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sadfishfella's review
This was mislabeled IMO. This is not fantasy in the traditional sense of the word, but rather fantasy in that this is like a fan fic for a historical figure. I spent a lot of time trying to make sense of the lexicon and other language specific to the 7th century that made reading this book not fun or engaging. The cover is stunning which was why I was intrigued at first. End of the day, I’m not particularly interested in reading about the introduction of Christianity to England. 🤷
savaging's review
5.0
When I picked up this book I was shocked. I have been reading clever artifices, but here is something that seems to have grown right out of the earth. I was delighted to live in the sensory realms of 7th century Britain for hundreds of pages, learning how small and strange it was, how brutal and bountiful.
Also at the end I ask myself: was this a plot? Did a narrative arc happen?
I give it 5 stars because it's a creaturely book, and that's rare. It carries a steady awareness of the more-than-human world on every page.
Also at the end I ask myself: was this a plot? Did a narrative arc happen?
I give it 5 stars because it's a creaturely book, and that's rare. It carries a steady awareness of the more-than-human world on every page.
etyines's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
took me two months to read this dense comprehensive flowery and verbose behemoth!!
wala ako nagets but somehow... i ended up liking it! (hence no star rating muna kasi di ko alam talaga)
will probs re-read when i'm smarter BUT idk when that will be
wala ako nagets but somehow... i ended up liking it! (hence no star rating muna kasi di ko alam talaga)
will probs re-read when i'm smarter BUT idk when that will be
arcali's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I spent a lot of this book having mixed feelings about it. I'm super interested in the time period it's set in (~7th century Anglo Saxon Britain), and I loved finding out the details in it, particularly the focus on the way the women's side of the society functioned with it's formal friendship/work pairings. It really made me want to try out tablet weaving!
It starts when Hild is just three years old, and having a three year old myself, I didn't find the depiction very believable to be honest - she acted as if she was a few years older in my opinion. And to begin with, she seems like she's perfect and can do no wrong. That changes as she grows up, and finds herself in quite a lonely, dangerous place as the king's seer. I realised that the early depiction of her being perfect might have been her own childish perception which made me view it in a different light.
The downsides I found to the book are that it's dense. It's really dense, with a lot of similarly named characters and hard to follow/remember political maneouvering. It also meanders a lot - there wasn't really a clear structure that I could see. I think, in retrospect, it would have been better to read this in physical format rather than ebook - much easier to flip to the map, the family tree or the glossary to check details, or even just flip back a few chapters to remember who a particular character was. I also think it was better when I had time to sit down and read a big chunk at a time, rather than short reading sessions as it was easier to get into the groove of it.
That all said, I found myself enjoying it more and more by the end, and I would like to know what happens next. I think I will probably pick up Menewood, the sequel, at some point. Just... after a break with something easier first!
It starts when Hild is just three years old, and having a three year old myself, I didn't find the depiction very believable to be honest - she acted as if she was a few years older in my opinion. And to begin with, she seems like she's perfect and can do no wrong. That changes as she grows up, and finds herself in quite a lonely, dangerous place as the king's seer. I realised that the early depiction of her being perfect might have been her own childish perception which made me view it in a different light.
The downsides I found to the book are that it's dense. It's really dense, with a lot of similarly named characters and hard to follow/remember political maneouvering. It also meanders a lot - there wasn't really a clear structure that I could see. I think, in retrospect, it would have been better to read this in physical format rather than ebook - much easier to flip to the map, the family tree or the glossary to check details, or even just flip back a few chapters to remember who a particular character was. I also think it was better when I had time to sit down and read a big chunk at a time, rather than short reading sessions as it was easier to get into the groove of it.
That all said, I found myself enjoying it more and more by the end, and I would like to know what happens next. I think I will probably pick up Menewood, the sequel, at some point. Just... after a break with something easier first!
kelwir's review
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Some parts had me hooked, other parts had me struggling to follow along. It was not my favorite read by any means.
dolanite's review
Got 75% through, just wasn’t really enjoying it to be willing to listen for another 5 hours…
hufflepuffinthelibrary's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
cashewenemy's review
worldbuilding was a 10/10, but that was almost the problem. i felt like i had no sense of who hild was as a character, so i just lost interest after a while
ace_of_hats's review
adventurous
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0