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A review by fictionandfarming
The Lioness by Gigi Griffis
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The Lioness is a fictional retelling of the very-true story of Jeanne de Clisson after her husband is executed by the king of France without a trial in the year 1343. What follows is the tale of a noblewoman-turned-pirate as Jeanne seeks to exact her revenge upon the king who betrayed her family.
The audiobook narrator, Imani Jade Powers, does a wonderful job of capturing Jeanne's voice throughout this story.
Griffis has a strong grasp of character, presenting interesting and well-rounded main and side characters. Jeanne herself is presented as someone who is very emotionally reactive (that is, rage and anger), quick to draw her sword (of which she is well-versed with), and unforgiving yet also incredibly loyal to her loved ones - characteristics not typical of female characters in fiction. The side characters that accompany her on her journey provide a nice balance and opportunities for emotional growth. I have a particular weak spot for the damned devil cat, Monster, that accompanied Jeanne through much of her journey.
The story itself is well-executed and there were parts where I was very much on the edge of my seat. I struggled a bit with the ending, on one hand, I do believe Griffis concluded strongly, but, on the other hand, I kind of wish the payoff/conclusion wasn't so internal (I think I feel this way in part because Jeanne and the narrative were so obsessed with killing the men that wronged her). There were a couple concepts that were also a little bit too repetitive, but that's a minor thing.
Overall, I absolutely do recommend this novel. It's a crime that women like Jeanne are treated as no more than footnotes in history. Please be aware that this story does contain some heavy/dark content at times that some readers may find difficult.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for making the AudioARC available to me. All opinions are my own.
The audiobook narrator, Imani Jade Powers, does a wonderful job of capturing Jeanne's voice throughout this story.
Griffis has a strong grasp of character, presenting interesting and well-rounded main and side characters. Jeanne herself is presented as someone who is very emotionally reactive (that is, rage and anger), quick to draw her sword (of which she is well-versed with), and unforgiving yet also incredibly loyal to her loved ones - characteristics not typical of female characters in fiction. The side characters that accompany her on her journey provide a nice balance and opportunities for emotional growth. I have a particular weak spot for the damned devil cat, Monster, that accompanied Jeanne through much of her journey.
The story itself is well-executed and there were parts where I was very much on the edge of my seat. I struggled a bit with the ending, on one hand, I do believe Griffis concluded strongly, but, on the other hand, I kind of wish the payoff/conclusion wasn't so internal (I think I feel this way in part because Jeanne and the narrative were so obsessed with killing the men that wronged her). There were a couple concepts that were also a little bit too repetitive, but that's a minor thing.
Overall, I absolutely do recommend this novel. It's a crime that women like Jeanne are treated as no more than footnotes in history. Please be aware that this story does contain some heavy/dark content at times that some readers may find difficult.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for making the AudioARC available to me. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Minor: Confinement, Racism, Self harm, and Sexual assault