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A review by someonetookit
Flights of Marigold by Susan Forest
2.0
Let me start by saying I loved the first novel in this series so freaking much. It was punchy and intriguing and blew me away with its premise of witches who could send their consciousness through time. Alas, Flights of Marigolds fails to live up to the hype that my own brain threw at me as I requested this one from Netgalley last year. It has literally taken me 12 months to read this novel so it might be an indication of what’s to come.
Where the previous novel was relatively fast paced and intriguing, this one is so slow in getting to any degree of point. A large proportion of the first 1/3 to 1/2 is occupied discussing Janat's addiction to her own potions. Had it been woven throughout the narrative in a way that the entire story didn't gravitate around it being the major plot point, I feel I probably would have enjoyed it more. Instead, I frequently wanted to put it down because this is touted as a magical fantasy, not an emotion laden contemporary.
I also took issue with the timing throughout the novel. Being the tale of three sisters (Meg, Janat and Rennika), one would expect all three to be present. Instead Rennika doesn’t make an appearance until around the half way point – being my fave due to the sass and snark she gives in Bursts, it was a serious let down for me. This is not to say that series of novels shouldn't take part from multiple main protags POV throughout. Zoraida Cordova expertly weaves a tale of sisters with her Brooklyn Brujas novels without it being disjointed; Seanan McGuire does it insanely well in her Wayward Children novellas. Here it just doesn't seem to put the pieces together in a way that keeps the story flowing.
Overall, this was definitely a let down for me. The pace was off, the characters shallow, and the whole narrative was grating on my patience. While it wasn't for me, I feel those who love the pace of Tessa Gratton or Phillipa Gregory would probably love it and its pace
Where the previous novel was relatively fast paced and intriguing, this one is so slow in getting to any degree of point. A large proportion of the first 1/3 to 1/2 is occupied discussing Janat's addiction to her own potions. Had it been woven throughout the narrative in a way that the entire story didn't gravitate around it being the major plot point, I feel I probably would have enjoyed it more. Instead, I frequently wanted to put it down because this is touted as a magical fantasy, not an emotion laden contemporary.
I also took issue with the timing throughout the novel. Being the tale of three sisters (Meg, Janat and Rennika), one would expect all three to be present. Instead Rennika doesn’t make an appearance until around the half way point – being my fave due to the sass and snark she gives in Bursts, it was a serious let down for me. This is not to say that series of novels shouldn't take part from multiple main protags POV throughout. Zoraida Cordova expertly weaves a tale of sisters with her Brooklyn Brujas novels without it being disjointed; Seanan McGuire does it insanely well in her Wayward Children novellas. Here it just doesn't seem to put the pieces together in a way that keeps the story flowing.
Overall, this was definitely a let down for me. The pace was off, the characters shallow, and the whole narrative was grating on my patience. While it wasn't for me, I feel those who love the pace of Tessa Gratton or Phillipa Gregory would probably love it and its pace