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A review by rg9400
The Forest at the Heart of Her Mage by Hiyodori
adventurous
mysterious
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
4.0
This book is a current SPFBOX Finalist!
This book is marketed as a slow-burn sapphic romance. I think that is somewhat misleading. Romance is definitely a part of this book, but it might actually not be the most prevalent part. Initially, I was excited about that. It starts out as an exploration of grief, a journey into the past when the main character Tiller decides to bring the ashes of her grandmother and guardian to the heart of a forest that used to be their homeland before it became too dangerous. There is a sense of dispossession and loneliness that lends a lot of weight to this opening. On top of that, her companion on this journey is Carnelian, a mage who is bursting with personality and charm. The price? Marrying her because mages are considered properties of the state, and only through marriage can they earn their freedom. There is a lot to really like about this first third of the book. Interesting themes, mysterious worldbuilding, really lovable characters. However, this book has a ton of worldbuilding. A lot of it is really cool and unique, but it starts to become a bit much as the story progresses. There is a ton of exposition, and we are constantly being introduced to new elements. While the themes of grief and a missing homeland are constantly there, I feel like they are mostly end up under the surface in the second half. I was really hoping we got more interesting depth to the main character's relationship with her grandmother. The backstories for both characters are intriguing but feel more driven by worldbuilding at times than the emotional and thematic cores that felt so compelling to me. I did enjoy some of the action sequences and concepts in the book, but I wish the author paired a lot of it down to focus on the relationship between the main characters as that is honestly the strongest aspect of the book. It works really well when the book is actively exploring it. It just feels like it isn't always the focus. I also wish we continued to get the absurd charm of Carnelian throughout as that was so much fun to read, and it feels a lot sparser in the latter sections of the book. Overall, I enjoyed this book and really liked certain sections of it, especially the first third, but I feel like it needed more focus to be truly great.
This book is marketed as a slow-burn sapphic romance. I think that is somewhat misleading. Romance is definitely a part of this book, but it might actually not be the most prevalent part. Initially, I was excited about that. It starts out as an exploration of grief, a journey into the past when the main character Tiller decides to bring the ashes of her grandmother and guardian to the heart of a forest that used to be their homeland before it became too dangerous. There is a sense of dispossession and loneliness that lends a lot of weight to this opening. On top of that, her companion on this journey is Carnelian, a mage who is bursting with personality and charm. The price? Marrying her because mages are considered properties of the state, and only through marriage can they earn their freedom. There is a lot to really like about this first third of the book. Interesting themes, mysterious worldbuilding, really lovable characters. However, this book has a ton of worldbuilding. A lot of it is really cool and unique, but it starts to become a bit much as the story progresses. There is a ton of exposition, and we are constantly being introduced to new elements. While the themes of grief and a missing homeland are constantly there, I feel like they are mostly end up under the surface in the second half. I was really hoping we got more interesting depth to the main character's relationship with her grandmother. The backstories for both characters are intriguing but feel more driven by worldbuilding at times than the emotional and thematic cores that felt so compelling to me. I did enjoy some of the action sequences and concepts in the book, but I wish the author paired a lot of it down to focus on the relationship between the main characters as that is honestly the strongest aspect of the book. It works really well when the book is actively exploring it. It just feels like it isn't always the focus. I also wish we continued to get the absurd charm of Carnelian throughout as that was so much fun to read, and it feels a lot sparser in the latter sections of the book. Overall, I enjoyed this book and really liked certain sections of it, especially the first third, but I feel like it needed more focus to be truly great.