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A review by katyanaish
Darkspell by Katharine Kerr
4.0
No original review, so I'm doing a brief one on re-read in 2023...
Still really enjoying this tangled story of these people who are destined to meet in life after life.
The nits I'd pick ... it's hard to know whether they are a product of their times (late 80s fantasy) or are part of the journey of growth for these characters. But Rhodry is a bit too spoiled and entitled for me. And I really just want to see Jill break free and embrace everything that she is, even if that means she's not who the men in her life want her to be. We got some of that in the first book - she loves Rhodry, and so was struggling to change everything about who she is to suit him. No more breeches and swords, and riding her horse, traveling ... instead she had to be a lady, learn to sew, court manners, blah. It didn't fit Jill, and she was deeply unhappy. That was made worse by the fact that even if she threw out everything she loves about herself and became this new person, he still wouldn't marry her because she's a commoner. It felt awful, to be honest. But I think it was supposed to, because this is NOT Jill's path. She was relieved, in some ways, when he was exiled because she could be herself. But in this book, even being herself, she's still reining herself in to try and be what depressed, exiled Rhodry needs. It breaks my heart a little. And also, it is hard to say whether this is ... 80s gender politics that make me unhappy, or if they are actually a critical part of the arc - Jill, through lifetime after lifetime, has struggled to find her destiny because she's surrounded by men who force her onto a path ... because frankly, that was the life for medieval women. It's part of how Nevyn got into this mess, he was the first man who forced her into a role he wanted her in, because she was a prop to him, a possession and not a person, and his entire attention was on what he wanted. It is why he's now tangled into her fate and has to make amends.
So I don't think I can nitpick that, I think it's part of the journey, and deliberately done. It just makes for an emotional ride. Which I'm enjoying.
Still really enjoying this tangled story of these people who are destined to meet in life after life.
The nits I'd pick ... it's hard to know whether they are a product of their times (late 80s fantasy) or are part of the journey of growth for these characters. But Rhodry is a bit too spoiled and entitled for me. And I really just want to see Jill break free and embrace everything that she is, even if that means she's not who the men in her life want her to be. We got some of that in the first book - she loves Rhodry, and so was struggling to change everything about who she is to suit him. No more breeches and swords, and riding her horse, traveling ... instead she had to be a lady, learn to sew, court manners, blah. It didn't fit Jill, and she was deeply unhappy. That was made worse by the fact that even if she threw out everything she loves about herself and became this new person, he still wouldn't marry her because she's a commoner. It felt awful, to be honest. But I think it was supposed to, because this is NOT Jill's path. She was relieved, in some ways, when he was exiled because she could be herself. But in this book, even being herself, she's still reining herself in to try and be what depressed, exiled Rhodry needs. It breaks my heart a little. And also, it is hard to say whether this is ... 80s gender politics that make me unhappy, or if they are actually a critical part of the arc - Jill, through lifetime after lifetime, has struggled to find her destiny because she's surrounded by men who force her onto a path ... because frankly, that was the life for medieval women. It's part of how Nevyn got into this mess, he was the first man who forced her into a role he wanted her in, because she was a prop to him, a possession and not a person, and his entire attention was on what he wanted. It is why he's now tangled into her fate and has to make amends.
So I don't think I can nitpick that, I think it's part of the journey, and deliberately done. It just makes for an emotional ride. Which I'm enjoying.