Helpful Score: 2
I loved Malinda Lo's first book Ash and was excited to about Huntress. I got this book through Book it Forward ARC tours. It was a wonderful book. The story was more complicated and expansive than Ash. It again features a romance between two women, there is also a lot of adventuring and some magic.
Kaede and Taisin are two girls in their late teens. Kaede is the daughter of a the King's Advisor and more knowledgeable in fighting and handcrafts than the magic at that the academy she attends. Taisin is a prodigy at the academy and has a vision involving her and Kaede and a castle of ice. The land the two girls live in has fallen on hard times and the situation is dire if winter is not brought to an end. The two girls end up being sent along with the King's son on a journey to visit the Fairy Queen in hopes that the Fairy Queen will be able to help them end the long winter that is gripping the land.
This book is written much in the style of Ash; so if you liked that book I think you will enjoy this one. Lo writes at a deliberate pace with beautiful descriptions that create lush images in your mind. The romance in the book is keep somewhat innocent and sweet, as it was in Ash. The two characters that fall in love are both women, but it isn't the same sex issue that makes their love star-crossed, it is more an issue of class and occupation. Lo gives us a wonderfully sweet and adventurous story that features these two women, each strong in their own way, and doesn't really make a big deal about their sexuality...which is how it should be.
There is a lot more action in this book than there was in Ash and a lot more adventure. Rather than being blunt about magic this book has more a tone of magical realism about it. This book is supposed to be the prequel to Ash; but, although the world is the same, the customs of the characters are distinctly Asian and the cultures have a very different feel to them. You definitely don't need to read Ash to enjoy this book.
Both Kaede and Taisin are admirable characters, they are strong and yet have a lot of moments where they doubt themselves. I enjoyed reading about them and found them likable. I love Lo's writing and while the pacing is slow at some points, especially when the characters journey through the Woods, I think that the pace is appropriate in that it helps the reader get a sense of their grueling journey.
The book ends well, although I think some readers will be a bit bothered by it. I personally enjoyed the ending, is wasn't fairy tale happy but it was realistic and kept with the tone of the rest of the story.
Overall a wonderful new book from Lo. I will continue to read Lo's works. Lo gives us deliberately paced novel, with beautiful description, heart-pounding adventure, and a sweet romance. If you loved Ash you will love this book. Fans of classic fantasy adventure with a thread of romance through it will find lots to love in this book.
Kaede and Taisin are two girls in their late teens. Kaede is the daughter of a the King's Advisor and more knowledgeable in fighting and handcrafts than the magic at that the academy she attends. Taisin is a prodigy at the academy and has a vision involving her and Kaede and a castle of ice. The land the two girls live in has fallen on hard times and the situation is dire if winter is not brought to an end. The two girls end up being sent along with the King's son on a journey to visit the Fairy Queen in hopes that the Fairy Queen will be able to help them end the long winter that is gripping the land.
This book is written much in the style of Ash; so if you liked that book I think you will enjoy this one. Lo writes at a deliberate pace with beautiful descriptions that create lush images in your mind. The romance in the book is keep somewhat innocent and sweet, as it was in Ash. The two characters that fall in love are both women, but it isn't the same sex issue that makes their love star-crossed, it is more an issue of class and occupation. Lo gives us a wonderfully sweet and adventurous story that features these two women, each strong in their own way, and doesn't really make a big deal about their sexuality...which is how it should be.
There is a lot more action in this book than there was in Ash and a lot more adventure. Rather than being blunt about magic this book has more a tone of magical realism about it. This book is supposed to be the prequel to Ash; but, although the world is the same, the customs of the characters are distinctly Asian and the cultures have a very different feel to them. You definitely don't need to read Ash to enjoy this book.
Both Kaede and Taisin are admirable characters, they are strong and yet have a lot of moments where they doubt themselves. I enjoyed reading about them and found them likable. I love Lo's writing and while the pacing is slow at some points, especially when the characters journey through the Woods, I think that the pace is appropriate in that it helps the reader get a sense of their grueling journey.
The book ends well, although I think some readers will be a bit bothered by it. I personally enjoyed the ending, is wasn't fairy tale happy but it was realistic and kept with the tone of the rest of the story.
Overall a wonderful new book from Lo. I will continue to read Lo's works. Lo gives us deliberately paced novel, with beautiful description, heart-pounding adventure, and a sweet romance. If you loved Ash you will love this book. Fans of classic fantasy adventure with a thread of romance through it will find lots to love in this book.
Helpful Score: 1
Though this book is labeled as a young adult novel, I loved it. The version I read was an advance reading copy, and on the back of the book it states that it is intended for ages 15 and up. I would definitely say that this age description is accurate, as this seems like a very adult book, even though it is written in such a way that young readers can understand it (it's certainly not "dumbed down" though!). I would warn young readers and their parents, though, that there are some very dark moments in this book, and if you are squeamish, know that this book can get rather grisly in detail (it's not terrible, but I do feel like I should add this warning). A teen or pre-teen under the age of 15 can definitely read this if they are mature enough, but they should know about the few dark parts of the book (a few characters are killed, etc.).
I also want to mention that I think the relationship between the two main characters was very classy and well done. As this is intended for young readers, there was no real sexual interaction, but the love between the characters was portrayed very well. On that note, I really liked that the characters were able to be developed fully despite the brevity of the book.
All in all, I really liked this book, and it was surprisingly good for something I picked up on a whim. I had not read the previous book by this author, but I definitely intend to read it soon!
I also want to mention that I think the relationship between the two main characters was very classy and well done. As this is intended for young readers, there was no real sexual interaction, but the love between the characters was portrayed very well. On that note, I really liked that the characters were able to be developed fully despite the brevity of the book.
All in all, I really liked this book, and it was surprisingly good for something I picked up on a whim. I had not read the previous book by this author, but I definitely intend to read it soon!
Malinda Los beautifully written debut novel, Ash, was one of my favorite books of 2009, and I awaited the release of HUNTRESS with trembling anticipation. HUNTRESS turned out a little differently than I had hoped, but it was still a book that had me reading with bated breath and tearing up at the end.
The strongest part of HUNTRESS is, in my opinion, the romance between Taisin and Kaede. Their romance starts out hesitatingly: both girls are scared to acknowledge their growing feelings for each other. As the story progresses, however, their romance blossoms into an innocent and utterly beautiful thing, what they aptly describe as a warm gift in the middle of all their danger and worry. Taisin and Kaedes relationship really makes you believe in the power of love without taking it over the edge and into unbelievability.
HUNTRESS is told in a sort of old-fashioned fairy tale narrative style, which employs omniscient third-person narration. The constant shirt in point of view may be a bit jarring, but its not wrong, especially considering the fact that books written in the nineteenth century used this literary technique all the time. However, I think it did contribute to my feeling of distance from most of the characters. I wanted more from all the characters: the constant switches in POV made it so that there didnt seem to be a particular main character, and as a result everyone felt like a supporting character, with the potential for but not the actuality of depth.
Overall, however, HUNTRESS was a wonder-inducing fantasy read that spans time and distance. Dont miss it particularly if you were a fan of ASH.
The strongest part of HUNTRESS is, in my opinion, the romance between Taisin and Kaede. Their romance starts out hesitatingly: both girls are scared to acknowledge their growing feelings for each other. As the story progresses, however, their romance blossoms into an innocent and utterly beautiful thing, what they aptly describe as a warm gift in the middle of all their danger and worry. Taisin and Kaedes relationship really makes you believe in the power of love without taking it over the edge and into unbelievability.
HUNTRESS is told in a sort of old-fashioned fairy tale narrative style, which employs omniscient third-person narration. The constant shirt in point of view may be a bit jarring, but its not wrong, especially considering the fact that books written in the nineteenth century used this literary technique all the time. However, I think it did contribute to my feeling of distance from most of the characters. I wanted more from all the characters: the constant switches in POV made it so that there didnt seem to be a particular main character, and as a result everyone felt like a supporting character, with the potential for but not the actuality of depth.
Overall, however, HUNTRESS was a wonder-inducing fantasy read that spans time and distance. Dont miss it particularly if you were a fan of ASH.
I liked this. It was set in the same world as 'Ash', but several centuries earlier than that story. I liked seeing the big adventure leading up to the creation of the office of the King's Huntress. I think this was a very loose take off on one of the Snow Queen stories, like 'Ash' was a take off on the Cinderella story. It seemed to end rather abruptly, though. The second quest to find the cure to save the fairy Queen was crammed into a handful of pages, where the first part of their adventure covered over 300 pages. Then the story didn't even follow them all the way home, it just kind of petered out after they picked up the member of their party who'd been left behind along the way. And we don't get to find out what happened to Kaede and Taisin afterwards.
