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harperphillips96's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
My dad spent months begging me to read this, with the caveat that the first 35% is an oppressive slog but then it’s a great found family story. This is very funny, because I liked the first half of the story a lot, lost some interest between 50-75%, and then mostly longed to be put out of my misery for the last 25%. Everyone’s different, I guess!
The beginning was certainly dark, establishing the traumatic history you’re dealing with in these characters, but it also rang emotionally true in a way I think got lost as the book progressed. The choices made in the first half of the book made SENSE to me.
But then… Lanie just kind of turns out to be stupid? I cannot stand incompetent characters and she makes constant, predictable, inexcusable “mistakes” and everything gets really tedious. There’s ZERO sense of urgency, ever, even in VERY URGENT situations. The Bad Guys also have this weird absence of agita and do you know how hard it is to get into a book where no one seems to think any of the stuff going on is high stakes?
And the last chunk… well. There’s a scene around the 75% mark that was supposed to be an exciting, fast paced, emotional action scene and… I think it literally took 2 hours to listen to on the audiobook?? I was literally lying in bed bellowing “GET IT OVER WITH ALREADY” because the scene just WOULD. NOT. WRAP. UP. The same thing happens again at the 85% mark! I was so done and bored and it dragged endlessly.
Anyway, to sum up, Cooney needs a new editor. Bad. This book was a solid 25% longer than it should have been and the tone was wildly inconsistent and in all, I simply wasn’t especially compelled by any of it. It couldn’t decide what it wanted to be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child abuse, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, and Kidnapping
Minor: Animal cruelty and Vomit
minervacerridwen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
How to start reviewing the ride I've just been on?
From the opening letter, I was hooked by the story. Events immediately took off, and meeting Nita, the tension between the sisters was immediately palpable, even as a lot of information about the characters was being shared. The pacing was inconsistent - suddenly it skipped seven years, and I had to recover from the time jump as if it had been my first ride in a TARDIS. Only to be dragged along with just as much enthusiasm into the next part, and the next, never knowing what the destination might be, but fully absorbed in the journey.
I adore so many different aspects of this book. The writing style! The footnotes (and the way the typesetting was somehow so cleverly done that reading them never made me get lost in the original sentence)! The cover! The poetry! The worldbuilding! And most of all: the main character, Lanie! It's such a breath of fresh air to have such a positive main character, without it ever feeling fake. Every other emotion is welcomed and even explored, but the way Lanie looks around herself in the world and LOVES made me want to read about her forever.Also, the slow-burn relationship between her and Canon Lir is described so beautifully courteously that even I, aromantic ace as I am, swooned.
There was a lot of description and background information, but to me it stayed just on this side of balanced, enriching the worldbuilding. At many times Saint Death's Daughter felt like the book equivalent of a pastry, or a whole bag of them. Sweet, layered, with a hidden core of sharp citrus tartness every now and then. Covered with a suspiciously blood red mirror glaze and sprinkled with crushed skeleton flakes. (As you may notice, it is also one of those books that makes me confirm my love for language and stories and books in general, and renews my inspiration and will to write.)
I marked a lot of content warnings (and possibly even missed some), as this is a story of someone born in a family of assassins and torturers, in a world with a history of war and hate against neighbouring nations - but much more importantly, I do want to mention that in spite of all that, an incredible amount of kindness is shown throughout the story. It's about death, but it's also bright and colourful, inspiring and hopeful. I look forward to the sequel.
From the opening letter, I was hooked by the story. Events immediately took off, and meeting Nita, the tension between the sisters was immediately palpable, even as a lot of information about the characters was being shared. The pacing was inconsistent - suddenly it skipped seven years, and I had to recover from the time jump as if it had been my first ride in a TARDIS. Only to be dragged along with just as much enthusiasm into the next part, and the next, never knowing what the destination might be, but fully absorbed in the journey.
I adore so many different aspects of this book. The writing style! The footnotes (and the way the typesetting was somehow so cleverly done that reading them never made me get lost in the original sentence)! The cover! The poetry! The worldbuilding! And most of all: the main character, Lanie! It's such a breath of fresh air to have such a positive main character, without it ever feeling fake. Every other emotion is welcomed and even explored, but the way Lanie looks around herself in the world and LOVES made me want to read about her forever.
There was a lot of description and background information, but to me it stayed just on this side of balanced, enriching the worldbuilding. At many times Saint Death's Daughter felt like the book equivalent of a pastry, or a whole bag of them. Sweet, layered, with a hidden core of sharp citrus tartness every now and then. Covered with a suspiciously blood red mirror glaze and sprinkled with crushed skeleton flakes. (As you may notice, it is also one of those books that makes me confirm my love for language and stories and books in general, and renews my inspiration and will to write.)
I marked a lot of content warnings (and possibly even missed some), as this is a story of someone born in a family of assassins and torturers, in a world with a history of war and hate against neighbouring nations - but much more importantly, I do want to mention that in spite of all that, an incredible amount of kindness is shown throughout the story. It's about death, but it's also bright and colourful, inspiring and hopeful. I look forward to the sequel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, War, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Death, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Murder, Animal cruelty, Blood, Gore, Grief, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Torture, Violence, Vomit, and Gaslighting
smileyblue's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Within twenty pages, I fell in love with Miscellaneous ("Lanie") Stones and was entranced by the world that CSE Cooney had crafted. In sharp contrast with gothic, edgy tone adopted by other books with necromancer main characters, the energy of Saint Death's Daughter was bright, loving, and hopeful. The author's prose, reminiscent of parlor room period novels, held down the wondering tone throughout.
I was impressed by how deeply character-driven the plot was given that "new" magical properties are introduced at intervals. Despite some involvement of the world's twelve gods, at no point did it ever feel nauseatingly deus-ex-machina. Character deaths, too, felt in line with the story, not chosen to pluck at the reader's heartstrings.For example, after being so horrible to Lanie, Nita's gruesome death struck me as cathartic in a Roald Dahl sort of way.
All this praise aside, I found myself hungering for more of the first part of the book. In some ways, it felt like the heart of the story was with fifteen-year-old Lanie. Cooney's voice truly sparkled off the page when working with young Lanie's voice, reminding me of the whimsy of Terry Pratchett's Discworld. Perhaps this glittering nostalgia helped underpin the pain and nostalgia of the later portions of the book, but I wished to have had a bit more.
I was impressed by how deeply character-driven the plot was given that "new" magical properties are introduced at intervals. Despite some involvement of the world's twelve gods, at no point did it ever feel nauseatingly deus-ex-machina. Character deaths, too, felt in line with the story, not chosen to pluck at the reader's heartstrings.
All this praise aside, I found myself hungering for more of the first part of the book. In some ways, it felt like the heart of the story was with fifteen-year-old Lanie. Cooney's voice truly sparkled off the page when working with young Lanie's voice, reminding me of the whimsy of Terry Pratchett's Discworld. Perhaps this glittering nostalgia helped underpin the pain and nostalgia of the later portions of the book, but I wished to have had a bit more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Chronic illness, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Murder, Self harm, Animal cruelty, Death, Physical abuse, and Torture
Moderate: Drug use, Kidnapping, and Alcohol
nini23's review against another edition
4.75
A treat for logophiles and the very original tale about necromancy outstanding. Goody is my fav character but the dynamics of the relationships between the characters was also a treat.
Amal El-Mohtar's (she blurbed the front cover) recs have never steered me wrong.
Amal El-Mohtar's (she blurbed the front cover) recs have never steered me wrong.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Kidnapping, and Torture
I like everything about this creative book especially the luscious vocabulary except fordisplacedcactus's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
This is one of those very weird books that you're probably going to either love or hate. I personally loved it. But I don't even know where to begin with describing it. It's got violence and necromancy and assassins and revenge and shapeshifters and a magic puppy and a festival where almost everyone cross-dresses and a fire deity and politics and theology... There's family, by blood and marriage and choice.
If you like books with rich world building, complicated characters and relationships, and you can handle the massive pile of trigger warnings, go ahead and give this book a try.
If you like books with rich world building, complicated characters and relationships, and you can handle the massive pile of trigger warnings, go ahead and give this book a try.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Child abuse, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Slavery and Death of parent
Animal cruelty/violence against animals:
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