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mayapapaya2618c 's review for:
Winterkeep
by Kristin Cashore
Kristin Cashore try to write a main character with a father that isn't either abusive, dead, or both challenge (impossible)
What I liked:
- The land of Winterkeep and its worldbuilding. It's so different from anything we've seen so far in the Graceling series yet Cashore puts so much detail into it that it feels believable and lived-in, from its conflicts to its culture to its natural landscapes and creatures.
- Lovisa!! She's a very complex and distant person and it's almost hard to root for her at first, but then when you go deeper you understand the reasons for her behavior and how her abusive home life affected her. Her arc in this book is incredible - heartbreaking, emotional, and ultimately powerful.
- Honestly, all the Keepish characters: Nev, Mari, etc., even the fox and the "Keeper". I loved them all, no complaints there. (Except Lovisa's parents, of course)
- Hava: She doesn't get much in terms of character development but she is iconic in this book, can't wait to read Seasparrow.
What I didn't like:
- Bitterblue and Giddon: why??? I mean, I can understand why - they did have some romantic-tinged undertones in the previous novel, but shoving them together here felt way too neat and convenient. Their arcs in this book revolve mostly around each other (though they spend most of it apart - and Bitterblue only starts to think of him like 50 pages before they meet). I appreciate their inclusion in this story so we could catch up with them 5 years later but I think there could have been more to their individual arcs - especially Giddon, who spends the entire book pining after Bitterblue and never once has any thoughts about himself apart from her, like about his past, his goals, etc. (No mention of Katsa at all?? Really??? Vague mentions of the other Council members? Does he remember why he's doing all this in the first place?) Not to mention the age gap - look, I get things are different in a fantasy world, and 23 and 31 are technically both adults, but come on! He knew her as a child - that just doesn't sit right with me, no matter how much the author emphasizes that this whole relationship is her idea.
- The timeline: This is a bit pedantic of a criticism, but I feel like 5 years is too short of a time for two completely different nations to learn so much about each other and for significant populations of each country to become fluent in the respective languages.
Overall though I was a bit put off by the main romance, my love for Lovisa and interest in Winterkeep kept me reading and the main plot itself was really intriguing and well written.
What I liked:
- The land of Winterkeep and its worldbuilding. It's so different from anything we've seen so far in the Graceling series yet Cashore puts so much detail into it that it feels believable and lived-in, from its conflicts to its culture to its natural landscapes and creatures.
- Lovisa!! She's a very complex and distant person and it's almost hard to root for her at first, but then when you go deeper you understand the reasons for her behavior and how her abusive home life affected her. Her arc in this book is incredible - heartbreaking, emotional, and ultimately powerful.
- Honestly, all the Keepish characters: Nev, Mari, etc., even the fox and the "Keeper". I loved them all, no complaints there. (Except Lovisa's parents, of course)
- Hava: She doesn't get much in terms of character development but she is iconic in this book, can't wait to read Seasparrow.
What I didn't like:
- Bitterblue and Giddon: why??? I mean, I can understand why - they did have some romantic-tinged undertones in the previous novel, but shoving them together here felt way too neat and convenient. Their arcs in this book revolve mostly around each other (though they spend most of it apart - and Bitterblue only starts to think of him like 50 pages before they meet). I appreciate their inclusion in this story so we could catch up with them 5 years later but I think there could have been more to their individual arcs - especially Giddon, who spends the entire book pining after Bitterblue and never once has any thoughts about himself apart from her, like about his past, his goals, etc. (No mention of Katsa at all?? Really??? Vague mentions of the other Council members? Does he remember why he's doing all this in the first place?) Not to mention the age gap - look, I get things are different in a fantasy world, and 23 and 31 are technically both adults, but come on! He knew her as a child - that just doesn't sit right with me, no matter how much the author emphasizes that this whole relationship is her idea.
- The timeline: This is a bit pedantic of a criticism, but I feel like 5 years is too short of a time for two completely different nations to learn so much about each other and for significant populations of each country to become fluent in the respective languages.
Overall though I was a bit put off by the main romance, my love for Lovisa and interest in Winterkeep kept me reading and the main plot itself was really intriguing and well written.