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A review by elj_ne
The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? No
4.5
e-ARC acquired through NetGalley
Really enjoyed this book - I felt I connected more with it than I did The Mercies and I preferred the setting in this one too (the heat and stench of 16th century Strasbourg over the cold bleak landscape of the Arctic). Millwood Hargrave is great at building settings and also a great array of characters that are more diverse than you might expect from historical fiction. She also has themes she likes to return to that I find interesting = religious panic, queer forbidden love, the roles of women in historical settings. Lisbet is a great protagonist, and I especially liked her relationship with Eren and her attachment to her bees. I thought the way the dancing plague was incorporated was really effective, especially the interspersed chapters that covered some of the dancers, though I liked the added context from the author's note too. Overall, a really good book and I think perfect if you previously enjoyed The Mercies, or Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet.
Really enjoyed this book - I felt I connected more with it than I did The Mercies and I preferred the setting in this one too (the heat and stench of 16th century Strasbourg over the cold bleak landscape of the Arctic). Millwood Hargrave is great at building settings and also a great array of characters that are more diverse than you might expect from historical fiction. She also has themes she likes to return to that I find interesting = religious panic, queer forbidden love, the roles of women in historical settings. Lisbet is a great protagonist, and I especially liked her relationship with Eren and her attachment to her bees. I thought the way the dancing plague was incorporated was really effective, especially the interspersed chapters that covered some of the dancers, though I liked the added context from the author's note too. Overall, a really good book and I think perfect if you previously enjoyed The Mercies, or Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Suicide, Homophobia, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Child death, and Miscarriage