Scan barcode
A review by kanissa
Black Trillium by Marion Zimmer Bradley
2.0
Back when I originally read these books, in the late 90s, this was my favorite series ever. I can't recall exactly what drew me to it, but if I had to guess, it was the fact that there was not ONE heroine, but THREE! Teenage princesses with magical abilities, what more could I ask for?
However, 15 years later, it doesn't hold up. I found the plot to be dull and thoroughly un-suspenseful. (Is that a word? It is now.) At no point in the story do you think the princesses might fail. Sure, each of the three has "trials" in her quest, but not once do the challenges seem insurmountable. Not only that, but the quests are lame. Each is a variation on "travel a bit, face an enemy, get a magical talisman", yet none of the enemies are really all that frightening. The characters are incredibly trite: Intelligent scholar who's haughty! Firey redhead who wants to kill all the bad guys! Shy and frightened youngest sister with a big heart! Also, the girls are supposed to grow and mature during their quest, but that seemingly comes from nowhere. At the start of the novel, they're all completely unlikable, and by the end, suddenly they've realized what jerks they've been and BAM! everyone's better. Peace, love, and happiness for all.
Now, I am all for having female protagonists - after all, I do have 2 X chromosomes - but please, for the love of Gloria Steinem, can we make them well-rounded and complex characters?
On the positive side, it's an interesting world concept. And the story is well-written. The three authors are blended fantastically. If you didn't know it had three authors, you'd never guess.
However, 15 years later, it doesn't hold up. I found the plot to be dull and thoroughly un-suspenseful. (Is that a word? It is now.) At no point in the story do you think the princesses might fail. Sure, each of the three has "trials" in her quest, but not once do the challenges seem insurmountable. Not only that, but the quests are lame. Each is a variation on "travel a bit, face an enemy, get a magical talisman", yet none of the enemies are really all that frightening. The characters are incredibly trite: Intelligent scholar who's haughty! Firey redhead who wants to kill all the bad guys! Shy and frightened youngest sister with a big heart! Also, the girls are supposed to grow and mature during their quest, but that seemingly comes from nowhere. At the start of the novel, they're all completely unlikable, and by the end, suddenly they've realized what jerks they've been and BAM! everyone's better. Peace, love, and happiness for all.
Now, I am all for having female protagonists - after all, I do have 2 X chromosomes - but please, for the love of Gloria Steinem, can we make them well-rounded and complex characters?
On the positive side, it's an interesting world concept. And the story is well-written. The three authors are blended fantastically. If you didn't know it had three authors, you'd never guess.