Take a photo of a barcode or cover
mysimas 's review for:
A Woman of the Sword
by Anna Smith Spark
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love what this book set out to do - explore the life of a woman in a typical medievalish, violent fantasy world - but wasn't entirely thrilled by the result.
What I liked: the descriptions of battles and fights - believably blurry and dizzying. The whole idea of a woman torn between her love for her sons and for her freedom. The loving descriptions of nature (even if descriptions don't really work for me and my poor visual imagination). The fact that even though most characters were in some ways despicable, they also had a kinder, humanising side to them.
What I didn't like: The prose immediately almost put me off. Lidae's character somehow didn't feel very deep - we learn only very few things about her, and the characterisation just doesn't ring nearly as true as that of e. G. Toni Morrison's characters. Similarly, the fantasy elements were extremely shallow, there was no rooting mythos to them, they just felt randomly slapped on. And the ending conflict was just so forced, it was actually a bit ridiculous.
So overall: loved the idea, would've appreciated a more thorough fantasy worldbuilding and either a stronger plot, or a deeper insight into Lidae, besides just the endless repetition of the 1 and 1/2 conflict she's got going on and never really resolves.
What I liked: the descriptions of battles and fights - believably blurry and dizzying. The whole idea of a woman torn between her love for her sons and for her freedom. The loving descriptions of nature (even if descriptions don't really work for me and my poor visual imagination). The fact that even though most characters were in some ways despicable, they also had a kinder, humanising side to them.
What I didn't like: The prose immediately almost put me off. Lidae's character somehow didn't feel very deep - we learn only very few things about her, and the characterisation just doesn't ring nearly as true as that of e. G. Toni Morrison's characters. Similarly, the fantasy elements were extremely shallow, there was no rooting mythos to them, they just felt randomly slapped on. And the ending conflict was just so forced, it was actually a bit ridiculous.
So overall: loved the idea, would've appreciated a more thorough fantasy worldbuilding and either a stronger plot, or a deeper insight into Lidae, besides just the endless repetition of the 1 and 1/2 conflict she's got going on and never really resolves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Misogyny, Violence, Grief, War
Moderate: Sexism, Death of parent