Reviews with content warning for Death - The Faerie Hounds of York

Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Faerie Hounds of York by Arden Powell

7 reviews

vezreads's review against another edition

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dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

A weird little genre defying romp. I really loved it.

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chris_reads's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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strange_little_ranger's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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galleytrot's review

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Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

READ: Apr 2023

FORMAT: Digital

BRIEF SUMMARY:

In this historical fantasy/romance set in the year 1810, Loxley awakens far from his London home in the heather moors of Yorkshire, guarded by a stranger and trapped in a faerie ring with no memory of the circumstances leading up to his predicament. Thorncress, the man watching over him, is able to break him free of the ring and guide him back to his lodgings, but can’t shed much of a light on his missing memories or the strange presence haunting Loxley’s dreams. Together, they strike out to find out what they can about the nature of the curse or enchantment that has such a strong hold over Loxley, and hopefully a way to break it.

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 4 / 5⭐

My biggest complaint about this book, and I’ll get it out up front, is that there was not more of it. I think this book would have benefited from spending more time with our main characters – with us learning more about them, with them learning more about each other – so that we could better appreciate the growth of their connection to one another, which I’d say moves into “I love you” territory over too short a time span and with too little evidence for my particular liking. It also might have been neat to see some sort of epilogue; not because I need to see their story reach any conclusion past the book’s end, but more because there is so much more they could experience in the meantime which I’d love to read about.

Loxley and Thorncress both are short on friends and family, having lost parents and sibling to circumstance and tragedy. Loxley has spent his time in London as a scholar, and Thorncress has spent many years wandering the wilds of the countryside, intent on his personal goals and never seeking out much in the way of company. They are both lonely, and they can find solace and understanding in one another, even beyond the constant threat the Fair Folk present.

TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: 4.5 / 5⭐

This story was beautifully written, by my standards. It was visually compelling in its language and descriptions, it consistently nailed the tone and the mood it was aiming for, and I never felt the need to put it down or take a break from it. Powell committed to taking the story in a direction I neither expected nor wanted, but I am grateful for that commitment. I had a feeling this book was going to be different from what I typically seek out, and boy was I correct. It was refreshing, novel, and appreciated.

FINAL THOUGHTS - OVERALL: 4.25 / 5⭐

This story is wonderful and I do recommend it. It’s not overly insufferable, preachy, or tedious about faerie myth or lore, which can happen frequently in fantasies. It’s an emotional book, and the ending isn’t necessarily a happy or conclusive one, but it is compelling and hopeful and emotional and wonderful all the same.

This book has representation for gays. One of the main characters is Roma in descent.

The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail.

This book contains: grotesque depictions of faerie forms; implication of infants being dragged to faerie, presumably to die (changeling myth); death, past deaths of parents by various causes; blood, injuries (iron burns, bites, clawing); homophobic laws; use of the term “Gypsy,” mentions of racial prejudices against Romani peoples; and, grief and loss leading to a lack of desire to survive.

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unicornsbookshelf's review

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

4.5

Arden Powell is paying for my therapy.

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kr_gr's review

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dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

It's quite a nice read. Really sucks you into the entire world. Plus I'm a sucker for KIND protagonists, even if they might be a little weak, or sometimes foolish.
I'm still not entirely sure about the way it ended. Mind you, I don't think I have any concrete idea of what I would have preferred more (need to let the whole story simmer for a bit I suppose).

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sillychicken's review

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adventurous dark emotional relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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