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A review by lawbooks600
Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Representation: N/A
Score: Seven points out of ten.
I wanted to read this for a while and when I saw one of the two libraries I regularly go to have this I picked it up and read it. This was again, another piece of Australian literature like the last book I've read but this is different from that though it is, dare I say it, not that original since it reminded me of The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni. The novel starts with the backstory explaining superficially and vaguely I might add about how the world in this story came to be and then it cuts main character Elspeth Gordie or Elspeth for short who has powers that no one knows about yet. Elspeth soon finds herself in a prison called Obernewtyn, hence the title where she stays for most of the book and that part is where the novel slowed its pacing. At least I got to see what living in Obernewtyn was like but the vague worldbuilding dampened my enjoyment and I struggled to connect to any of the characters. There are six more books in the series but I'm not rushing to finish the series.
Score: Seven points out of ten.
I wanted to read this for a while and when I saw one of the two libraries I regularly go to have this I picked it up and read it. This was again, another piece of Australian literature like the last book I've read but this is different from that though it is, dare I say it, not that original since it reminded me of The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni. The novel starts with the backstory explaining superficially and vaguely I might add about how the world in this story came to be and then it cuts main character Elspeth Gordie or Elspeth for short who has powers that no one knows about yet. Elspeth soon finds herself in a prison called Obernewtyn, hence the title where she stays for most of the book and that part is where the novel slowed its pacing. At least I got to see what living in Obernewtyn was like but the vague worldbuilding dampened my enjoyment and I struggled to connect to any of the characters. There are six more books in the series but I'm not rushing to finish the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Confinement
Full trigger warnings: Imprisonment, near-death experience, fire, death of a person from a weapon shot, disappearance of a person