_dosia_ 's review for:

The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
3.25
emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This is by no means a bad book but I was just a little...disappointed?

Kiran's writing style is a perfect mix of beautiful, intricate descriptions and not waffling. She did a good job transporting us to medieval Strasbourg where everyone stinks and has no teeth, and for the most part this was an interesting read. Also Lisbet's struggle with child-loss was tender, intimate and tragic. 

However the plot felt pretty generic overall, with the dance plague taking the back seat and an over-tired and somewhat forced romance coming to the forefront. This story wasn't rooted in the setting, the dance plague wasn't utilized enough, and everything is underpinned by Lisbeth being really horny. That's not a crime in itself but I was expecting a more plague-focused story, especially since the characters felt quite generic.

Just wanted more from it.