Well, that's quite a feat!

Mara's Reading Challenge (2016-2024)
#201
Posted 02 December 2024 - 01:01 AM
#202
Posted 02 December 2024 - 01:37 AM
This book contains many of my favorite storytelling elements, and it does a good job representing the mercurial (yet narrative) nature of the fae — although the book falls short of capturing true otherness the way Frances Hardinge does in Unraveller. (In particular, Fawcett's night-market is a pale imitation of Hardinge's, which is utterly, dangerously alien, with much higher stakes). Comparisons aside, I love the wintry charm of The Encyclopedia of Faeries, which is overflowing with nostalgia for the "great explorer" era of British academia. The setting is atmospheric, the side characters are cute, and chapter footnotes are a great touch. The two main characters, Emily Wilde and Wendell Bambleby, are extremely distinct — which is both a blessing and a curse. They're that special kind of couple where each half is insufferable individually, but when you put them together, they manage to form one fully-functional entity. If I have one major complaint about this book, it's that both protagonists had moments where they were exhaustingly over-the-top. Emily in particular suffers from this. She isn't just socially clueless — she's callous, rude, and unobservant, and her hostility grows more frustrating as the novel progresses. Wendell's primadonna behavior is amusing more often than not and so feels less disruptive. Toning them down like 10% and introducing a little more subtlety into the writing would've done wonders for the story, I think. Still, I'm excited to see what fate has in store for them next.
3.5 Stars .
Points to Fawcett for understanding that dryads are the best and that plant magic is extremely sexy. I like trees, sue me
~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =
#203
Posted 02 December 2024 - 01:55 PM
And I totally agree that dryads are awesome and plant magic is very very sexy.

#204
Posted 03 December 2024 - 07:40 AM
Map of the Otherlands is a lovely little book that improves upon its predecessor in both characterization and style. Emily's rough edges are sanded down a tiny bit, and she really shines when she's taking action rather than pontificating at the reader. The relationship between Emily and Wendell feels warm and natural, and the increased dialogue makes their rapport more apparent. Wendell's evil stepmother proved to be far more interesting than expected, even though she was only on screen for a couple of pages — I hope we get to see more of her in the next book. Emily's niece Ariadne was the only character who fell short for me; she's pretty one-dimensional, and her relationship with her aunt felt like an afterthought. Other than some minor pacing issues at the end, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read.
4 Stars .
~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =
#205
Posted 03 December 2024 - 07:27 PM
yay! I'm glad you liked it!
#206
Posted 03 December 2024 - 11:20 PM
#207
Posted 03 December 2024 - 11:26 PM
I know! I totally have it pre-ordered!
#208
Posted 07 December 2024 - 05:29 AM
Despite containing many of my favorite tropes, this book just didn't come together for me. I appreciate the risk the author took by using vernacular first person narration, but the characters didn't play off of each other particularly well, and I didn't like the third act "twist". In a good Western, the violence is elevated by the presence of humor, and I think Vengeance Road lacks that elevation. Westerns should be fun for the audience, especially when they are at their bloodiest, but the characters lack the charisma necessary to pull that off. Where's the wit? The sparkle? The interpersonal chemistry? Honestly, the story would've been more interesting if the protagonist had been alone the entire time. Then grit would've becoming the defining trait of the novel, and it might've worked.
3 Stars .
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