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deeplyanchored 's review for:
Prince of the Sorrows
by Kellen Graves
"You are more than just a pixie", he went on. "If I am indeed a raven —then you are the treasure I wish to spend all my days appreciating."
I have read a lot of books about fae, some stellar (the Spiderwick Chronicles forever hold a special place in my heard), some quite good and some not very interesting, but none as beautifully detailed as this one.
Kellen Graves had me hooked right at the very beginning of the Prince of Sorrows: the descriptions of the pixies, the landscapes, the buildings, the clothes, the names, the characters (the diversity!), were all truly otherworldly and ethereal. Their mastery of this very peculiar writing style was simply enthralling.
I only regret the occasional weirdly modern-sounding words and expressions peppered throughout what I can only describe as very sophisticated writing, as well as the fact that some sentences didn't make any sense.
I enjoyed the subtle mix and the parallels between reality (the mythology, the city names) and fantasy (the fairytales, the fantastical creatures). I also loved the two magic systems, though I really wish there had been more politics involved and world-building explained, because the plot sometimes felt a little dull and incomplete, and the romance and the mystery didn't always work together well.
What I'm the most torn about is Saffron and Cylvan's "relationship": yes, it was a slow burn in the sense that they didn't get together until the second half of the book, but they also didn't have much in common and Cylvan's ever changing behaviour towards Saffron had me gritting my teeth throughout most of their interactions.
(Honestly, had the two main characters not been so annoying and blubbering, and hollow personality-wise at times, this would have been a four-star book. There was so much potential ugh...)
I ended up being a tad disappointed in the ending, but all-in-all it was very promising and I'm starting the second book next.
I have read a lot of books about fae, some stellar (the Spiderwick Chronicles forever hold a special place in my heard), some quite good and some not very interesting, but none as beautifully detailed as this one.
Kellen Graves had me hooked right at the very beginning of the Prince of Sorrows: the descriptions of the pixies, the landscapes, the buildings, the clothes, the names, the characters (the diversity!), were all truly otherworldly and ethereal. Their mastery of this very peculiar writing style was simply enthralling.
I only regret the occasional weirdly modern-sounding words and expressions peppered throughout what I can only describe as very sophisticated writing, as well as the fact that some sentences didn't make any sense.
Handwritten notes down the side described how pixies flocked around moving water, but only drank from cupped leaves and flowers; how one could tell when they were reveling by the flower petals and stolen downy-fur they wove into skirts, though otherwise fluttered naked; how they were inherent thieves, and the source of most campus rings and house pins going missing.
I enjoyed the subtle mix and the parallels between reality (the mythology, the city names) and fantasy (the fairytales, the fantastical creatures). I also loved the two magic systems
Spoiler
and I cannot wait for Saffron to come into his powerWhat I'm the most torn about is Saffron and Cylvan's "relationship": yes, it was a slow burn in the sense that they didn't get together until the second half of the book, but they also didn't have much in common and Cylvan's ever changing behaviour towards Saffron had me gritting my teeth throughout most of their interactions.
He touched Saffron's black and blue cheek again with fingers gentle enough to hold smoke. His hand shook like it was difficult for him to hold back, but Saffron didn't know what else to say.
(Honestly, had the two main characters not been so annoying and blubbering, and hollow personality-wise at times, this would have been a four-star book. There was so much potential ugh...)
I ended up being a tad disappointed in the ending
Spoiler
because the antagonist was simply absent from the book, sigh...Now your own impertinence will spill high fey blood across this campus, until the lake runs as red as I do. My spirit will only rest when I am satisfied with your work. Until then, so long as your students see me walking these grounds... They should consider their lives at the mercy of your competence.