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ahblecke 's review for:
Thistlefoot
by GennaRose Nethercott
2.5/5
Perhaps I'm being less kind than I normally would with this review, but I am not entirely sure why Thistlefoot has been reviewed as highly as it has. I found it to be entertaining in parts, but overall I thought that the characters (with the exception of the Yaga siblings) were underdeveloped and the plot was less interesting than it could have been.
I did think there was some interesting exploration of how historical violence and displacement can affect the development of individual identity, but I felt that it might have been more interesting if it had been disconnected from the Longshadow Man. I think that I really would have enjoyed a story about Isaac and Bellatine exploring their shared familial history with the relatively low-stakes background of a traveling puppet show. Instead, everything felt over the top and too intense.
Other than that, the biggest issue I had was the lack of development for the non-Yaga characters. It felt like everyone besides the siblings was flat and one dimensional. Also (spoilers coming) I guess it's not a huge problem, but I really would have preferred that Winnie be closer in age to Bellatine. It just feels like an odd choice to make her 17 when aging her up two or three years really wouldn't have impacted the story in any way and would have made her more of a contemporary to Bellatine.
Overall, I didn't think this book was bad, I just don't think it clicked with me. I would recommend it to people who like the concept of a house with legs.
Also, very last thought, the way the author handled the worldbuilding surrounding sentient/mutant houses was really funny to me. She explains that they develop in response to traumatic/dangerous experiences, but it's just a funny concept to me that houses can grow gills because of flooding.
Perhaps I'm being less kind than I normally would with this review, but I am not entirely sure why Thistlefoot has been reviewed as highly as it has. I found it to be entertaining in parts, but overall I thought that the characters (with the exception of the Yaga siblings) were underdeveloped and the plot was less interesting than it could have been.
I did think there was some interesting exploration of how historical violence and displacement can affect the development of individual identity, but I felt that it might have been more interesting if it had been disconnected from the Longshadow Man. I think that I really would have enjoyed a story about Isaac and Bellatine exploring their shared familial history with the relatively low-stakes background of a traveling puppet show. Instead, everything felt over the top and too intense.
Other than that, the biggest issue I had was the lack of development for the non-Yaga characters. It felt like everyone besides the siblings was flat and one dimensional. Also (spoilers coming) I guess it's not a huge problem, but I really would have preferred that Winnie be closer in age to Bellatine. It just feels like an odd choice to make her 17 when aging her up two or three years really wouldn't have impacted the story in any way and would have made her more of a contemporary to Bellatine.
Overall, I didn't think this book was bad, I just don't think it clicked with me. I would recommend it to people who like the concept of a house with legs.
Also, very last thought, the way the author handled the worldbuilding surrounding sentient/mutant houses was really funny to me. She explains that they develop in response to traumatic/dangerous experiences, but it's just a funny concept to me that houses can grow gills because of flooding.