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maria_schnecki 's review for:
Of Mountains and Seas
by Emily Renk Hawthorne
mysterious
tense
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
Thanks NetGalley for the audio arc!
Read this one if you love intertwined multi-generational stories about the pursuit of power, acceptance and the harsh consequences of not being loved by the ones you trust much, combined with an utterly original magic system based on creatures of Chinese mythology.
In this one, we follow a cast of characters with very different fates. They share a story, but how this one interconnects is quite hazy at first. Over time every puzzle piece falls in place and creates a clever, intriguing story. Our characters are quite complex and following their stories is a delight. There are certain quite interesting questions of inclusive politics, seeing that the main fractions of the shifter society mostly debate about the Integration of statics in shifter society or if they should stay separated.
This book did not really work out for me. Partly it was the historical aspects which i severely underestimated and, of course, my inability to really connect these stories in the most cohesive way. Listening to the audio book, I became confused quickly by the switching POVs and timelines - something that could have been prevented by using different voices for different characters, even though the narrator did a great job presenting the story overall. To be honest, I also started this book under a false pretense; based on the summary I expected Iris and Davis to be the main focus and thought that they would solve their problems and feelings of not being accepted in their own company. Unfortunately, to me the generational aspect really took away from meaningful interactions and certain plot points that could have really shined in a more concise storytelling, for example Davis' political career and his relationship with his family. Furthermore, I was a little disappointed to learn so little about shifter communities and this college/boarding school. Overall, the concept of the story really was not for me, but that was kinda on me (and the summary). Still, I think the story would have benefited from another editor to streamline the story a bit more.
Also I want to give a shutout to the absolutely stunning prose and narration, especially for a debut novel!
Read this one if you love intertwined multi-generational stories about the pursuit of power, acceptance and the harsh consequences of not being loved by the ones you trust much, combined with an utterly original magic system based on creatures of Chinese mythology.
In this one, we follow a cast of characters with very different fates. They share a story, but how this one interconnects is quite hazy at first. Over time every puzzle piece falls in place and creates a clever, intriguing story. Our characters are quite complex and following their stories is a delight. There are certain quite interesting questions of inclusive politics, seeing that the main fractions of the shifter society mostly debate about the Integration of statics in shifter society or if they should stay separated.
This book did not really work out for me. Partly it was the historical aspects which i severely underestimated and, of course, my inability to really connect these stories in the most cohesive way. Listening to the audio book, I became confused quickly by the switching POVs and timelines - something that could have been prevented by using different voices for different characters, even though the narrator did a great job presenting the story overall. To be honest, I also started this book under a false pretense; based on the summary I expected Iris and Davis to be the main focus and thought that they would solve their problems and feelings of not being accepted in their own company. Unfortunately, to me the generational aspect really took away from meaningful interactions and certain plot points that could have really shined in a more concise storytelling, for example Davis' political career and his relationship with his family. Furthermore, I was a little disappointed to learn so little about shifter communities and this college/boarding school. Overall, the concept of the story really was not for me, but that was kinda on me (and the summary). Still, I think the story would have benefited from another editor to streamline the story a bit more.
Also I want to give a shutout to the absolutely stunning prose and narration, especially for a debut novel!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting