venneh 's review for:

The Summer War by Naomi Novik

5.0

adventurous funny tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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The Summer War almost feels like a pitch for a longer novel, but still holds up incredibly well as a short novella. We get a slightly spoiled daughter of a duke who is used as a pawn in the ongoing attempts at peace bewteen fae-esque creatures (the Summerlings) and who accidentally curses her brother to never find love. The climax is a genuinely great blend of knightly battle and bardic showing off and rules lawyering in the best kind of way, and the end is genuinely sweet. Fantastic quick read over the space of a weekend, and a highly recommended read this fall.