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Seventeen-year-olds Kaede and Taisin are called to go on a dangerous and unprecedented journey to Tanlili, the city of the Fairy Queen, in an effort to restore the balance of nature in the human world.Tags
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I really liked this book, which felt spiritually similar to Ash as it is set in the same world. The magic system and culture are more closely inspired by Chinese culture; the book summary says Huntress is "overflowing with lush Chinese influences and details inspired by the I Ching". I've never read a fairytale-inspired book with the traditional fae and changelings etc. with a Chinese influence, and it felt fresh and interesting. The fae stuff in the forest was really creepy to the point of being horror, and also fascinating to read. Some of the magical creatures preying on humans were Chinese-inspired, such as the fox-lady best known to me as a kitsune.
I liked reading about Kaede learning to fight with different weapons and Taisin show more learning to use her magic. I liked the other members of their party as well, and was saddened when bad stuff happened to them. There was this weird thing throughout the book where we'd switch from the perspective of the main 2 girls to another character, and it was jarring and felt like telling rather than showing. I wish Lo had kept the omniscient third person narrator to just the 2 girls.
I read this book in the JFK airport as my flight kept being pushed back and my gate kept being changed, and reading Huntress really helped keep me sane. Thanks Malinda!
Read the full review, including trigger warnings, at https://fileundermichellaneous.blogspot.com/2023/05/book-review-huntress-by-mali... show less
I liked reading about Kaede learning to fight with different weapons and Taisin show more learning to use her magic. I liked the other members of their party as well, and was saddened when bad stuff happened to them. There was this weird thing throughout the book where we'd switch from the perspective of the main 2 girls to another character, and it was jarring and felt like telling rather than showing. I wish Lo had kept the omniscient third person narrator to just the 2 girls.
I read this book in the JFK airport as my flight kept being pushed back and my gate kept being changed, and reading Huntress really helped keep me sane. Thanks Malinda!
Read the full review, including trigger warnings, at https://fileundermichellaneous.blogspot.com/2023/05/book-review-huntress-by-mali... show less
There is one reason I tried to read Huntress and this is it:
I was tired of saying "I want more f/f not-coming-out romance" and seeing Malinda Lo's books recommended to me.
I liked Ash quite a bit, but more for what I put into the story than what was actually on the page. I was happy enough to see the worldbuilding and a f/f romance in fantasy that I was willing to overlook the serious flaws. But I knew that I would never want to read Huntress, unless Lo became leaps and bounds a better writer.
Unfortunately, the book is terrible. I say unfortunate because it has so much going for it and due to being one of a very small number of books with those features, it ends up on What To Read lists all the time. It's the f/f romance, of course, and show more fantasy, and clear Asian influences in the setting. In fact, from a distance, if you squint, the story and worldbuilding are incredibly appealing (if you like traditional fairy tale quests, which I do).
Someone else on LibraryThing summed up on the problem with the book very well, so I paraphrase: it's just off. The characters don't work. The romances are pushed but unearned. The technical aspects of the writing are just plain bad.
I got about a third of the way in before I gave up and started skimming, then just stopped at the halfway mark because nothing was grabbing my attention to delve back in. I would like to know how the quest ends and what all the Xi/faeryland stuff is about, but not enough to endure the terrible pacing and bouncing back and forth between POVs and the constant clunky explanations in POV of things that don't need explanations. ("She felt that" "He realized that" etc.)
But I guess now I can stop feeling aggrieved that everyone keeps telling me to read a book I don't want to read, and instead I can feel insulted that everyone keeps praising such a bad book simply because it's one of a very small number. show less
I was tired of saying "I want more f/f not-coming-out romance" and seeing Malinda Lo's books recommended to me.
I liked Ash quite a bit, but more for what I put into the story than what was actually on the page. I was happy enough to see the worldbuilding and a f/f romance in fantasy that I was willing to overlook the serious flaws. But I knew that I would never want to read Huntress, unless Lo became leaps and bounds a better writer.
Unfortunately, the book is terrible. I say unfortunate because it has so much going for it and due to being one of a very small number of books with those features, it ends up on What To Read lists all the time. It's the f/f romance, of course, and show more fantasy, and clear Asian influences in the setting. In fact, from a distance, if you squint, the story and worldbuilding are incredibly appealing (if you like traditional fairy tale quests, which I do).
Someone else on LibraryThing summed up on the problem with the book very well, so I paraphrase: it's just off. The characters don't work. The romances are pushed but unearned. The technical aspects of the writing are just plain bad.
I got about a third of the way in before I gave up and started skimming, then just stopped at the halfway mark because nothing was grabbing my attention to delve back in. I would like to know how the quest ends and what all the Xi/faeryland stuff is about, but not enough to endure the terrible pacing and bouncing back and forth between POVs and the constant clunky explanations in POV of things that don't need explanations. ("She felt that" "He realized that" etc.)
But I guess now I can stop feeling aggrieved that everyone keeps telling me to read a book I don't want to read, and instead I can feel insulted that everyone keeps praising such a bad book simply because it's one of a very small number. show less
DNF at 70%. I feel so bad, y'all. But it's the end of the year crunch and this wasn't doing much for me and my brain needed other sustenance.
Really, it wasn't even bad, and that's the weird thing. This is Ash all over again. I can't point fingers and complain about x y z, because hey, x y z were all pretty well done. But "pretty well" is kinda just where it sits, and settles, and lays down its head to sleep and I'm at 50% like "wait, that's it?" I may give it another shot at another time - I'm literally writing this and thinking "noooo finish it, you gotta finish ittttttt, but also god do I not want to finish it." It had some really pretty and interesting magic, Malinda Lo's elves/fae are some of my favourites (THEY INVENTED CHEESE, show more GUYS. I find that so funny but I mean, probably true), high fantasy with lovely East Asia influence, and she's incredible at building an atmosphere. The idea to the book was simple and fairy-tale-like and lovely: the human world is falling apart and we've gotta go see the fairy queen to set things straight. But ahh, it's just... well, stuff happened...then more stuff....hmmm...
Unfortunately, the pretty stuff wasn't quite pretty enough, and the magic wasn't quite magic enough, and the romance...the romance which I held on for...came out of nowhere like a freight train and I quickly realized that I wasn't invested enough to read another 80 pages of them hemming and hawing and inching towards, away, towards, away. I thought Ash was a fluke, but I think Malindo Lo may just not be my style, which hurts.
So I'd rec it, but not for me. I GUESS. Maybe I'll go back some day. show less
Really, it wasn't even bad, and that's the weird thing. This is Ash all over again. I can't point fingers and complain about x y z, because hey, x y z were all pretty well done. But "pretty well" is kinda just where it sits, and settles, and lays down its head to sleep and I'm at 50% like "wait, that's it?" I may give it another shot at another time - I'm literally writing this and thinking "noooo finish it, you gotta finish ittttttt, but also god do I not want to finish it." It had some really pretty and interesting magic, Malinda Lo's elves/fae are some of my favourites (THEY INVENTED CHEESE, show more GUYS. I find that so funny but I mean, probably true), high fantasy with lovely East Asia influence, and she's incredible at building an atmosphere. The idea to the book was simple and fairy-tale-like and lovely: the human world is falling apart and we've gotta go see the fairy queen to set things straight. But ahh, it's just... well, stuff happened...then more stuff....hmmm...
Unfortunately, the pretty stuff wasn't quite pretty enough, and the magic wasn't quite magic enough, and the romance...the romance which I held on for...came out of nowhere like a freight train and I quickly realized that I wasn't invested enough to read another 80 pages of them hemming and hawing and inching towards, away, towards, away. I thought Ash was a fluke, but I think Malindo Lo may just not be my style, which hurts.
So I'd rec it, but not for me. I GUESS. Maybe I'll go back some day. show less
Huntress had been on my wishlist for so long that I think I had forgotten what it was about. I knew it was a fantasy with Chinese influence and that's it. I think going into a book not knowing what to expect is good. Then every twist can be a total surprise. And I had plenty of surprises in this one! Good surprises!
This book was definitely a fantasy and I thought it was actually light on the Chinese influence (I was kind of comparing to Cindy Pon's books) which was fine. Not a big deal. It was definitely very different from Cindy's books, but almost as good (I still liked Cindy's books just a bit more, but they are so different that comparing really isn't fair ;). I thought that the story line was really good and only had a few issues show more with the book.
My first issue was POV. It was told third person and Malinda actually did a good job relaying the emotions and turmoils of the characters. A very good job, actually. But there were times, mostly in the beginning, that the POV changed so abruptly to relay what another character was thinking or feeling that it was a bit disjointed. It threw me just a bit. In the whole scheme of the story it really was a minor thing, especially since later that mostly cleared up. And I really was impressed with her ability to show each characters inner feelings so we were able to connect with them on a deeper level. That doesn't happen all the time with books in third person.
Another issue, minor issue really, was that the last bit of the book, the final conflicts, were really fast. Now the big conflict, that was okay. I mean I was wanting it to hurry cause I was about to have a hernia from holding my breath. But then there's one more little thing that has to be done for everything to be okay and that felt maybe a bit rushed. I think maybe a bit more suspense could have been thrown in. However, maybe she knew we were all getting light headed from holding our breath, so she decided to have it go more quickly ;)
This book has LGBT themes. I was surprised because for some reason I didn't know that, but I liked it. I liked how it was done and it felt natural and right for the story. I liked that it wasn't an issue in the book, it just was. I was glad that it was there and I think that it's important for teens to feel like it's just natural.
Overall I really liked this book. It was a fast read for a fantasy and it has a map (major bonus points!) which is nice to be able to follow where they go. It had adventure, (the whole thing was basically a long trip to the fairy lands) it had scary creatures and magic and the author wasn't afraid to take things in scary places. I definitely recommend! show less
This book was definitely a fantasy and I thought it was actually light on the Chinese influence (I was kind of comparing to Cindy Pon's books) which was fine. Not a big deal. It was definitely very different from Cindy's books, but almost as good (I still liked Cindy's books just a bit more, but they are so different that comparing really isn't fair ;). I thought that the story line was really good and only had a few issues show more with the book.
My first issue was POV. It was told third person and Malinda actually did a good job relaying the emotions and turmoils of the characters. A very good job, actually. But there were times, mostly in the beginning, that the POV changed so abruptly to relay what another character was thinking or feeling that it was a bit disjointed. It threw me just a bit. In the whole scheme of the story it really was a minor thing, especially since later that mostly cleared up. And I really was impressed with her ability to show each characters inner feelings so we were able to connect with them on a deeper level. That doesn't happen all the time with books in third person.
Another issue, minor issue really, was that the last bit of the book, the final conflicts, were really fast. Now the big conflict, that was okay. I mean I was wanting it to hurry cause I was about to have a hernia from holding my breath. But then there's one more little thing that has to be done for everything to be okay and that felt maybe a bit rushed. I think maybe a bit more suspense could have been thrown in. However, maybe she knew we were all getting light headed from holding our breath, so she decided to have it go more quickly ;)
This book has LGBT themes. I was surprised because for some reason I didn't know that, but I liked it. I liked how it was done and it felt natural and right for the story. I liked that it wasn't an issue in the book, it just was. I was glad that it was there and I think that it's important for teens to feel like it's just natural.
Overall I really liked this book. It was a fast read for a fantasy and it has a map (major bonus points!) which is nice to be able to follow where they go. It had adventure, (the whole thing was basically a long trip to the fairy lands) it had scary creatures and magic and the author wasn't afraid to take things in scary places. I definitely recommend! show less
There is a disturbance in nature – it's been years since the sun shone last and the crops are failing more heavily each year. As if that wasn't bad enough, strange creatures have been sighted within the kingdom's borders. But a glimpse of hope appears when the King recieves an invitation from the Fairy Queen, the ruler of the Xi. She requests a meeting in her city, Tanlili on Midsummer's Day. But as the King is busy with the crisis of his people, and no one has actually gone to Tanlili before; his son goes in his place, along with Taisin and Kaede; both sages in training at the Academy.
The choice to bring Taisin along isn't odd in any way; she's a thriving sage-in-training with magic flowing through her very soul – but Kaede, on show more the other hand, knows she will never actually become a sage despite her several years at the Academy. But according to Taisin, she had a vision of their journey and Kaede was present.
It's a dangerous adventure as nobody knows what to expect at the end station but together with the Prince and three of his guards, the two girls are drawn towards each other as they journey into the unknown; something that terrifies Taisin. Because according to her vision, her heart will soon belong to Kaede. Kaede who, according to her vision, she might lose forever.
I don't read fantasy that much and the main reason for that is the lack of diversity; especially when it comes to lgbt characters. So, seeing this one was like a blessing from above. Both Taisin and Kaede are interesting, complex characters that I easily found myself caring for – the same goes for the other characters too, especially the Prince. But what truly spellbound me was the interesting world they live in; I constantly wanted to know more about it and it made me sad to realise Huntress is a stand alone book; I easily could have read ten more.
Their relationship was interesting to explore and I felt excited as I noticed the bond between them grew stronger and stronger. They were truly cute together and it was tough not to root for them. But the dynamics in general, not just romantically, were interesting and I appreciated all friendships (and romances) in the book; it truly felt like the characters cared for each other which was heart-warming.
I did, however, feel like there was a lot left to be desired plot-wise. Mostly because the journey took up around seventy-five percent of the book which meant the last fifteen were the most intense and action-packed and because of that, the actual action felt very rushed. It was interesting to read about their journey too as it helped establish the characters and their relations to each other; but I would've preferred more adventure and less travelling. show less
The choice to bring Taisin along isn't odd in any way; she's a thriving sage-in-training with magic flowing through her very soul – but Kaede, on show more the other hand, knows she will never actually become a sage despite her several years at the Academy. But according to Taisin, she had a vision of their journey and Kaede was present.
It's a dangerous adventure as nobody knows what to expect at the end station but together with the Prince and three of his guards, the two girls are drawn towards each other as they journey into the unknown; something that terrifies Taisin. Because according to her vision, her heart will soon belong to Kaede. Kaede who, according to her vision, she might lose forever.
I don't read fantasy that much and the main reason for that is the lack of diversity; especially when it comes to lgbt characters. So, seeing this one was like a blessing from above. Both Taisin and Kaede are interesting, complex characters that I easily found myself caring for – the same goes for the other characters too, especially the Prince. But what truly spellbound me was the interesting world they live in; I constantly wanted to know more about it and it made me sad to realise Huntress is a stand alone book; I easily could have read ten more.
Their relationship was interesting to explore and I felt excited as I noticed the bond between them grew stronger and stronger. They were truly cute together and it was tough not to root for them. But the dynamics in general, not just romantically, were interesting and I appreciated all friendships (and romances) in the book; it truly felt like the characters cared for each other which was heart-warming.
I did, however, feel like there was a lot left to be desired plot-wise. Mostly because the journey took up around seventy-five percent of the book which meant the last fifteen were the most intense and action-packed and because of that, the actual action felt very rushed. It was interesting to read about their journey too as it helped establish the characters and their relations to each other; but I would've preferred more adventure and less travelling. show less
Huntress was my introduction to Malinda Lo. In fact, I only decided to put the book on my wishlist after I stumbled across it on Twitter and looked it up on Amazon. I hadn't even heard of Malinda Lo before, but the description of Huntress, not to mention the stellar reputation Lo seems to have among readers and fans, drew me in. After I found the book at my local library a few weeks after it came out, I had to pick it up.
Huntress tells the story of Kaede, a headstrong young woman who is training to be a sage. After finding a struggle was brewing, Kaede and Taisin are chosen to journey to the city of the Faerie Queen, where they encounter powerful magic, wonderful adventure and even romance. As they draw nearer to their mission, show more ultimately given to them from the Faerie Queen, the two girls are thrown into an unforgettable adventure.
Huntress was everything that I hoped for -an exciting, edge-of-your seat adventure brimming with action, magic and fabulous mythology. Overflowing with Chinese influences, Lo builds a fascinating world inhabited by unique characters. From the very beginning, I was draw into Kaede's quest and I wanted to know more about what was going to happen to her. More importantly, Lo's mythology is sold, unique and downright fun to read.
Recommended for fans of young adult adventure and fantasy. Huntress is a solid read that's worth the ride! show less
Huntress tells the story of Kaede, a headstrong young woman who is training to be a sage. After finding a struggle was brewing, Kaede and Taisin are chosen to journey to the city of the Faerie Queen, where they encounter powerful magic, wonderful adventure and even romance. As they draw nearer to their mission, show more ultimately given to them from the Faerie Queen, the two girls are thrown into an unforgettable adventure.
Huntress was everything that I hoped for -an exciting, edge-of-your seat adventure brimming with action, magic and fabulous mythology. Overflowing with Chinese influences, Lo builds a fascinating world inhabited by unique characters. From the very beginning, I was draw into Kaede's quest and I wanted to know more about what was going to happen to her. More importantly, Lo's mythology is sold, unique and downright fun to read.
Recommended for fans of young adult adventure and fantasy. Huntress is a solid read that's worth the ride! show less
Ingeniously and beautifully written, it is truly unfair that Huntress has not received further awards and accolades. Being no stranger to the genre, I nevertheless found Huntress to be a wonderfully crafted coming of age story with surprisingly fierce “Woman Against Nature” structure.
Academically perhaps Huntress's most alluring quality lies in its setting: an amalgamation of Warring States Period Iron Age Chinese culture with European Fairy mythos. Although ultimately the Fae elements proved dominate, this combination of seemingly dispirit anthropology and folklore combined to create a wholly believable, compelling and startlingly teleological schema. Though given its bold move to incorporate ancient Chinese anthro into the mix, show more one might expect (in my case hunger for) more Tao proverbs, codes and ritual than what the reader is treated to. The burial rituals and protection spells were a nice touch though.
In addition, I’m blown away by the choice to create a plot that’s driven by Predestination Paradox. Seemingly very original for the genre (generally only seen in science fiction time travel stories), the plot hook which could have felt totally contrived actually feels appropriate and just plain cool.
Yet, the heart of Huntress lies not in its setting, but in its characters. Unlike Ash Lo’s second book in the “series” (for lack of a better word) offers the reader a fully-fleshed out understanding of both the protagonist and her love-interest. In fact all the primary characters are given their own small say as POV shifts continuously throughout the book (an odd but understandable choice). Naturally our heroine and huntress, Kaede, is given the primary focus of the story and her description and appreciation of natural beauty do not let us down. Yet, it’s really her... “companion” (not strong enough, more like her raison d’etre) Taisin who undergos the most dynamic character development. Taisin is a gifted young cleric who’s often unsure of herself and antisocial. Taisin lives in fear of a destiny she’s precognatively aware, but with enough hopes and dreams to allow Kaede to slowly draw her out. Eventually this bond helps Taisin realize her potential and decide who she is and who she wants to be. In the broadest sense the relationship represents a growing teamwork, as the girls come to recognize each other’s complimentary gifts. Through their internal psychological and psychic trials and external near-death journey together Kaede and Taisin eventually move beyond teamwork to something much greater and find destiny need not be avoided at all costs.
Additionally, I’d like to elucidate for a moment the ways in which Huntress is a natural progression from and improvement on Ash. In its ending (I do not intend to spoil), Huntress demonstrates how Lo has recognizes that a happy-ending is not always the most effective or desirable closure to a fairytale. As previously mentioned, Lo has chosen to offer the reader a better understanding of her characters’ hopes and fears and mental state. Also, by placing Huntress in the far past in relationship to Ash, Lo was allowed to greater explore who the Fae are and what species still existed at that time (the only detriment I can perceive by placing Huntress in the past is the loss of the lovely Renaissance diction and accent). Although it has recently become unfortunately endemic in young adult lit, the Wild Hunt is given form and the reader is treated to far fuller and more rewarding understanding of the Fairy Queen and fairy society (I wouldn’t have expected Taninli to so closely resemble Baum’s Emerald City, but whatever...). In terms of form, where Ash appears to follow a storybook/folktale fantasy aesthetic, Huntress has diverged into an adventure/suspense fantasy. Though both are wonderful reads, one gets the sense that Lo is moving slowly moving away from storytelling and incorporating more novel-like elements.
Yet, if Lo recognized the need for more character development, one must pause and consider why she chose to leave her antagonists all but voiceless and without any more concrete development. Naturally, being a young adult novel, the tendency is to relate to the heroine, but I’ve always thought this does little to prepare adolescents for the real world. In Ash the reader is treated to a clear cut understanding of who Aisling’s relatives are and how they perceive her. Although such an understanding is hinted at in Huntress, the reader is still left with something of an engima in its villain. Perhaps this was intentional, or a suggestion on the part of Lo’s publisher but if so I’d love to know why.
All in all, after reading Huntress I’m left feeling very satisfied with very few gripes. Huntress is simultaneously a breathtaking romance, a Tolkien-esque journey against unearthly monsters and incredible adversity and a fight against time to save the world (not to mention an adorable contribution to Young Adult Feminist and LGBT Lit) . Simply put, it’s incredible. show less
Academically perhaps Huntress's most alluring quality lies in its setting: an amalgamation of Warring States Period Iron Age Chinese culture with European Fairy mythos. Although ultimately the Fae elements proved dominate, this combination of seemingly dispirit anthropology and folklore combined to create a wholly believable, compelling and startlingly teleological schema. Though given its bold move to incorporate ancient Chinese anthro into the mix, show more one might expect (in my case hunger for) more Tao proverbs, codes and ritual than what the reader is treated to. The burial rituals and protection spells were a nice touch though.
In addition, I’m blown away by the choice to create a plot that’s driven by Predestination Paradox. Seemingly very original for the genre (generally only seen in science fiction time travel stories), the plot hook which could have felt totally contrived actually feels appropriate and just plain cool.
Yet, the heart of Huntress lies not in its setting, but in its characters. Unlike Ash Lo’s second book in the “series” (for lack of a better word) offers the reader a fully-fleshed out understanding of both the protagonist and her love-interest. In fact all the primary characters are given their own small say as POV shifts continuously throughout the book (an odd but understandable choice). Naturally our heroine and huntress, Kaede, is given the primary focus of the story and her description and appreciation of natural beauty do not let us down. Yet, it’s really her... “companion” (not strong enough, more like her raison d’etre) Taisin who undergos the most dynamic character development. Taisin is a gifted young cleric who’s often unsure of herself and antisocial. Taisin lives in fear of a destiny she’s precognatively aware, but with enough hopes and dreams to allow Kaede to slowly draw her out. Eventually this bond helps Taisin realize her potential and decide who she is and who she wants to be. In the broadest sense the relationship represents a growing teamwork, as the girls come to recognize each other’s complimentary gifts. Through their internal psychological and psychic trials and external near-death journey together Kaede and Taisin eventually move beyond teamwork to something much greater and find destiny need not be avoided at all costs.
Additionally, I’d like to elucidate for a moment the ways in which Huntress is a natural progression from and improvement on Ash. In its ending (I do not intend to spoil), Huntress demonstrates how Lo has recognizes that a happy-ending is not always the most effective or desirable closure to a fairytale. As previously mentioned, Lo has chosen to offer the reader a better understanding of her characters’ hopes and fears and mental state. Also, by placing Huntress in the far past in relationship to Ash, Lo was allowed to greater explore who the Fae are and what species still existed at that time (the only detriment I can perceive by placing Huntress in the past is the loss of the lovely Renaissance diction and accent). Although it has recently become unfortunately endemic in young adult lit, the Wild Hunt is given form and the reader is treated to far fuller and more rewarding understanding of the Fairy Queen and fairy society (I wouldn’t have expected Taninli to so closely resemble Baum’s Emerald City, but whatever...). In terms of form, where Ash appears to follow a storybook/folktale fantasy aesthetic, Huntress has diverged into an adventure/suspense fantasy. Though both are wonderful reads, one gets the sense that Lo is moving slowly moving away from storytelling and incorporating more novel-like elements.
Yet, if Lo recognized the need for more character development, one must pause and consider why she chose to leave her antagonists all but voiceless and without any more concrete development. Naturally, being a young adult novel, the tendency is to relate to the heroine, but I’ve always thought this does little to prepare adolescents for the real world. In Ash the reader is treated to a clear cut understanding of who Aisling’s relatives are and how they perceive her. Although such an understanding is hinted at in Huntress, the reader is still left with something of an engima in its villain. Perhaps this was intentional, or a suggestion on the part of Lo’s publisher but if so I’d love to know why.
All in all, after reading Huntress I’m left feeling very satisfied with very few gripes. Huntress is simultaneously a breathtaking romance, a Tolkien-esque journey against unearthly monsters and incredible adversity and a fight against time to save the world (not to mention an adorable contribution to Young Adult Feminist and LGBT Lit) . Simply put, it’s incredible. show less
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Two teenage girls—Taisin, a sage who has visions, and Kaede, a brave fighter from a powerful family—must travel to see the Fairy Queen to try and save their land. A persistent winter has settled over their kingdom for two years, halting not only trade and harvests but the natural course of life itself, and threatening the survival of Taisin and Kaede's fellow citizens. The journey to the show more city of Taninli, home of the Fairy Queen, is treacherous, and along the way Taisin, Kaede, and their travel companions face many dangers and tests of their abilities, not least of which are Taisin and Kaede's growing feelings for each other. Lo's storytelling and prose are masterful, and her protagonists will fascinate, particularly Taisin and her relationship to death and its accompanying rituals, her visions, and the way she can occupy another's mind. As with Ash, Lo's characters are emotionally reserved, which makes the unfolding of romance between Kaede and Taisin all the more satisfying. Fans of Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy will love this. Ages 15–up. (Apr.) show less
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Author Information
17+ Works 8,046 Members
Awards and Honors
Awards
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Has as a commentary on the text
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2011-04-05
- People/Characters
- Kaede; Taisin; Lord Raiden; King Cai Simin Tan; Maire Morighan; Con Isae Tan (show all 12); Shae; Pol; Tali; Mona; Ealasaid; Elowen
- Important places
- The Academy; Seatown; Cathair; Ento; Jilin; Taninli
- Dedication
- To Amy Lovell
- First words
- "Clouds and thunder arise: / The sage brings order. / Those who chase deer without a hunter / Lose their way in the Wood." / -Book of Changes
She saw a beach made of ice, and she felt her heart breaking.
The ... (show all)ground where she stood was frozen white, but twenty feet away, cold blue ocean lapped at the jagged shore. Someone there was climbing into a rowboat, and she knew that she loved this person. She was certain of it in the same way that one is instantly aware of the taste of sweetness in a drop of honey. But she was afraid for this person's life, and the fear raised a cold sweat on her skin and caused a sick lurch in her stomach, as though she were on a ship during a violent storm. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Kaede smiled, and though her heart ached, the love she felt was stronger than the pain. "It will make an excellent story," she agreed. And after they had given the prince and the guard another few moments to themselves, Kaede and Taisin rode down the trail to meet them.
- Original language
- English
Classifications
- Genres
- LGBTQ+, Teen, Fiction and Literature, Young Adult, Fantasy
- DDC/MDS
- 813.6 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English 2000-
- LCC
- PZ8 .L773 .H — Language and Literature Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Juvenile belles lettres
- BISAC
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- 990
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- 26,495
- Reviews
- 55
- Rating
- (3.62)
- Languages
- English, French
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 11
- ASINs
- 5
