Reviews

Huntress by Malinda Lo

katieinca's review against another edition

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3.0

I liked the world Lo created. I got really drawn in to the story towards the end, and had a hard time putting it down. But it reminded me of [b:The Night Circus|9361589|The Night Circus|Erin Morgenstern|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320508797s/9361589.jpg|14245059] in that the whole plot hangs on the love of these two major characters, and I was never sure what they liked about each other, or what I should. I think making the book 10-20% longer to give us more scenes of the two of them actually doing things, rather than just thinking about each other, could have helped tremendously.

crimsoncor's review against another edition

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4.0

You can see a clear progression from Ash to Huntress, as the author had to compromise a lot less with the story she wanted to tell (thanks to Ash being surprisingly successful). Enjoyable.

peytonjc's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

emily_stapylton's review against another edition

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3.0

Good book however rhr ending ended suddenly and I felt like the last few chapters were rushed. Also we never found out what gapped to them after there journey like did con and shay ened up together? Did Katie marry?

stephxsu's review against another edition

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3.0

Malinda Lo’s beautifully written debut novel, Ash, was one of my favorite books of 2009, and I awaited the release of HUNTRESS with trembling anticipation. HUNTRESS turned out a little differently than I had hoped, but it was still a book that had me reading with bated breath and tearing up at the end.

The strongest part of HUNTRESS is, in my opinion, the romance between Taisin and Kaede. Their romance starts out hesitatingly: both girls are scared to acknowledge their growing feelings for each other. As the story progresses, however, their romance blossoms into an innocent and utterly beautiful thing, what they aptly describe as a warm gift in the middle of all their danger and worry. Taisin and Kaede’s relationship really makes you believe in the power of love without taking it over the edge and into unbelievability.

HUNTRESS is told in a sort of old-fashioned fairy tale narrative style, which employs omniscient third-person narration. The constant shirt in point of view may be a bit jarring, but it’s not wrong, especially considering the fact that books written in the nineteenth century used this literary technique all the time. However, I think it did contribute to my feeling of distance from most of the characters. I wanted more from all the characters: the constant switches in POV made it so that there didn’t seem to be a particular main character, and as a result everyone felt like a supporting character, with the potential for but not the actuality of depth.

Overall, however, HUNTRESS was a wonder-inducing fantasy read that spans time and distance. Don’t miss it particularly if you were a fan of ASH.

jayraams's review against another edition

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4.0

I really enjoyed the book Ash so had high hopes for this book. Huntress is better than I expected. Its characters all have individual personalities which made it sad when some died. Kaede and Taisin's relationship is beautiful and although the ending is sad. I highly recommend you read this, if you like slow burns wholesome fantasy.

juicygreenmom's review

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adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

3.75

browniydgrl1's review against another edition

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4.0

I really liked the world that Malinda Lo built in Huntress. I appreciated the Japanese and Chinese influence. I liked the contrast of the human world versus the fay world and also the concept around the energy in the world as a whole.
The story overall was very interesting. The magic, mystery, and romance kept me reading. But it also felt incomplete. There were many things that made me want more. It seemed like there were some things that were touched upon but needed more development. It was almost like I could feel that there was so much more under the surface but I was only getting a glimpse.
My copy of Huntress include the short story The Fox. It only increased my frustration with the way our two female main characters left their relationship in the end. The Fox was a good continuation and gave more insight into Kaede's struggle.
I would love to see more of this world and these characters. I think there is a lot more to tell about Taisin and Kaede.
SpoilerPerhaps a continuation of the series beginning after The Fox, could tell of the way they save the world again because they are stronger together. Each of their skills and gifts have developed more over the time that they were apart they balance each other better than ever. Perhaps Taisin could renounce her mark like Mona and become a powerful greenwitch instead.
It was a good story, worth reading, but afterwards my mind wanted to carry it on further and fill in what I felt was missing. I think Malinda Lo was really onto something here and I hope she will dig in deeper
Spoilerand keep Taisin and Kaede together strengthening each other with their love not painting it like a weakness as they are taught at the academy.

antlerlad's review

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adventurous dark hopeful reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

missbookiverse's review against another edition

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3.0

Liebes Huntress,
du bist schön, abenteuerlustig und mutig, so wie es sich für eine Jägerin gehört (na ja, gut, „schön“ müssen Jägerinnen jetzt nicht unbedingt sein, aber ich stelle sie mir gern wie wilde Schönheiten vor). Vor allem die zauberhaften Worte deines Prologs haben es mir angetan. Sie sind so gut gewählt, dass ich sie nicht nur vor Augen sondern auch in den Ohren hatte.

Deine Nationalität ist definitiv eine Seltenheit im YA-Genre. Nicht viele berichten so unaufdringlich und interessant von der asiatischen Kultur. All deine Figuren sollen ein asiatisches Aussehen haben, aber das hast du mir niemals durch wiederholtes Beteuern in den Kopf gepresst. Das wäre mir ohne das Cover vielleicht nicht mal aufgefallen. Auch wenn ich kaum sagen könnte, welche Bräuche oder Mythen dem asiatischen Raum entspringen, haben sie mir allesamt sehr gefallen, z.B. der Brauch einem Selbstmörder einen Stein in den Mund zu legen, damit er als Menschen-heimsuchender Geist nicht sprechen kann.

Obwohl ich mich beim Lesen nie gelangweilt habe, muss ich gestehen, dass du eine gewisse Distanz zu mir nie überwunden hast. Durch deinen auktorialen Schreibstil hast du mich nicht richtig an dich rangelassen, ganz zu schweigen von deinen Protagonistinnen Taisin und Kaede. Über ihre Gefühle und Handlungen hast du so sprunghaft berichtet, dass ich immer wieder ein paar Sätze zurückblicken musste, um herauszufinden, über wen du gerade redest. Es wäre schön, wenn du dich wenigstens ein Kapitel lang nur auf eine der beiden beschränkt hättest.

Das Gleiche, was ich schon an deiner Schwester Ash loben musste, kann ich auch dir gutheißen: du gehst mit Homosexualität ganz selbstverständlich um. Homophobie existiert einfach nicht. Ein erfrischender Wunschtraum.

Leider mussten wir am Ende ein bisschen zerstritten auseinandergehen. Das große Finale hast du viel zu schnell abgehandelt.
SpoilerIch mochte die Idee, dass Taisin Kaedes Körper mitbesetzen kann, aber der Kampf gegen Elowen ging viel zu schnell und unspektakulär von statten. Ich glaube, das ist dir auch aufgefallen, deshalb hast du – nachdem der große Auftrag erfüllt war, dem das ganze Buch über entgegengereist wird – noch schnell eine zweite Mission nachgeschoben. Theoretisch hätte die ein ganzes eigenes Buch einnehmen können, aber da nur noch 40 Seiten übrig waren, hast du sie halt auch noch schnell abgehandelt. Fand ich jetzt nicht so toll.
Insgesamt muss ich zugeben, dass ich dich trotzdem viel lieber mag als Ash. Du bist nämlich um Längen origineller. Außerdem hast du eine ganz tolle Landkarte im Buchdeckel und es hat mir richtig viel Spaß gemacht die Reise der Figuren auf ihr nachzuverfolgen.


In bester Freundschaft,
Infinite Playlist

PS. Eine Frage hätte ich noch: was ist eigentlich aus dem Medaillon geworden?