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scholarly_pigeon's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
Moderate: War and Death of parent
ailsaod's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Reread. I remembered really enjoying this book as a teenager but couldn't recall how it ended so I dug it out from its dusty pile and eagerly began. It turns out I only remembered the first half - which can be roughly summed up as 'local princess is mockingly called a dragon slayer for dealing with the reptilian pest problem and proceeds to become a proper dragon slayer out of spite' - and this I enjoyed immensely! It is unfortunate that the dragons were evil but I will accept it because I think it was done well.
I really like Aerin and while I suppose she could be held up as an early example of the 'not like the other girls' trope she does so in a way that doesn't grate and is also a bit of an idiot at times so she is in no danger of becoming a Mary-Sue. When people talk about stories being 'empowering' I usually get a bit put off but I really get it with this story - which is funny because this book was published almost 40 years ago and somehow its doing a better job (at least for me) than a lot of the media setting out with the same goals today. Also the lack of an arranged marriage subplot as is very common in this setting was really appreciated! Aerin is somewhere in her mid twenties (I think?) before she even thinks of marriage and no one ever even mentions it which while historically inaccurate was refreshing!
I really like Aerin and while I suppose she could be held up as an early example of the 'not like the other girls' trope she does so in a way that doesn't grate and is also a bit of an idiot at times so she is in no danger of becoming a Mary-Sue. When people talk about stories being 'empowering' I usually get a bit put off but I really get it with this story - which is funny because this book was published almost 40 years ago and somehow its doing a better job (at least for me) than a lot of the media setting out with the same goals today. Also the lack of an arranged marriage subplot as is very common in this setting was really appreciated! Aerin is somewhere in her mid twenties (I think?) before she even thinks of marriage and no one ever even mentions it which while historically inaccurate was refreshing!
Another great thing is Talat, Aerin's horse. He is one of the best horse characters I've come across. I don't know a lot about horses and I suspect that much of the things about him wouldn't work in real life but he is a highlight of this book.
Unfortunately, all I have said so far only holds for the first half of the book. I think that if the book ended shortly after the halfway point, though it would have been unsatisfying, I would have given this book five stars. If I reread this book in the future I will skip the second half because it was disappointing! After the turning point (Aerin getting dunked in the Lake of Dreams and becoming immortal - which opened a WHOLE can of worms that didn't need to be opened) the style of the story changes a lot. Before if Aerin did something there would be a clear, sensible consequence but after the turning point it feels trippy: events happen for no discernable reason, characters act purely on weird instincts and actions have seemingly arbitrary consequences. I suppose this makes sense if you view it as Aerin adjusting to the whole immortality thing and I guess the author was trying to get it to read like a fairytale but after how good the first half was it was a real let down. The other problem was the introduction of a love triangle - at this point in the story Tor has been clearly smitten with Aerin for some years (to everyone except her) and while I usually spend romance scenes in books wailing I actually quite enjoyed seeing them interact and was invested in them ending up together. Then Luthe is introduced - this random immortal guy who is implied to be hundreds (or maybe thousands) of years old who just swans in and sweeps her off her feet. I find I am unable to explain quite why but I really hated Luthe. He disses her family a lot and while this is mainly on the grounds of how stupid everyone is to judge her for being 1. a woman and 2. the daughter of a foreigner/suspected witch he does revel in his wokeness to an extent that is grating and he is also embarrassingly jealous of Tor despite there being nothing happening between him and Aerin at this point. Every scene he was in/mentioned in (which is most of the second half of the book) was annoying. I can't stand love triangles (or Luthe) and the resolution of the love triangle was not great?
Tl;dr: I think I would recommend this book for the first half alone (and to be honest other people probably won't be as bothered by what I didn't like). The second half alone I would have rated maybe 2 or 3 stars but I have decided to just pretend it doesn't exist. Luthe who?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness
Minor: Misogyny
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