Review by ginkgo - Daughter of the Forest

4.0

I liked:

Brothers! Liked that each one has individuality
Celtic everything. The forest. The garden. Stories. Songs and herbs.
Dogs. DOGS ARE IMPORTANT. especially in
healing process
A lot of unpleasant reality - how tedious and awful was her work, how cruel and awful is war. Felt pretty much real.
Faeries, ofc. "Oh it isn't FAIR? Like what, LIFE?" "You don't want to help your brothers, lazy girl?" Funny people, aren't they.
Her poor one-winged brother. I've always thought about his tragic fate.

I disliked:

How young she was.
Especially SA - was this REALLY necessary? Realistic - yes, I guess, but she was 14, for god's sake 💔
The
triangle
thing. Totally unnecessary. Though faeries have a soft spot for
torturing Simon.
It's just their thing.
Animal cruelty.
DOG DIED. ANOTHER DOG WAS SHOT. ANIMALS - donkey, cats, raven - WERE MURDERED. GARDEN WAS. DESTROYED.
Once again, I maybe understand that the reason was the existential need
to experience all kind of loss
, but I've felt it too.
Plus rape. It was a lot.
And this one is personal - how fast things get
steamy
at the end.
Beautiful confession, and then 16yo takes this 23yo to her bed, her previous sexual experience AWFUL, and he's talking about wanting her for years - since she was what, 14, scrawny and hurt, on the run and captive? Kind of disgusting. Off-putting at least.

Overall a lot of things I liked, felt real too often, I haven't slept this night, no regrets.