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A review by a_big_slug
The Ill-Made Mute by Cecilia Dart-Thornton
2.0
This book started off so strong with intense intruige. We start the story following the protagonist who does not know what or who they are or really what is happening at all. You learn about the setting and the world as the "foundling" does which is a great way to introduce the world.
Unfortunately for me there was not quite enough action and the book became a labour to read very quickly. There is some beautiful prose, but most of the time the book suffers from trying to be too 'tolkeinesque' - is that a word? I can see that the ye olde English style of language is attempting to add to the world building, but unfortunately it's not done well and the language falls flat again and again. It's just too wordy to be accessible to a wider audience.
There is a pronunciation guide that explains how many of these names are pronounced... and honestly... fuck it makes such little sense. Here are some examples:
"Boabansith" is pronounced "Baavan Shee"
"Gwragedd Annwn" is pronounced "Gwrageth Anoon."
Honestly, these made up words took away much of the experience of the story for me because I actually couldn't be bothered to learn how to pronounce them. I could guess some of the words because it seems like the language rules here loosely resemble Gaelic.
All this said, the world this story is set in is interesting and I know this was the author's first book, so I'm gong to continue to endure through the series. There were some really sweet moments here and there in the book that kind of made my heart go "awwwwe." But I will need to continue the series after a bit of a break because it was pretty darn taxing to get through.
Unfortunately for me there was not quite enough action and the book became a labour to read very quickly. There is some beautiful prose, but most of the time the book suffers from trying to be too 'tolkeinesque' - is that a word? I can see that the ye olde English style of language is attempting to add to the world building, but unfortunately it's not done well and the language falls flat again and again. It's just too wordy to be accessible to a wider audience.
There is a pronunciation guide that explains how many of these names are pronounced... and honestly... fuck it makes such little sense. Here are some examples:
"Boabansith" is pronounced "Baavan Shee"
"Gwragedd Annwn" is pronounced "Gwrageth Anoon."
Honestly, these made up words took away much of the experience of the story for me because I actually couldn't be bothered to learn how to pronounce them. I could guess some of the words because it seems like the language rules here loosely resemble Gaelic.
All this said, the world this story is set in is interesting and I know this was the author's first book, so I'm gong to continue to endure through the series. There were some really sweet moments here and there in the book that kind of made my heart go "awwwwe." But I will need to continue the series after a bit of a break because it was pretty darn taxing to get through.