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A review by hannahgarstang
Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin
adventurous
Was an enjoyable read. Would recommend to someone who enjoys fantasy YA with action, mystery and romance elements.
Wouldn't recommend to someone who is grieving.
The world building really captures your imagination, with a society built physically in the spreading trees. Exploring customs and details, like standing vigil for the dead or beads marking the trees, made the world feel lived in.
The characters were good company. Loved the queer rep.
Careful world building, paired with a plot line that focuses on one part of a larger situation, meant there was alot set up at the end to be resolved.
The epilogue did its best to wrap things up, but there was so much to reconcilebetween the people's different cultures, their long history, the expansion of the people and all the pain and loss from the conflicts in the book.
My interest was piqued reading the different reactions in vethaya to the conclave envoys. I was glad the author chose the reconciliation to peace narrative because stories can shape the limits of our imagination.
Both societies had internal issues to resolve too. The hollow's strict heirachical class system where orphans are abandoned and power and blood rule. And the peoples long war with the beasts and wearing their skin and hearts as armour despite their sentience.
The potential for nuance in all of these threads meant the epilogue could have been a political drama novel in it's own right. Thats how good the set up was.
Wouldn't recommend to someone who is grieving.
The world building really captures your imagination, with a society built physically in the spreading trees. Exploring customs and details, like standing vigil for the dead or beads marking the trees, made the world feel lived in.
The characters were good company. Loved the queer rep.
Careful world building, paired with a plot line that focuses on one part of a larger situation, meant there was alot set up at the end to be resolved.
The epilogue did its best to wrap things up, but there was so much to reconcile
My interest was piqued reading the different reactions in vethaya to the conclave envoys. I was glad the author chose the reconciliation to peace narrative because stories can shape the limits of our imagination.
Both societies had internal issues to resolve too. The hollow's strict heirachical class system where orphans are abandoned and power and blood rule. And the peoples long war with the beasts and wearing their skin and hearts as armour despite their sentience.
The potential for nuance in all of these threads meant the epilogue could have been a political drama novel in it's own right. Thats how good the set up was.