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ariw 's review for:
The Bitterwine Oath
by Hannah West
There was actually a lot I liked about this one – even down to the love interest, who somehow played out in a relatively un-clichéd way, despite following all the standard tropes on the surface. The atmosphere is excellently eerie But also. Irritations.
I don't know how I felt about the scattered alliterations (ambivalent: loved/hated all at once), so can't really complain about that one, but the pacing felt... awkward, especially the ending. A lot felt rushed even where the plot moved slowly. (I know this doesn't make sense.) Something about the actual layout of the book kept throwing me off too, and I hadn't really realised before just how much book design does impact the reading experience – the writing felt too crammed together, with no breathing space from start to finish, and that added to the difficulties I was having with pacing. I don't know if the publishers were just trying to save paper? But the very first page is a title, with copyright etc on the other side, a quote on the facing page, and then an immediate full page of text that continues with barely a space until the final acknowledgments on the page facing the final paragraph and then the book cover. Just... crammed. Weirdly (afterwards) I looked over the book and also couldn't find a single place that described or summarised anything this was actually about, or an author description – the back cover is just a list of quoted "Praise for The Bitterwine Oath," and the whole effect is one of both distancing and an awkward over-intimacy. Contradictions. Anyway, the physical book itself threw me off the actual book, and I hope any future books by this author get a better, more luscious treatment.
[post-note] Ok I just realised this wasn't a debut and I've actually read a book by this author before, and had almost the opposite issue and yet still struggled with the pacing (the book, [b:Kingdom of Ash and Briars|28554825|Kingdom of Ash and Briars (The Nissera Chronicles, #1)|Hannah West|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1456759359l/28554825._SX50_.jpg|48715748], was a lovely object, "gorgeous cover, generous font, illustrated chapter headings" and yet I had found the plot felt super rushed, and don't actually remember anything of the plot now. I had originally given three stars for both, but I'll note for my future remembering I liked the story/writing/atmosphere a lot more here.
I don't know how I felt about the scattered alliterations (ambivalent: loved/hated all at once), so can't really complain about that one, but the pacing felt... awkward, especially the ending. A lot felt rushed even where the plot moved slowly. (I know this doesn't make sense.) Something about the actual layout of the book kept throwing me off too, and I hadn't really realised before just how much book design does impact the reading experience – the writing felt too crammed together, with no breathing space from start to finish, and that added to the difficulties I was having with pacing. I don't know if the publishers were just trying to save paper? But the very first page is a title, with copyright etc on the other side, a quote on the facing page, and then an immediate full page of text that continues with barely a space until the final acknowledgments on the page facing the final paragraph and then the book cover. Just... crammed. Weirdly (afterwards) I looked over the book and also couldn't find a single place that described or summarised anything this was actually about, or an author description – the back cover is just a list of quoted "Praise for The Bitterwine Oath," and the whole effect is one of both distancing and an awkward over-intimacy. Contradictions. Anyway, the physical book itself threw me off the actual book, and I hope any future books by this author get a better, more luscious treatment.
[post-note] Ok I just realised this wasn't a debut and I've actually read a book by this author before, and had almost the opposite issue and yet still struggled with the pacing (the book, [b:Kingdom of Ash and Briars|28554825|Kingdom of Ash and Briars (The Nissera Chronicles, #1)|Hannah West|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1456759359l/28554825._SX50_.jpg|48715748], was a lovely object, "gorgeous cover, generous font, illustrated chapter headings" and yet I had found the plot felt super rushed, and don't actually remember anything of the plot now. I had originally given three stars for both, but I'll note for my future remembering I liked the story/writing/atmosphere a lot more here.