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sagetheveil 's review for:
The Silver Witch
by Paula Brackston
The dual narratives of modern day Tilda, and tenth century Seren worked well in this book. It also felt well researched in terms of Welsh history, Celtic mythology, and where it touched on archeological references. It fell rather short on overall Pagan history and myth.
A sluggish plot and unnecessary details (how many times do we need to know of Tilda's plaited silver hair and Seren's red cloaks?) made the first 3/4ths of this book too plodding. The last quarter of the book felt rushed, leaving major events to be described in one or two sentences. Thistle came back to life, good girl, let's go!
The characters. Most of them are firmly in the "meh" category, with the main man/love interest being completely devoid of personality and without a distinctive voice. Reading his dialogue was exactly like reading Tilda's. The budding romance and ultimate relationship was a complete snooze fest.
Some of the 10th century dialogue is rather eye-rolling and ridiculous. Imagine a middle school production of Lord of the Rings from tweens who haven't read Tolkien and watched a few LOTR movie clips on TouTube. There you have the dialogue from this book.
I did enjoy the animals in this book, both mythological creatures and every day animals. Thistle the faithful dog, the sea creature, and wild hares were written in a very charming way.
Overall, if you're looking for a well-written and witchy read, there are much better books to be found. This is the first of the authors' books that I've read, and I will likely try another before giving her a pass.
A sluggish plot and unnecessary details (how many times do we need to know of Tilda's plaited silver hair and Seren's red cloaks?) made the first 3/4ths of this book too plodding. The last quarter of the book felt rushed, leaving major events to be described in one or two sentences. Thistle came back to life, good girl, let's go!
The characters. Most of them are firmly in the "meh" category, with the main man/love interest being completely devoid of personality and without a distinctive voice. Reading his dialogue was exactly like reading Tilda's. The budding romance and ultimate relationship was a complete snooze fest.
Some of the 10th century dialogue is rather eye-rolling and ridiculous. Imagine a middle school production of Lord of the Rings from tweens who haven't read Tolkien and watched a few LOTR movie clips on TouTube. There you have the dialogue from this book.
I did enjoy the animals in this book, both mythological creatures and every day animals. Thistle the faithful dog, the sea creature, and wild hares were written in a very charming way.
Overall, if you're looking for a well-written and witchy read, there are much better books to be found. This is the first of the authors' books that I've read, and I will likely try another before giving her a pass.