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rai's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Violence, and War
matoyak's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Incest
Moderate: Violence
mishkabear's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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
3.5
This book is a charming sword and sorcery epic fantasy fraught with rich world-building, reincarnating characters, and artful magic. This first installment of the extensive Deverry Cycle introduces us to a Celtic myth-inspired world shown to the reader from the perspective of several of the many characters you'll meet along the way--more than once as they're reincarnated in different ages.
Far in the past, a naïve young prince unwittingly ruins and/or ends the lives of his beloved, best friend, and many loved ones while on a quest to study magic. In an attempt to atone, he swears to the gods that he will put it all right. And so centuries later, he finds himself still alive and working to guide the reincarnations of his loved ones to better futures.
I really enjoyed the poetic writing style of Katharine Kerr. She does an excellent job of immediately immersing the reader into the lush culture of the world. This does, unfortunately, include some themes that many will find uncomfortable--namely harsh gender inequality, blasé domestic violence, suicide, and graphic incest. Depictions of the magic used in the story are colorful yet imprecise, formulaic but without specific variables, which is how I prefer magics. The many, many characters in the book are described vividly, but there are so many of them and half of them are reincarnations, it can get a little confusing to recall who is who. I would definitely recommend keeping little notes to help keep things straight. I didn't care for the slower pace of the book. I'm personally very sensitive to pacing and felt that multiple parts of the book were unnecessarily slow--or it felt like the story was ending, but it just kept going.
Overall, I enjoyed this book more than I was expecting, but I'm not sure I enjoyed it enough to continue the saga. If you like the slower pace and meticulous intricacies of epic fantasies, this book may be for you. Just be sure to check the content warnings before diving in!
Far in the past, a naïve young prince unwittingly ruins and/or ends the lives of his beloved, best friend, and many loved ones while on a quest to study magic. In an attempt to atone, he swears to the gods that he will put it all right. And so centuries later, he finds himself still alive and working to guide the reincarnations of his loved ones to better futures.
I really enjoyed the poetic writing style of Katharine Kerr. She does an excellent job of immediately immersing the reader into the lush culture of the world. This does, unfortunately, include some themes that many will find uncomfortable--namely harsh gender inequality, blasé domestic violence, suicide, and graphic incest. Depictions of the magic used in the story are colorful yet imprecise, formulaic but without specific variables, which is how I prefer magics. The many, many characters in the book are described vividly, but there are so many of them and half of them are reincarnations, it can get a little confusing to recall who is who. I would definitely recommend keeping little notes to help keep things straight. I didn't care for the slower pace of the book. I'm personally very sensitive to pacing and felt that multiple parts of the book were unnecessarily slow--or it felt like the story was ending, but it just kept going.
Overall, I enjoyed this book more than I was expecting, but I'm not sure I enjoyed it enough to continue the saga. If you like the slower pace and meticulous intricacies of epic fantasies, this book may be for you. Just be sure to check the content warnings before diving in!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Domestic abuse, and Incest
Moderate: War, Suicide, and Violence
honeycomb_system's review against another edition
4.5
Book is a a 5, narrator is a 4. Sometimes I wondered if she’d read the pronunciation guide that’s in the print version.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest, Suicide, Violence, and War
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