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logan_reads_stuff's reviews
232 reviews
The Endless War by Danielle L. Jensen
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Carving Shadows into Gold by Brigid Kemmerer
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Forging Silver Into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Boudicca by P.C. Cast
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
Boudicca has long been a favorite historical figure of mine. I name my children after strong patriarchy defying queens, and if I had a 3rd daughter her name would probably be Boudicca. That said, when I saw P.C. Cast was releasing this novelization inspired by Boudicca’s story I was very quick to request an ARC. A sincere thanks to William Morrow/ Harper Collins and Net Galley for this opportunity to review this ARC.
Boudicca is an Iron Age Queen of the Iceni tribe. In the wake of the death of her husband and atrocities perpetrated by Roman invaders durinttg the second Roman invasion on her family and people, Boudicca rallies and inspires many of the tribes to unite to push the Romans out. In her journey her inner circle of advisors becomes an invaluable asset, her friends, and for some …more. While P.C Cast acknowledges that she wanted to be as historically accurate as possible there are some key changes made. PC Cast addresses the limitations in the available research and the decisions she made around changes in the “Authors Notes” at the end of the book.
As a whole I really enjoyed this book. I appreciated the staunchly anti-patriarchy and feminist lens in which this novel was written. It’s an ode to powerful spirited women everywhere. I greatly appreciated how the author presented Boudicca’s story, the Iceni and other tribal peoples and in general the staunchly anti imperialist attitude of the novel.
Even with my familiarity with the history of Boudicca’s rebellion, and how it ended, I still found myself emotionally rocked at multiple points towards the end of this book. Which is a testament to how the author built the characters and relationships throughout the story.
However, the start of the novel is very awkward. The early dialogue is very choppy and unnatural feeling. While it does get better as the book goes on, it still retains some choppiness. Perhaps it is an attempt
to replicate the speaking patterns of the time period, but it just feels a bit awkward as a reader. There is also historical context and other information provided through dialogue in the early chapters that would’ve been better covered in other ways. Also side note that the author and publisher elected to spell the protagonist’s name with two “cc’s” versus the typical spelling of one that most historians or other authors have used.
There are some intense and traumatic scenes including depictions of child sexual assault, and even though the actual attack takes place off page it, the physical and emotional aftermath is covered in detail. This attack also occurs very early in the book which makes it exceptionally jarring. This and other themes are addressed that may be triggering for some, so proceed with caution if you are sensitive to this or other topics.
Lastly, I think the advertising of this book is doing it a disservice. Advertising this as an “Epic, lusty, magic-filled romantasy” is highly misleading. While I’d agree the story is an action filled adventure with a great dose of ancient Briton mythology and magic, the romantic elements are a very very minor subplot (though I do really like how it is presented #polyrep #Bisexualrep) and it is far from the typical conventions for books currently labeled “#romantasy.” Honestly, this book is a historical tragedy with fantasy and romantic elements, and I sincerely hope readers are not disappointed when they are looking for a fantasy romance/ romantasy with typically romance genre conventions.
All that said, I will be ordering my hardback shelf trophy, and sharing this book with my daughters when they are mature enough because it is an empowering portrayal of an incredible woman in history.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Pregnancy