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A review by mimosaeyes
The Brightest Fell by Seanan McGuire
3.0
Damn, this book actually made me feel bad for Simon. It seems like such a waste that .
On the other hand, I was a little disappointed by the portrayal of Amandine. Her arc is kind of the opposite of Simon's - whereas he appears in the first book as a flat-out villain, and this impression is gradually softened and made more complex, Amandine goes in the other direction. All along, I've been thinking of her as quite a sympathetic character, despite her actions: a woman, already prone to some degree of madness, driven to extremes by the maternal desire to keep her changeling daughter with her and avert the prophecy connecting her line to Oberon's return. This book actually flattens her motivations, and adds bigotry into the mix when there's been no hint of it up to this point. Is it all an act, a defence mechanism - and a set-up to a redemption arc like Simon's? Even if so, going from complex to flat to complex again is bizarre on first impression, and on deeper analysis, kind of clumsy.
One other sticking point that I've actually had at the back of my mind for a while now, but that really comes out in this book, is: I've consistently felt that the 'falling action'/'resolution' parts of the books in this series tend to be quite hurried. We have the big climax, things return to normal - and the trauma (there is always trauma) is left to presumably fade before the next book happens. I get that depicting some recovery would muck up the pacing, but a little more acknowledgement than just 'time passes and we muddled through' would be nice at some point.
Keep in mind that this review definitely comes across more negative because of the high expectations I have developed for this series. This book probably warrants 3.5 stars, really; I just didn't want to bump it to 4 stars, given the other books in the series that I've given that rating to.
Spoiler
the progress he makes here has to be (temporarily, I presume) forgottenOn the other hand, I was a little disappointed by the portrayal of Amandine. Her arc is kind of the opposite of Simon's - whereas he appears in the first book as a flat-out villain, and this impression is gradually softened and made more complex, Amandine goes in the other direction. All along, I've been thinking of her as quite a sympathetic character, despite her actions: a woman, already prone to some degree of madness, driven to extremes by the maternal desire to keep her changeling daughter with her and avert the prophecy connecting her line to Oberon's return. This book actually flattens her motivations, and adds bigotry into the mix when there's been no hint of it up to this point. Is it all an act, a defence mechanism - and a set-up to a redemption arc like Simon's? Even if so, going from complex to flat to complex again is bizarre on first impression, and on deeper analysis, kind of clumsy.
One other sticking point that I've actually had at the back of my mind for a while now, but that really comes out in this book, is: I've consistently felt that the 'falling action'/'resolution' parts of the books in this series tend to be quite hurried. We have the big climax, things return to normal - and the trauma (there is always trauma) is left to presumably fade before the next book happens. I get that depicting some recovery would muck up the pacing, but a little more acknowledgement than just 'time passes and we muddled through' would be nice at some point.
Keep in mind that this review definitely comes across more negative because of the high expectations I have developed for this series. This book probably warrants 3.5 stars, really; I just didn't want to bump it to 4 stars, given the other books in the series that I've given that rating to.