Amber Argyle

On the one hand I enjoyed WITCH SONG. In many ways I feel as if I was a tad too old to enjoy this book properly. Its not that it was childish or dumbed down, but a lot of what annoyed me about Brusenna or her actions seemed to stem from the fact she was relatively young and reacting in a believable fashion for someone her age.

Take for example her constant agonizing over how if something bad happened it was her fault. This wasn't always the case, in fact it was less the case then you'd think given her role in the story, but her constant apologizing and belief that everyone would be better if they weren't around her grew tedious. Not to mention she'd often change her mind in the course of a chapter from 'You should just get away from me!' to 'Why is everyone leaving me?'

Later, when Brusenna starts to take things seriously (actual seriously, not using it as a convenient way to angst), I felt a better connection to her. I understood her motivations and her overall reactions just felt more firmly rooted in practical concerns, not in dramatic ones.

The book covers a couple of years in length, pretty much all of Brusenna's training and preparation to fight against the Big Bad. And since this is one book, not a series, that meant some time skipping to fit all the important bits of her training into the one book. I'm not adverse to such things, but Argyle's approach felt haphazard and disjointed, with no clear indication when the time skip happened. Brusenna, or Joshen or another character would remark about the passage of time and we're left to pretty much believe nothing of import occurred during those times.

There is also little by way of actual fighting. Even the Final Battle was less of a fight and more of a talent show off. I thought Argyle may have cheated a bit in that--if a person is willing to destroy an entire world, why would they NOT bring the big guns to a fight against the Hero?

Overall I think Argyle has written an enjoyable if sometimes dry fantasy. It doesn't quite live up to the momentum it builds, and may have benefited from being split into two books even, but worth checking out from fans of Tamora Pierce or Mercedes Lackey.… (mehr)

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers Only. It was a retelling - from the blurb it mentions the story being a cross between Beauty and the Beast and The Pied Piper. It definitely was a cross between those two stories too.

It took me a little longer to read because I had a hard time getting into the book at first. It seemed like it was a bit slow for the first part, then it got interesting and picked up quite a bit. But then when I was very engrossed into the story, the end came rather suddenly and I felt like it was a bit abrupt and needed more closure.

It was also a bit more difficult for me getting through some of this book because it was quite dark and heavy in parts. It was a good book overall, but a bit more on the dark, heavy side of things that leaves you searching out for the spark of hope, which there is some, but not as much as I’d like.

I was very interested in parts of the book and the different aspects and unique perspectives, but I wish there had been a bit more to the story with a little more hope. I was a bit like huh? when the book ended cause it’s taken me a bit to process it.

I would read another book by this author especially if it was a continuation of this story.
… (mehr)

I love polar fantasy, so I couldn’t wait to dive into this series opener. This definitely feels like the beginning of a more sweeping series with abundant world building and the story of two lovers from very different backgrounds. This one was less wintry than expected, and had more of a hero’s journey arc, which I enjoyed. The story shows significant changes in both main characters, both together and individually, which I always appreciate. The audio wasn’t ideal, and I noticed that the rest of the books in the series are narrated from someone different. The overall series is a retelling of The Snow Queen and I’m so curious about how the next book will incorporate elements from the original source material.… (mehr)