THE GIRL IN THE TOWER by Katherine Arden
2 Stars
Verdict: Again, not for me.
After Vasya leaves her village to dispel rumours of her being a witch, she ventures through the woods, facing demons, bandits, and death itself. To survive as a lone traveller, she disguises herself as a man and unintentionally gains the attention of the Grand Prince. She must keep her true gender a secret to protect herself and her family.
I'll be honest with you all: I received this title without knowing it was book two of a series. When I realised, I read book one, my heart sinking with every page. I didn’t like it one bit, and I don’t enjoy writing low reviews either. I would never have requested the book to review if it had been clearly labelled as book two of a trilogy I had not yet started. But I agreed to review it in exchange for a copy, and I am grateful to receive it, so here is my review.
It actually started out a lot better than I expected. The narrative flits between Vasya facing the harsh wilderness, barely surviving, and her brother Sasha, the monk, who rides alongside the Grand Prince as he faces the bandits threatening his villages. The story is spread across the years so it feels like every moment matters, and the overarching plot comes together much clearer. It pulled me into Vasya’s world in a way that book one never could.
I liked how Vasya got to express herself a bit more, venturing through the woods, saving people, challenging badies – yet at the same time, I couldn’t understand why she wasn’t trying to keep a low profile. I suppose if she had played it smart, we wouldn’t have a story, but it certainly had predictable and frustrating qualities to it. I think that’s why towards the middle I felt restless, wanting the story to just get on with it already. I felt like I already knew how it would play out, and there wasn't anything particularity surprising in the end.
At some point, I lost all interest despite feeling the build-up of Vasya’s bold moves and knowing the trouble she was stirring up. The writing style just isn’t my thing, and I can’t force myself to like it, though I’ve tried. To me, the writing felt long-winded in every sense. I felt like the story wasn’t moving along as quickly as my brain was piecing it together to the point that most of the narrative between the dialogue felt useless and I probably could have skipped a couple of chapters and just reading the ending.
I think here is where me and this series part ways.
Source: With thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley.com.
2 Stars
Verdict: Again, not for me.
After Vasya leaves her village to dispel rumours of her being a witch, she ventures through the woods, facing demons, bandits, and death itself. To survive as a lone traveller, she disguises herself as a man and unintentionally gains the attention of the Grand Prince. She must keep her true gender a secret to protect herself and her family.
I'll be honest with you all: I received this title without knowing it was book two of a series. When I realised, I read book one, my heart sinking with every page. I didn’t like it one bit, and I don’t enjoy writing low reviews either. I would never have requested the book to review if it had been clearly labelled as book two of a trilogy I had not yet started. But I agreed to review it in exchange for a copy, and I am grateful to receive it, so here is my review.
It actually started out a lot better than I expected. The narrative flits between Vasya facing the harsh wilderness, barely surviving, and her brother Sasha, the monk, who rides alongside the Grand Prince as he faces the bandits threatening his villages. The story is spread across the years so it feels like every moment matters, and the overarching plot comes together much clearer. It pulled me into Vasya’s world in a way that book one never could.
I liked how Vasya got to express herself a bit more, venturing through the woods, saving people, challenging badies – yet at the same time, I couldn’t understand why she wasn’t trying to keep a low profile. I suppose if she had played it smart, we wouldn’t have a story, but it certainly had predictable and frustrating qualities to it. I think that’s why towards the middle I felt restless, wanting the story to just get on with it already. I felt like I already knew how it would play out, and there wasn't anything particularity surprising in the end.
At some point, I lost all interest despite feeling the build-up of Vasya’s bold moves and knowing the trouble she was stirring up. The writing style just isn’t my thing, and I can’t force myself to like it, though I’ve tried. To me, the writing felt long-winded in every sense. I felt like the story wasn’t moving along as quickly as my brain was piecing it together to the point that most of the narrative between the dialogue felt useless and I probably could have skipped a couple of chapters and just reading the ending.
I think here is where me and this series part ways.
Source: With thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley.com.
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