A review by callmeren
The Gift by Alison Croggon

5.0

This is the third time I've read this and it's as beautiful as ever. Though now that I'm older and with more awareness, I can see some of its flaws now, like major description-itis, what people might call info dumps, and interesting coincidences. But really, all that does is mark it as a beautiful book that could have only been written in its time--hopeful, nuanced, and deceptively simplistic. The description may be long, but it's vivid and it isn't overbearing. It paints the beauty of the scenery in detailed strokes. The lore of the world is fascinating for being told through myth and "song," and are always delivered like lessons, so I gorge on them like candy. Knowing what comes next only makes me more excited to read more.

Reading this book makes me want to write a book like it, even if I know publishers probably wouldn't see value in this style of prose today. Tragic. It's one of the series that has influenced me the most as a writer.