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A review by lillist
The Voyages of Trueblood Cay by Suanne Laqueur
5.0
5 Stars - Utterly beautiful
Content warning: murder, child abuse, rape, physical violence. There is plenty of seriously dark stuff.
What a beautiful book this is. First of all there's the writing, that is just utterly beautiful, poetic, full of truth. I haven't read writing so lovely for quite a while and it brought me so much joy.
Then the worldbuilding and the world itself just made me happy. Suanne Laqueur has brought together parts of different mythologies and combined them to create a whole, complex culture, including a unique language (based on Esperanto, which I just love!) to create a world you want to immerse yourself into and never leave again. There's a tree of life, there are gods that make stupid mistakes, there are all sorts of horsefolk.
The story I loved - it's a modern take on a legend or tale in that there is a prophecy, a destiny, a fated love. But there is so much more to it than a formulaic checking off of all of the plot elements the genre would require. The different elements of the story come together so beautifully and I am in awe of just how well constucted the plot was. Laqueur is also cares about the characters that are destined to become more than they ever intended. She cares about them deeply and we understand that fate can ask a lot and maybe too much and that it hurts. But they persist, and, if I may spoil a tiny bit: all will be (pretty) well in the end and that is how such a story should end indeed.
Which brings me to the next point: the characters! Good grief, I find it really hard to put into words just how WONDERFUL they all were. Some of them really are put through the wringer and they become damaged, and badly so. But still, they stay honest, vulnerable, open. While reading this I kept thinking that Laqueur captured just so well how being the best version of yourself is really the only way to go. Don't be petty, don't be a jerk, if you like someone, open up to that person, be vulnerable. And it will reward you with true, meaningful relationships. Big love, but also real friendship, honest companionship. You know a book is special when it inspires you to want to be a better person.
Honestly, the longer I kept reading, the more I wanted this book to never, ever end. This ist most definitely one of the best books of the year for me, and it is likely that I will reread. (Which happens very rarely these days.)
If you even remotely like Fantasy (and even if you don't) this is very, very heartily recommended.
I have received a review copy via NetGalley and voluntarily provide my honest opinion. Thank you very much!
Content warning: murder, child abuse, rape, physical violence. There is plenty of seriously dark stuff.
What a beautiful book this is. First of all there's the writing, that is just utterly beautiful, poetic, full of truth. I haven't read writing so lovely for quite a while and it brought me so much joy.
Then the worldbuilding and the world itself just made me happy. Suanne Laqueur has brought together parts of different mythologies and combined them to create a whole, complex culture, including a unique language (based on Esperanto, which I just love!) to create a world you want to immerse yourself into and never leave again. There's a tree of life, there are gods that make stupid mistakes, there are all sorts of horsefolk.
The story I loved - it's a modern take on a legend or tale in that there is a prophecy, a destiny, a fated love. But there is so much more to it than a formulaic checking off of all of the plot elements the genre would require. The different elements of the story come together so beautifully and I am in awe of just how well constucted the plot was. Laqueur is also cares about the characters that are destined to become more than they ever intended. She cares about them deeply and we understand that fate can ask a lot and maybe too much and that it hurts. But they persist, and, if I may spoil a tiny bit: all will be (pretty) well in the end and that is how such a story should end indeed.
Which brings me to the next point: the characters! Good grief, I find it really hard to put into words just how WONDERFUL they all were. Some of them really are put through the wringer and they become damaged, and badly so. But still, they stay honest, vulnerable, open. While reading this I kept thinking that Laqueur captured just so well how being the best version of yourself is really the only way to go. Don't be petty, don't be a jerk, if you like someone, open up to that person, be vulnerable. And it will reward you with true, meaningful relationships. Big love, but also real friendship, honest companionship. You know a book is special when it inspires you to want to be a better person.
Honestly, the longer I kept reading, the more I wanted this book to never, ever end. This ist most definitely one of the best books of the year for me, and it is likely that I will reread. (Which happens very rarely these days.)
If you even remotely like Fantasy (and even if you don't) this is very, very heartily recommended.
I have received a review copy via NetGalley and voluntarily provide my honest opinion. Thank you very much!