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zeezeemama11's review against another edition
4.0
I read this on a recommendation and was delightfully surprised to discover a new author i now admire. An extremely unique and strong character which has an appropriate ending for the way in which the book was written. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone and now will begin to explore her other novels
rachel_abby_reads's review
4.0
He doesn't remember anything before Damall Island. The only person who ever showed him friendship was Griff, who taught him to swim when the Damall would have let him drown. Over time, he begins to know: he will be the seventh Damall. He can lead boys, he can command respect, he can do it. And he can always trust Griff.
When he and Griff eventually leave the island because it's clear that the Damall had not truly thought to make him the seventh Damall, he takes the name of Oriel. He doesn't know what or who he was - but he's sure great and good things wait for him.
This has been my favorite of the series. It's as much about survival of evil circumstance as the two previous books have been, but it has unexpected turns. I'll keep going.
When he and Griff eventually leave the island because it's clear that the Damall had not truly thought to make him the seventh Damall, he takes the name of Oriel. He doesn't know what or who he was - but he's sure great and good things wait for him.
This has been my favorite of the series. It's as much about survival of evil circumstance as the two previous books have been, but it has unexpected turns. I'll keep going.
margaret_j_c's review
3.0
It wasn't that this book was insufferable, just that I suffered while reading it.
The main character died after about 450 pages, and from then on the book was much better. I admit, I am thoroughly disappointed with the series as a whole, given that Elske is so brilliant and breathtaking. Voigt gambled on her style and she lost, and I'm still not sure why.
The main character died after about 450 pages, and from then on the book was much better. I admit, I am thoroughly disappointed with the series as a whole, given that Elske is so brilliant and breathtaking. Voigt gambled on her style and she lost, and I'm still not sure why.
l1dka's review against another edition
4.0
You know that thing where you pick up a book, take it home because the cover is cool, start reading and enjoying it, and then find out its part of a series and wonder "would I have liked this book so mush more if I had read the series in order?" I don't know the answer to that, I'm still wondering. I loved Oriel, that's the reason for the 4-star. The writing style itself kind of made my eyes wander across the page and not want to pay attention to what was going on........ would've liked it more if it was different, but I'm glad I read the book.
octavia_cade's review against another edition
2.0
The worst of the series thus far, which is disappointing given that said series began so strongly with Jackaroo. Look, Voigt's writing is as good as ever here: she's talented at putting words together and I enjoy her style, and in all honesty it has to be said that this book ended very strongly. Not strongly enough, however, to counteract the protagonist, who was horribly off-putting - something not helped by the fact that the text was determined to batter me over the head with his apparent wonderfulness. While he had a few good points, they were consistently overshadowed: Oriel is one of those personalities that counts loyalty as a good... but only when directed towards other men. Every women he meets he fucks over, willingly and emotionlessly, and I seethed through most of the book, hoping beyond hope that someone would kill this unpleasant little prick in order to put him out of my misery. Well, what do you know? :)
Griff, on the other hand, is eventually a decent character - but he's essentially a cipher until the last 50 odd pages, where he suddenly becomes so thoughtfully interesting I'm even more annoyed he wasn't the main character all along. I strongly suspect, to be honest, that Voigt is making a deliberate commentary on trauma and heroism, showing that a life dedicated to stepping on others to get to the top and general violence isn't the recipe for a happy ending, but though I admire that approach and see the point of it I hate the protagonist too much to care. Perhaps if the book had been better balanced between the two of them, but it wasn't.
I'd never read Voigt before this series, but she's so much more interesting when writing women. Her main male characters - Orien in book 2 and Oriel here - are puffed up by narrative beyond all their deserts, while the women are more thoughtfully managed - at least when out of the orbit of their so-called romantic interests.
Griff, on the other hand, is eventually a decent character - but he's essentially a cipher until the last 50 odd pages, where he suddenly becomes so thoughtfully interesting I'm even more annoyed he wasn't the main character all along. I strongly suspect, to be honest, that Voigt is making a deliberate commentary on trauma and heroism, showing that a life dedicated to stepping on others to get to the top and general violence isn't the recipe for a happy ending, but though I admire that approach and see the point of it I hate the protagonist too much to care. Perhaps if the book had been better balanced between the two of them, but it wasn't.
I'd never read Voigt before this series, but she's so much more interesting when writing women. Her main male characters - Orien in book 2 and Oriel here - are puffed up by narrative beyond all their deserts, while the women are more thoughtfully managed - at least when out of the orbit of their so-called romantic interests.
sunyidean's review against another edition
5.0
Fantasy books get a lot of flack from "established" literature. Children or young adult fantasy books get ignored by adult fantasy readers. So between the two, I guess it's not surprising to find that this book is an undiscovered gem. But I urge anyone who has a few hours and spare 99p or whatever ridiculously cheap cost it is on amazon, to pick this book up and give it a try.
It's hard to pinpoint exactly what makes it so good, possibly because it conveys different things to different people. To me, I see a lot of is as an analogy for morality - moral codes, justice, love, selfishness; about growing up and understanding these things, about making the right decisions and becoming a good person in the face of a corrupt and terrible world. I guess that really appeals to me. Other people I know whom I've made to read it all had different interpretations or things they focused on, although they all enjoyed it just as much.
Ostensibly, WoaF is about a couple of kids who grow up in what is basically slavery and cruelty, escape, and keep going. There is no magic, all sword and no sorcery so to speak; there is no epic quest, save that of survival and endurance; there is nothing you will expect, and an ending that will surprise and touch you. But despite that, it IS magical, and it IS epic in its own right.
The supposed hero, Oriel, is a (somewhat ironic) example of the perfect hero; a force of nature who succeeds at everything he touches, who inspires everyone he meets. But to be honest, I actually think the hero of the book is Griff, his quiet companion/follower, who also escapes with Oriel and follows him from one adventure and conquest to the next. Griff is no leader among men, but he has an unshakable sense of morality, and never once makes the 'wrong' decision about anything. But for Griff, Oriel could easily have become a villian; his only interest is in being the best in a given situation, and he often aims towards that irrespective of the people who get hurt in the process. From Griff, Oriel learns to be a good person; from Oriel, Griff learns to be a strong person; and from Beryl, the third (and lately introduced) protagonist, both boys learn about love and sacrifice.
There are actually a lot of themes which some adults find upsetting, particularly the relationships between Oriel, Griff, and the two women characters. Rather than go into details or spoil things, I would remind readers that Cynthia Voigt is an avid feminist, and (in my opinion) her portrayal of Beryl and Merlis is designed to provoke and challenge (both the fantasy world she has made as well as the reader's assumptions about Oriel's character) rather than to blandly offend. As I've said before... (SPOILER ALERT)... Oriel isn't truly heroic, and his actions in regards to both women underscore that more than anything else in the book. Whether or not he gets redeemed - well, you'll have to read to find out.
A lot of so-called "children's books" are books designed to 'trick' kids who don't want to read, into reading. This book is NOT that. This book is for children who DO want to read, and for that reason I suspect it probably isn't very popular among a lot of younger readers, certainly when compared to the other 3 books in the series, which are comparatively a lot simpler, and definitely more kid-like. It is also likely to get missed over by adults, who will just see "a kid's book" and not give it a try, but actually it has a LOT going for adult readers.
In short, if you like Harry Potter and not much else, you won't like this book either.
If you like Gene Wolfe's writing and aren't too proud to read a young adult's book, you will probably find something to enjoy.
If you like Ursula LeGuin, you'll probably also enjoy this book; it's that same kind of distant, epic-style narrative with an emphasis on heavy characterisation and character development.
If you like this review you might like the book =) If you think I'm an arrogant twit then you probably won't ;)
It's hard to pinpoint exactly what makes it so good, possibly because it conveys different things to different people. To me, I see a lot of is as an analogy for morality - moral codes, justice, love, selfishness; about growing up and understanding these things, about making the right decisions and becoming a good person in the face of a corrupt and terrible world. I guess that really appeals to me. Other people I know whom I've made to read it all had different interpretations or things they focused on, although they all enjoyed it just as much.
Ostensibly, WoaF is about a couple of kids who grow up in what is basically slavery and cruelty, escape, and keep going. There is no magic, all sword and no sorcery so to speak; there is no epic quest, save that of survival and endurance; there is nothing you will expect, and an ending that will surprise and touch you. But despite that, it IS magical, and it IS epic in its own right.
The supposed hero, Oriel, is a (somewhat ironic) example of the perfect hero; a force of nature who succeeds at everything he touches, who inspires everyone he meets. But to be honest, I actually think the hero of the book is Griff, his quiet companion/follower, who also escapes with Oriel and follows him from one adventure and conquest to the next. Griff is no leader among men, but he has an unshakable sense of morality, and never once makes the 'wrong' decision about anything. But for Griff, Oriel could easily have become a villian; his only interest is in being the best in a given situation, and he often aims towards that irrespective of the people who get hurt in the process. From Griff, Oriel learns to be a good person; from Oriel, Griff learns to be a strong person; and from Beryl, the third (and lately introduced) protagonist, both boys learn about love and sacrifice.
There are actually a lot of themes which some adults find upsetting, particularly the relationships between Oriel, Griff, and the two women characters. Rather than go into details or spoil things, I would remind readers that Cynthia Voigt is an avid feminist, and (in my opinion) her portrayal of Beryl and Merlis is designed to provoke and challenge (both the fantasy world she has made as well as the reader's assumptions about Oriel's character) rather than to blandly offend. As I've said before... (SPOILER ALERT)... Oriel isn't truly heroic, and his actions in regards to both women underscore that more than anything else in the book. Whether or not he gets redeemed - well, you'll have to read to find out.
A lot of so-called "children's books" are books designed to 'trick' kids who don't want to read, into reading. This book is NOT that. This book is for children who DO want to read, and for that reason I suspect it probably isn't very popular among a lot of younger readers, certainly when compared to the other 3 books in the series, which are comparatively a lot simpler, and definitely more kid-like. It is also likely to get missed over by adults, who will just see "a kid's book" and not give it a try, but actually it has a LOT going for adult readers.
In short, if you like Harry Potter and not much else, you won't like this book either.
If you like Gene Wolfe's writing and aren't too proud to read a young adult's book, you will probably find something to enjoy.
If you like Ursula LeGuin, you'll probably also enjoy this book; it's that same kind of distant, epic-style narrative with an emphasis on heavy characterisation and character development.
If you like this review you might like the book =) If you think I'm an arrogant twit then you probably won't ;)
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