Reviews

Tale of Elske by Cynthia Voigt

ashley_crookham's review

5.0

perfect conclusion to the Kingdom series. These are the books I wish I had written

colorfulleo92's review

3.0

Although it had a very interesting premise it didn't quite deliver for me. Was equally parts underwhelmed and bored. Well written but not my cup of tea. Might be because I hadn't read any of the other books in the series

glisteningpandas's review

5.0

remember reading this in middle school. remember being sad that elske and princess did not end up together even though they were in lovejebdjfbd. will reread one day. story was compelling probably. and horrifying in some parts because of that whole sacrifice thing.

melanieapril's review against another edition

4.0

I read the first 100 pages of this book all in one go, at a time when I meant to read only five and then go to sleep. Voigt is a skilled writer and world-builder, and I really enjoyed seeing the cultures of the Volkaric and Trastad through the eyes of the main character, a simple but intelligent teenager. I also really appreciate that Voigt is not afraid to write characters who are heroic assholes. But I don't think Elske is the best of the Kingdom novels (I might vote for [b:The Wings of a Falcon|95910|The Wings of a Falcon (Kingdom, #3)|Cynthia Voigt|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1171307404s/95910.jpg|3163771], but it's been a while...), and the ending feels very pat and rushed.

jtlars7's review

I've loved the first two Kingdom books for years. This, like the third book, is much darker. It was alright, but a big part of the fun was finding the references to the earlier books.

lberestecki's review

5.0

I haven't read any other books in this series, but I loved this one. I would definitely recommend it.

tangerineteeth's review against another edition

4.0

5 stars for the first two-thirds. Reviewed: https://hollograms.blogspot.com/2020/08/books-read-in-july-2020-part-two-of-two.html

lauralynnwalsh's review

4.0

I didn't realize this was the fourth book in a series, until I came to Goodreads to add it. So, I guess that means that, for the most part, the story stands by itself well enough. There were some references to Jackaroo at the end that rather puzzled me - and now that I know that the first book in the series was called Jackaroo, that makes a bit more sense.

The book drew me in with the character of Elske. Beriel, on the other hand, mostly annoyed me. In some ways, the story reminds me of the books by Tamora Pierce and other historical fantasy books. One of the things that especially intrigues me about books like this is that they are often accompanied by maps of the various lands. For some reason, I really enjoy this.

Maybe, if I ever try to write a story myself, I should start by drawing a map.

jennybeastie's review

3.0

Good story -- quite a fun read, even if not particularly fast-paced. I love Elske's defiant, straightforward answers -- the fearlessness in her. But Beriel's imperious ways do not endear her to me. The brutality of the wolfers is pretty graphically upsetting, but I appreciate the consistent commentary on the lack of women's rights in this world.

readingintothevoid's review

5.0

Wow, how I wish I had read this book when I was younger. Elske is an amazing character and so empowering for young women to read. My favorite scene is one in which Elske saves Beriel from a group of men who intend to rape her. Not only does this book write young women in a way I rarely see, but it also deals with tough topics in a very smart way. I think I may have been empowered to take some self-defense classes in high school if I had read this book because Elske is just such a badass!