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A review by hazelalaska
The Good Hawk by Joseph Elliott
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
3.75
3.75 stars
This was an interesting read, and I ended up enjoying it. It wasn't what I expected it would be, but that was actually good.
One thing of note that the synopsis doesn't explicitly say is that Agatha, one of the main characters, has Down Syndrome. Her narration initially threw me off because I didn't know this and she sounds a lot younger than she is, so I was a bit confused. Once I learned this, though, her voice made sense and I came to enjoy her point of view.
I did see people shelving this as middle grade, and while I don't necessarily want to put a label on it, I think it would fit more with YA since the main characters are in their teens and there are pretty gruesome descriptions of murder and bodies. I think some might see this as middle grade since Agatha's voice seems younger.
I did wish there was a bit more worldbuilding in relation to the clans, and the Skye clan specifically. Jamie mentions that they don't do marriage even within their own clan, and I was wondering if they had any formal recognition of romantic relationships and how they handle childcare, since the kids don't live with their parents and don't even know who their parents are. Everyone is given a job, but how do they determine who gets what job? It doesn't seem like they match people's interests, because Jamie had no desire to be an Angler.
Spoilers
I was sad when Lileas died because I wanted to see her become integrated into their clan, despite the rough beginning that they had, but I guess it was realistic for someone to die, plus there's the fact that Jaime is in love with Aileen. I was also a bit sad when Knutr died, because even though he was a jerk the whole time, I was sort of hoping he would survive and be redeemed, at least a little bit.
This was an interesting read, and I ended up enjoying it. It wasn't what I expected it would be, but that was actually good.
One thing of note that the synopsis doesn't explicitly say is that Agatha, one of the main characters, has Down Syndrome. Her narration initially threw me off because I didn't know this and she sounds a lot younger than she is, so I was a bit confused. Once I learned this, though, her voice made sense and I came to enjoy her point of view.
I did see people shelving this as middle grade, and while I don't necessarily want to put a label on it, I think it would fit more with YA since the main characters are in their teens and there are pretty gruesome descriptions of murder and bodies. I think some might see this as middle grade since Agatha's voice seems younger.
I did wish there was a bit more worldbuilding in relation to the clans, and the Skye clan specifically. Jamie mentions that they don't do marriage even within their own clan, and I was wondering if they had any formal recognition of romantic relationships and how they handle childcare, since the kids don't live with their parents and don't even know who their parents are. Everyone is given a job, but how do they determine who gets what job? It doesn't seem like they match people's interests, because Jamie had no desire to be an Angler.
Spoilers
I was sad when Lileas died because I wanted to see her become integrated into their clan, despite the rough beginning that they had, but I guess it was realistic for someone to die, plus there's the fact that Jaime is in love with Aileen. I was also a bit sad when Knutr died, because even though he was a jerk the whole time, I was sort of hoping he would survive and be redeemed, at least a little bit.