore than didn't get explained until right at the end, and even then I think I missed something (an issue I had with Spinning Silver was I felt like I was supposed to know the real-world folklore to get what was going on), and the abusive "romance" that comes out of nowhere , does it's thing briefly, then gets quickly forgotten as the Bad Boy isn't in a good chunk of the book.
But other than that, I did find it an interesting, reasonably complex read without being too detailed (hardcore magic system rules fans, look away now) or too hot-n-heavy with the brief romance. It's got political intrigue, strong friendships, a sweeping setting that's both familiar Euro-centric stuff yet fresh even to my jaded eyes (a creepy forest that turns people into manic zombies, potions of fire and foulness rather than Harry Potter-esque wonder, weird magical histories that I wish has been less vague) and a trope-fuelled lead character who while she acts the stubborn YA cliche isn't in the too stupid to live category.
I'd recommend this one over Spinning Silver, and recommend having some knowledge of Eastern European folk figures (which I sadly lacked).
I found it slow but readable at first as it built up the world and circumstances of our protagonist discovering her conveniently inexplicable magic powers that defy all known rules of her world's magic, but towards the end it seemed repetitive and frustratingly glacial to get to the point of each encounter with the world's darker powers. By the time the actual actual resolution came about, I wasn't particularly invested
Spoiler
(they try a Big Spell! It fails! Try a Bigger Spell in a new location! It fails! Try and Even Bigger Spell and i fails but it doesn't matter because our Big Bad Queen has a sudden change of heart because... reasons?)Spoiler
and seemed just a reason for the characters to get a sex sceneBut other than that, I did find it an interesting, reasonably complex read without being too detailed (hardcore magic system rules fans, look away now) or too hot-n-heavy with the brief romance. It's got political intrigue, strong friendships, a sweeping setting that's both familiar Euro-centric stuff yet fresh even to my jaded eyes (a creepy forest that turns people into manic zombies, potions of fire and foulness rather than Harry Potter-esque wonder, weird magical histories that I wish has been less vague) and a trope-fuelled lead character who while she acts the stubborn YA cliche isn't in the too stupid to live category.
I'd recommend this one over Spinning Silver, and recommend having some knowledge of Eastern European folk figures (which I sadly lacked).
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-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
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
Good enough fun. A reasonably good read and a bit of fun to boot. Nothing to write home about but and easy, quick book with some magic and a bit of romance.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
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
The audiobook is read by a lady with an Eastern European (presumably Polish) accent. It is fantastic and made the book even more enjoyable for me. Which is saying something because I sure love a (fairly) literary darkish fairytale for grown ups. And I personally connected with the theme of common sense, intuitive, messy, "rooted" magic versus formal, studied, conventional magic. As long as you don't have trouble understanding accents, go with the audiobook all the way.
DNF
J’ai déjà lu de la fantasy, mais très très accessible et pas du tout de ce genre, du coup j’avais envie d’essayer autre chose, car j’ai déjà eu de bonnes surprises avec le book club, malheureusement cette fois ce n’est pas un succès… Ça partait vraiment bien, et j’étais très enthousiaste dès les premières pages. Et puis soudain, il ne se passe plus rien, trop de longueurs, trop de descriptions, je ne faisais que soupirer en lisant, car je m’ennuyais, je n’ai pas réussi à m’attacher aux personnages… C’est dommage parce que je suis sûre que l’histoire en elle-même aurait pu me plaire, mais il faut aller droit au but madame l’autrice😤, donc je suis assez déçue mais cette lecture ne me donnait plus aucun plaisir et je me forçais 😓
J’ai déjà lu de la fantasy, mais très très accessible et pas du tout de ce genre, du coup j’avais envie d’essayer autre chose, car j’ai déjà eu de bonnes surprises avec le book club, malheureusement cette fois ce n’est pas un succès… Ça partait vraiment bien, et j’étais très enthousiaste dès les premières pages. Et puis soudain, il ne se passe plus rien, trop de longueurs, trop de descriptions, je ne faisais que soupirer en lisant, car je m’ennuyais, je n’ai pas réussi à m’attacher aux personnages… C’est dommage parce que je suis sûre que l’histoire en elle-même aurait pu me plaire, mais il faut aller droit au but madame l’autrice😤, donc je suis assez déçue mais cette lecture ne me donnait plus aucun plaisir et je me forçais 😓
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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:
No