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A review by tanyaivy
The Summer War by Naomi Novik
1.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of The Summer War. I was so excited about getting to read the newest Naomi Novik book, but unfortunately, I didn't have a positive experience.
I am begging fantasy authors to stop writing sexual scenes involving minors and to stop using sex crimes as jokes.
While The Summer War had some pacing issues, along with 2D characters and overly predictable plot points, it could have been a sweet and entertaining little novella.
But we're not in the '90s any more. It's really not okay to not understand the basics of consent. And it's particularly nauseating when there's not even a plot or character reason for it.
It's really emphasised that our main character Celia is a child. She must marry the prince, and he wants to marry her when she's 12. Her family refuses, saying she should wait until she's 18, but the prince won't accept 18 or even 16, so in the end, she's married at 15.
But on her wedding day, she's not married to the prince. Instead, despite her saying no over and again, she's forcibly married to an immortal elf-like ruler who carries her off to his kingdom and lock in a tower.
The good news is that this immortal ruler has no intention of raping her; instead, he wants to humiliate her by only having sex with other people so she's driven to suicide.
But, she still has to sit and watch an orgy during her wedding feast, and she's still afraid that her husband will rape her. Again, she's a child, and there's no logical reason why she couldn't have been older during these scenes. At no point are we given a reason why the prince wouldn't wait until she was an adult, or why he originally wanted this happen when she was 12.
But on her wedding day, she's not married to the prince. Instead, despite her saying no over and again, she's forcibly married to an immortal elf-like ruler who carries her off to his kingdom and lock in a tower.
The good news is that this immortal ruler has no intention of raping her; instead, he wants to humiliate her by only having sex with other people so she's driven to suicide.
But, she still has to sit and watch an orgy during her wedding feast, and she's still afraid that her husband will rape her.
Then, her brothers come to save the day — and as part of this, there's an entirely unnecessary verse of song about a man sexually assaulting every ram and ewe in a field, complete with a "deeply-distressed" "Baaa-aah!" Come on, why was this included?
I'm disappointed and frustrated that what could have been a charming novella was ruined by these — entirely unnecessary! — issues.