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A review by geethr75
Bloodfeather Lullaby by Amber L. Werner
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
3.0
The book is an adventure. Violet is one of the three POV characters, who has always longed for adventure and whose wish comes true when her aunt goes missing. She is joined by her uncle, Nox, her missing aunt Lark's half brother. To Nox, this is a break from the monotony of his life. The third PoV character is Ryon, who is seeking blessings from a mysterious divine entity for reasons of his own.
During the course of the adventure, Violet is separated from her uncle and runs into Ryon, who agrees to help her. The rest of the book is about Violet and Ryon and Nox in his cell and in captivity.
Without spoiling anything, let me say at the outset that this is an entertaining, fast paced read. I had issues with the storytelling itself. It seemed as if there was too much telling and not enough showing. Characters' motivations, emotions and everything are told to us. We don't feel anything because everything is told. One of the most emotional moments of the book, a death, is told from the perspective of the person who is least invested emotionally in that death. Similarly, love between characters are told to us from the point of view of others.
There is a backstory that makes this seem like a continuation of an existing series rather than the start of a new one. Descriptions are confined to setting rather than people so I have no idea what any of the people (except Violet) looks like.
I was never anxious for the characters no matter what situation they found themselves in because I was certain that somehow they would get out of it. and most of the time they do, someone having a very convenient way of doing it. The bloodfeathers themselves serve like a deus ex machina to bail the characters out of tricky situations. As such there was never a tense moment due to the stakes. Good storytelling keeps you invested and anxious for how the characters will make it out and if they even will. Here, that tension was not there.
All that said, this is a very quick paced, action packed and entertaining read. The plot moves along quickly, and there is sufficient loose threads at the end to carry on to the rest of the series.
This will be a good fit for readers of epic fantasy, YA fantasy, and adventure fantasy. The world building and settings are all immersive.
During the course of the adventure, Violet is separated from her uncle and runs into Ryon, who agrees to help her. The rest of the book is about Violet and Ryon and Nox in his cell and in captivity.
Without spoiling anything, let me say at the outset that this is an entertaining, fast paced read. I had issues with the storytelling itself. It seemed as if there was too much telling and not enough showing. Characters' motivations, emotions and everything are told to us. We don't feel anything because everything is told. One of the most emotional moments of the book, a death, is told from the perspective of the person who is least invested emotionally in that death. Similarly, love between characters are told to us from the point of view of others.
There is a backstory that makes this seem like a continuation of an existing series rather than the start of a new one. Descriptions are confined to setting rather than people so I have no idea what any of the people (except Violet) looks like.
I was never anxious for the characters no matter what situation they found themselves in because I was certain that somehow they would get out of it. and most of the time they do, someone having a very convenient way of doing it. The bloodfeathers themselves serve like a deus ex machina to bail the characters out of tricky situations. As such there was never a tense moment due to the stakes. Good storytelling keeps you invested and anxious for how the characters will make it out and if they even will. Here, that tension was not there.
All that said, this is a very quick paced, action packed and entertaining read. The plot moves along quickly, and there is sufficient loose threads at the end to carry on to the rest of the series.
This will be a good fit for readers of epic fantasy, YA fantasy, and adventure fantasy. The world building and settings are all immersive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail