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crofteereader 's review for:
Idolfire
by Grace Curtis
3.5 stars
I found myself quite misled by the synopsis; perhaps this is just my own bias, but the word “roadtrip” to me implies something rather unserious, often cozy. But this was, at its core, a quest novel. And a quest is very different from a roadtrip because the quintessential road trip involves deliberate detours and joyful discoveries whereas a quest has roadblocks and perils and catastrophes that blow one off course.
I also very much did not like the “you” chapters, the weird little colloquial history lessons that just felt super tonally off from the (unexpectedly serious) quest novel.
Though, more like a roadtrip than a quest, it felt rather like Kirby lucked into success more through sheer good cheer than any sort of directed growth. Indeed, she changes very little over the course of the story (acting instead as more of a catalyst for Aleya and Nylophon).
I did really like the nods to history (which are mentioned in more detail in the Author’s Note at the end) and the descriptions of the various cities and settlements - especially the ruins.
{Thank you DAW for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
I found myself quite misled by the synopsis; perhaps this is just my own bias, but the word “roadtrip” to me implies something rather unserious, often cozy. But this was, at its core, a quest novel. And a quest is very different from a roadtrip because the quintessential road trip involves deliberate detours and joyful discoveries whereas a quest has roadblocks and perils and catastrophes that blow one off course.
I also very much did not like the “you” chapters, the weird little colloquial history lessons that just felt super tonally off from the (unexpectedly serious) quest novel.
Though, more like a roadtrip than a quest, it felt rather like Kirby lucked into success more through sheer good cheer than any sort of directed growth. Indeed, she changes very little over the course of the story (acting instead as more of a catalyst for Aleya and Nylophon).
I did really like the nods to history (which are mentioned in more detail in the Author’s Note at the end) and the descriptions of the various cities and settlements - especially the ruins.
{Thank you DAW for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}