A review by miak2
Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott

adventurous emotional informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

 
But, little house, you say, what is a memory if not a ghost?


3.5 stars

I saw another review on Thistlefoot that said that this book simultaneously had a lot going on and not much at all, which I found to be largely true. The core of the story could've probably been told in half the pages, without losing any of the plot or the character development. I loved the ending though. Loved it. I loved how it pulled together the folklore and the themes of the book, and how the sibling's powers were tied to their people's history.

Nethercott told this story in such a unique way, I mean, some chapters were told from the perspective of the house, that's SO cool! Those chapters focused on the Baba Yaga folklore, which was my favorite part of the book. The house had so much personality, not just in those chapters but in the modern-day chapters where it interacted with the Yaga siblings.

I thought Thistlefoot had some great character development, although I did find some pieces to be a bit shoehorned in. I found both Bellatine and Isaac to be compelling, complex characters, but I also found that I didn't feel very connected to them or their struggles. Most of the supporting characters felt pretty one-dimensional, existing only to further the Yaga sibling's story. You could, hypothetically, remove all the side characters and still have the same book and the same ending. The Longshadow Man was a pretty unique villain, however, and all of his scenes were appropriately bone-chilling.

**Not a spoiler but maybe skip this bit if you plan on reading the book**

My big gripe was just with the writing. It's odd to say because Nethercott does have beautiful writing. It was just...too much for me. Every line was a metaphor or analogy. I'm hardly exaggerating, at one point I counted 5 analogies in one page. I think there's a balance to be had with writing like that, and Nethercott went too far over the line. I mean, did we really need lines like "[the cat] reappeared like a promise"? Once I noticed it, I couldn't unnotice it, and it really took away from my reading experience. I wish I could have been more engrossed in the story, but I eventually got to the point where I was rolling my eyes every time I saw "like a" written on the page.

Now, I say this as someone who isn't a writer, but I think once Nethercott tones down the analogies and tightens up her storylines, she'll be a really formidable writer. I'm excited to see what she comes out with next! 
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