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A review by turrean
Norroway Book 1: The Black Bull of Norroway by Cat Seaton
3.0
Beautifully illustrated, inclusive, with a delightful heroine. The story is a bit choppy, and a lot happens “off stage“ that readers are left to guess at. I’ll definitely be there for book 2, coming in a few months, but as much because I’m exasperated by the lack of answers as I am intrigued by the tale.
Spoilers: I was confused by a number of things in the story.
Names were a bit of a mystery; we don’t learn the name of the bird companion until far into the story. Readers were never told the name of the witch, so when Sibylla addresses her by name near the dénouement I was totally nonplussed. I didn’t recognize “Miss Witch” with her hair down. In the earliest scene, I mistook the pigmentation of her skin as shadows from the candles & fireplace playing over her skin, so I didn’t even have that clue to go by.
I found Sibylla’s character a bit mystifying. She swears she will be “content” with the bull, but she clearly is not. The verbal sparring was well written and entertaining, in a Taming of the Shrew kind of way (She is asking sensible, reasonable questions; he is giving clearly obstructive answers.) I wasn’t clear on what motivated her to act. Does she go for the adventure? Is she looking for Romance? Did they actually get married? The bull says, “ are you not to be my beloved?“ and “You are to be my bride.” But Esben greets her as his brothers “wife.”
Spoilers: I was confused by a number of things in the story.
Names were a bit of a mystery; we don’t learn the name of the bird companion until far into the story. Readers were never told the name of the witch, so when Sibylla addresses her by name near the dénouement I was totally nonplussed. I didn’t recognize “Miss Witch” with her hair down. In the earliest scene, I mistook the pigmentation of her skin as shadows from the candles & fireplace playing over her skin, so I didn’t even have that clue to go by.
I found Sibylla’s character a bit mystifying. She swears she will be “content” with the bull, but she clearly is not. The verbal sparring was well written and entertaining, in a Taming of the Shrew kind of way (She is asking sensible, reasonable questions; he is giving clearly obstructive answers.) I wasn’t clear on what motivated her to act. Does she go for the adventure? Is she looking for Romance? Did they actually get married? The bull says, “ are you not to be my beloved?“ and “You are to be my bride.” But Esben greets her as his brothers “wife.”