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A review by saltnurse
Brightfall by Jaime Lee Moyer
3.0
Brightfall is a really difficult novel for me to rate and review. I thought this was a definite 5 star read for the first third or so of the book, it started out so strongly. Unfortunately, I hardly wanted to pick up the book by the half way point.
Brightfall is a part murder mystery, part Robin Hood retelling told from the perspective of Robin’s ex-wife, Maid Marian. The story is set in the depths of the enchanted Sherwood Forest, which is ruled by Fae and filled to the brim with malicious creatures. When Marin receives news that the Merry Men and their families are being murdered, she is sent on a mission to use her skills as a witch to unravel the mystery. Sounds dark and promising, right? (NB: a child death occurs prior to the start of the story, which is explored in a bit of detail - this may be an issue if this is a trigger you are sensitive to).
The story introduces us to vixens, a talking dragon that guards over the forest, and many different kinds of dark Fae. The beginning of the story sets the stage for a dark and dangerous fantasy with so many unique elements, and for me all of this fell short. Like other reviewers noted, we are told how dangerous these Fae are, and they pose the greatest risk to the characters, yet every time Marian encounters them in the story she hardly breaks a sweat. There is almost no actual danger in this story, I felt no tension or concern for the characters at all. As another example, the dragon who was introduced at the start (who you would assume would then play a role in the story) essentially served no purpose and was only briefly mentioned again at the end. For me, this book introduced so many intriguing elements and then didn’t deliver on the plot at all. I also had issues with the pacing, it was painfully slow and the plot was disjointed and transparent by the half way point.
The descriptive writing in this story is beautiful, and that’s what makes this such a difficult review. It was well written, and the effort the author put into researching the mythology of Robin Hood is evident. I also liked the spin the author put on the characters and her unique take on retelling the well known story. Perhaps if I wasn’t expecting a dark retelling I would feel differently, and maybe this is more of an individual issue. Reviews seem to indicate that a lot of people thoroughly enjoyed this book, so I wouldn’t discourage you from reading it. It just fell flat for me personally, and I suggest not to go into this expecting a dark fantasy, despite the premise.
I am grateful to have received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.
Brightfall is a part murder mystery, part Robin Hood retelling told from the perspective of Robin’s ex-wife, Maid Marian. The story is set in the depths of the enchanted Sherwood Forest, which is ruled by Fae and filled to the brim with malicious creatures. When Marin receives news that the Merry Men and their families are being murdered, she is sent on a mission to use her skills as a witch to unravel the mystery. Sounds dark and promising, right? (NB: a child death occurs prior to the start of the story, which is explored in a bit of detail - this may be an issue if this is a trigger you are sensitive to).
The story introduces us to vixens, a talking dragon that guards over the forest, and many different kinds of dark Fae. The beginning of the story sets the stage for a dark and dangerous fantasy with so many unique elements, and for me all of this fell short. Like other reviewers noted, we are told how dangerous these Fae are, and they pose the greatest risk to the characters, yet every time Marian encounters them in the story she hardly breaks a sweat. There is almost no actual danger in this story, I felt no tension or concern for the characters at all. As another example, the dragon who was introduced at the start (who you would assume would then play a role in the story) essentially served no purpose and was only briefly mentioned again at the end. For me, this book introduced so many intriguing elements and then didn’t deliver on the plot at all. I also had issues with the pacing, it was painfully slow and the plot was disjointed and transparent by the half way point.
The descriptive writing in this story is beautiful, and that’s what makes this such a difficult review. It was well written, and the effort the author put into researching the mythology of Robin Hood is evident. I also liked the spin the author put on the characters and her unique take on retelling the well known story. Perhaps if I wasn’t expecting a dark retelling I would feel differently, and maybe this is more of an individual issue. Reviews seem to indicate that a lot of people thoroughly enjoyed this book, so I wouldn’t discourage you from reading it. It just fell flat for me personally, and I suggest not to go into this expecting a dark fantasy, despite the premise.
I am grateful to have received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.