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A review by natavi
Horizon by Fran Wilde
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Most of this novel felt like absolutely the best book in a very strange series that had gotten better with each new entry. The middle ~70-80% felt like the creation myth of a community or religion—some twisty, turny wandering journey through a desert, never fully certain of its goals or end point. It was unlike any other fantasy novel I've yet read, and a haunting love story + template for a found family- and community-focused way of living and loving (loving as a verb, I mean: loving as a series of actions).
But with just30 pages left, so much remained unanswered that I wasn't sure how the author would possibly land the plane. And even though she found a way to tie things up thematically, it felt so rushed that some pages felt almost like the bullet-point outline of a story. That, and a love story that came out of nowhere and was completely unnecessary, is what's dropping this from five stars + a place in the set of books I'd recommend to others in a heartbeat.
But I'll probably still recommend it, on occasion, for the reasons in the first paragraph of this review. Especially the community and found family angle—I needed that right now, and suspect I will carry it with me for a long time.
But with just
But I'll probably still recommend it, on occasion, for the reasons in the first paragraph of this review. Especially the community and found family angle—I needed that right now, and suspect I will carry it with me for a long time.