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yueting 's review for:
The Savage and the Swan
by Ella Fields
﹙ three stars ﹚
i stand by what i said in one of my updates: The Savage and The Swan is both perplexing and intriguing and i’m not quite sure how to reconcile the two. if going based off the writing alone, this book would be much higher than three stars. Fields knows how to write with a capital w; i found myself highlighting and saving so many passages, which i don’t normally do (such as, as soft as rose petals warmed by the sun or dragging day into deep pinks and oranges to gift to the growing night). however, there’s also the rest of the book to contend with.
Opal was so terribly passive — through all of it. i think it’s in part due to poor characterization, but mostly due to loose, if barely tangible, character motivations. her actions and thoughts were confusing at best and useless at worst. she alludes to having some sort of plan, but never actively does anything to execute it. she makes decisions that seem illogical and her thoughts and opinions seem to change at the drop of a hat. she was an incredibly difficult character to pin down and that really detracted my enjoyment of the book because she is our main narrator. thankfully, Dade does not suffer from the same vague and convoluted characterization. he’s brilliantly crafted and so torturously lovable, and i just wish Opal could have received an ounce of the clarity and attention from Fields that he did.
i do also think part of my confusion with Opal’s actions (and inaction) is due to very ambiguous world building. though we are told about the history of the war and the prophecies that started it, it’s not nearly enough to justify it being the central conflict in the book and the source of so many characters backstories and motivations. so much of the story revolves around this war and how it is tearing Opal and Dade apart as well as their country for it to be covered up and glossed over with dubious, while brilliant, descriptions. i’m fine if Fields wants to keep secrets and build suspense, but it wasn’t done right — when we get to any sort of reveal my relief that i’m finally getting answers (and only somewhat) is greater than any genuine emotion it was supposed to get out of me.
as someone who expects vibrant world building and consequential side characters in a fantasy romance, both of these were disappointing for me. but though it lacks in the fantasy department, Opal and Dade’s romance is lovely. i’m especially charmed by Dade’s self-sacrifice — in so many ways — for Opal’s happiness. though the enemies to lovers development is hampered by the confusion clouding Opal’s pov and thoughts, it is ultimately satisfying, and the highlight of The Savage and The Swan was the banter and teasing that occasionally unfolds between them. i teeter between disappointment and hopefulness with this book, even after finishing it, because Fields writing really was spectacular — and perhaps another of her books will sit better with me.
i stand by what i said in one of my updates: The Savage and The Swan is both perplexing and intriguing and i’m not quite sure how to reconcile the two. if going based off the writing alone, this book would be much higher than three stars. Fields knows how to write with a capital w; i found myself highlighting and saving so many passages, which i don’t normally do (such as, as soft as rose petals warmed by the sun or dragging day into deep pinks and oranges to gift to the growing night). however, there’s also the rest of the book to contend with.
Opal was so terribly passive — through all of it. i think it’s in part due to poor characterization, but mostly due to loose, if barely tangible, character motivations. her actions and thoughts were confusing at best and useless at worst. she alludes to having some sort of plan, but never actively does anything to execute it. she makes decisions that seem illogical and her thoughts and opinions seem to change at the drop of a hat. she was an incredibly difficult character to pin down and that really detracted my enjoyment of the book because she is our main narrator. thankfully, Dade does not suffer from the same vague and convoluted characterization. he’s brilliantly crafted and so torturously lovable, and i just wish Opal could have received an ounce of the clarity and attention from Fields that he did.
i do also think part of my confusion with Opal’s actions (and inaction) is due to very ambiguous world building. though we are told about the history of the war and the prophecies that started it, it’s not nearly enough to justify it being the central conflict in the book and the source of so many characters backstories and motivations. so much of the story revolves around this war and how it is tearing Opal and Dade apart as well as their country for it to be covered up and glossed over with dubious, while brilliant, descriptions. i’m fine if Fields wants to keep secrets and build suspense, but it wasn’t done right — when we get to any sort of reveal my relief that i’m finally getting answers (and only somewhat) is greater than any genuine emotion it was supposed to get out of me.
as someone who expects vibrant world building and consequential side characters in a fantasy romance, both of these were disappointing for me. but though it lacks in the fantasy department, Opal and Dade’s romance is lovely. i’m especially charmed by Dade’s self-sacrifice — in so many ways — for Opal’s happiness. though the enemies to lovers development is hampered by the confusion clouding Opal’s pov and thoughts, it is ultimately satisfying, and the highlight of The Savage and The Swan was the banter and teasing that occasionally unfolds between them. i teeter between disappointment and hopefulness with this book, even after finishing it, because Fields writing really was spectacular — and perhaps another of her books will sit better with me.