Scan barcode
A review by andye_reads
Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore
3.0
Love being back in one of Cashore‘s stories but this was definitely my least favorite of the bunch.
I don’t really know how to explain my feelings except to say that I felt like it read like a middle grade novel, except there was lots of sex. But sex as if a middle schooler was trying to explain what they thought someone older would be thinking about sex. I feel like there’s a weird fascination with over analyzing every sexual thought, question, or experience but in a very juvenile way. (I feel like Cashore seems preoccupied with proving her characters’ sexual liberation and that makes it a little bit dry and logistical.)
This didn’t just happen with sex though. There was a constant stream of inner dialog that just seemed child-like. Especially, and sadly, when it came to Giddon. It was like he had only just learned how to be a human. This would make sense if I was saying that he was just now learning how to be a GOOD human. But it was like he had never experienced being a human at all before. I think a lot of the characters seemed this way but Giddon was the worst.
I also felt like things kind of dragged on at the end. And unlike the other books, there wasn’t much of a mystery about whodunnit, which made it a little less exciting.
All that said, I did enjoy the book. I liked being back in that world, although the world is quite different. The whole story line, with the new lands that they explored and creatures they encountered, was fascinating. I will definitely read more in this series if she writes it, but if it’s over, I’ll be ok with that too. But I’m totally going to go back and read Graceling immediately.
I don’t really know how to explain my feelings except to say that I felt like it read like a middle grade novel, except there was lots of sex. But sex as if a middle schooler was trying to explain what they thought someone older would be thinking about sex. I feel like there’s a weird fascination with over analyzing every sexual thought, question, or experience but in a very juvenile way. (I feel like Cashore seems preoccupied with proving her characters’ sexual liberation and that makes it a little bit dry and logistical.)
This didn’t just happen with sex though. There was a constant stream of inner dialog that just seemed child-like. Especially, and sadly, when it came to Giddon. It was like he had only just learned how to be a human. This would make sense if I was saying that he was just now learning how to be a GOOD human. But it was like he had never experienced being a human at all before. I think a lot of the characters seemed this way but Giddon was the worst.
I also felt like things kind of dragged on at the end. And unlike the other books, there wasn’t much of a mystery about whodunnit, which made it a little less exciting.
All that said, I did enjoy the book. I liked being back in that world, although the world is quite different. The whole story line, with the new lands that they explored and creatures they encountered, was fascinating. I will definitely read more in this series if she writes it, but if it’s over, I’ll be ok with that too. But I’m totally going to go back and read Graceling immediately.