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garbitchdisposal's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
diya13's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
batbaby's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This actually took me a while to read, I wish it had more about silence’s nonbinary/gender queerness because really he read as a trans man for the majority of the book. And their gender non comformity/discussion only came about by Merlin going yeah but you’re not a man are you. This isn’t to invalidate silence’s gender experience I just wish they came to the development of their own volition. I wish we explored more romance towards the end like maybe going back to Ame or Alfred. I enjoyed the magical elements of the book especially hearing about the selkie or the nymph I just wish it had more of the fantasy element. I enjoyed this book but it definitely had its faults and the cover “a tale of a non-binary knight” feels misleading for the majority of the book Silence is a trans masculine minstrel but hey-ho
Also the man-in-a dress trope was annoying and harmful at the end and I was just expecting it to be sapphic.
Also the man-in-a dress trope was annoying and harmful at the end and I was just expecting it to be sapphic.
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, and Gore
Moderate: Deadnaming
Minor: Animal cruelty, Dysphoria, and Animal death
pallotj's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
heather_leila's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kaygee_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-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? It's complicated
5.0
geekberry's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
asta_cassel's review
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The book is everything it’s trying to be
elatedbooks's review against another edition
2.75
For stories bear the imprint of all who tell them.
This is a very confusing review for me to write.
I loved the author’s narrative style, especially at the beginning with the more classic quest tale of Merlin & the dragon (I was so sad there wasn’t more fun fantasy things in it :( )
But the representation of women in this really made me uncomfortable. I know that it’s something the author actually acknowledges that obviously it’s based on a medieval tale & is therefore indicative of their contemporary beliefs. Plus the author explained their careful consideration of the portrayal of women & i’m pretty sure they even mention updating their roles in the story. But I don’t know if that’s enough for a published novel in this day and age because a female presence was distinctly lacking & when it was displayed it was so disgustingly flat & tropey (literally reduced to the mother figure & a couple of temptresses). It was so bad that I had to do some recon on the author & wasn’t surprised to find it written by a man but was dismayed to find it written by a trans man!
As for the gender exploration element I was similarly disappointed. It got a bit better towards the end as the final couple chapters tied it up more but it didn’t feel revolutionary or even participatory relevant for a lot of it. I know it catalyses the story & Silence does struggle with it continuously but only in quite an immediate way without touching on bigger ideas regarding gender. Its hard because ultimately, as a cis person, it’s not really my place to criticise the representation or exploration of gender fluidity but I just felt left wanting like this could have been so much more.