A sapphic rivals to lovers taking place over the length of a folkloric expedition in order to find a magical spring sounds so up my alley that it was A sapphic rivals to lovers taking place over the length of a folkloric expedition in order to find a magical spring sounds so up my alley that it was soul crushing that the best thing I can say about this book as a whole is that I’m relatively ambivalent towards it. Where I was expecting a more fleshed out expedition rich in magic and folklore I primarily got a not-so-well fleshed out whodunnit murder mystery that checked so many formulaic boxes and investigated so many people that were just random cut outs instead of fully realized characters that I just got bored. Lorelai, our main character, is also so frustrating to be in the head of that I wanted to rip my hair out. Being in the head of someone who hates other people so much and also refuses to feel her full range of emotions makes it incredibly hard to care about any of the side characters, which was disappointing as I think I would’ve liked the book a smidge more if I cared. Even the folklore, which I was most excited for, felt so crammed into the story that I was getting annoyed every single time a new, random story was brought up. The whole of this really was boring and I felt as there was no reason for me to care about anyone or anything. Maybe I’m just having a bad day, but nothing about this surprised me and almost nothing made me feel anything. It's an incredibly sad day for me when I have to say that atmosphere doesn't hold a book together.
One thing I think was handled really well was how Saft used Lorelai’s heritage (fantasy Jewish) to discuss antisemitism and hatred that is still incredibly rampant. The most hard hitting moments were memories from Lorelai’s life where her and her family had to deal with so much hate anywhere they went and the way that she had to go through with this mission so she would hopefully be seen as a citizen with full status, something her people were not readily given.
I don’t like how the villain(s) or resolutions were handled and found the message to be… weirdly pro-colonialism? Or at least accepting of colonialism? It left a bad taste in my mouth, especially as we were shown all the harm that the conquering nation did. Maybe it was just a bit half-baked, but it left a sour taste in my mouth as our “good” characters were so anti-revolution. I think this was an attempt to flesh out everyone a bit more, but it fell flat with the end message.
I think I may be being extra harsh on this because it sounded so perfectly up my alley and I am now sitting here, a bit heartbroken that it wasn’t.
"They are about to find out that we are not sheep. We are the Bloodsworn, and we stand together, fight together. Die together, if needs be."
The epic"They are about to find out that we are not sheep. We are the Bloodsworn, and we stand together, fight together. Die together, if needs be."
The epic finale of the Bloodsworn trilogy, The Fury of the Gods hit me right in the heart. As an epic battle of Gods wages on, the real emotional impact comes from the found family aspect, primarily in the Bloodsworn, but definitely in other places. The arcs of the characters were brilliantly and emotionally done, the scale of the battle was epic, and the found family that ran so much deeper than blood was the best I've ever read. While I found the second installment a bit slow, I really appreciate how it allowed such an emotional impact in book three while still allowing for such epic battles. Where in book two I got bored with some of the new character povs, I really love how it fleshed out the whole story, allowing us to see through eyes on both sides of this war, all with different motivations, all converging to the same spot. This was a perfect ending, well there is one thread I wish we got to see the end of, but I am hoping that that means there is more to come. I wish I could say more, but I think you just have to read this series for yourselves. Seriously, do it. Especially if you have any love for Vikings and morally grey characters. And crying like a baby, which I did. A lot. But usually in a good way.
"'Strange,' Vol said, looking at the new buds and leaves in the woodland beyond the steading's walls, 'how so much has changed. So much loss, so much grief. Gods have fallen, and yet the world goes on the same.'" ...more
“ ‘I end and begin in the Driada, and that is how it will be for eternity. The wood must always have a warden.’ ”
Where the Dark Stands Still is an “ ‘I end and begin in the Driada, and that is how it will be for eternity. The wood must always have a warden.’ ”
Where the Dark Stands Still is an enchanting debut balances a cozy cottage-core vibe with the creepiness of a demon-infested magical woods. I have seen it described as a mix Howl’s Moving Castle and Polish Folklore, and, if we added Beauty and the Beast into the mix, I think that is an apt description. This is an atmospheric tale that has a lot going for it. The elements of the sentient house, magical woods, and spirits are among the strongest for me as they create this added layer of whimsy that really create the cozy vibes. I was also pleasantly surprised with some more unexpected queer representation in this one. Overall, if you’re looking for a bit of a classic romantic fantasy with a small but mighty found family, a Howl-esque old spirit, and some Slavic folklore, I’d recommend checking this one out!
“Children do foolish things until they are old enough to understand they are foolish—until their father teaches them to weave the straw hangings found in every Stodola home, or their mother explains why she ties their hair with crimson ribbons.”
I am not someone who knows much about Slavic folklore at all (and I also don’t want to spoil), but I found the way that the Leszy was portrayed to be compelling and quite interesting. The forest housed a lot of spirits that were great additions to the story and the way the woods functioned and the Leszy’s purpose fit. There is another Slavic mythologic figure that comes into the story a little later that kind of enters a bit dramatically and very abruptly turns this book from a more cosy read into an action packed ending, and I’m not really sure if they’re done well, but I didn’t dislike it? Overall, I thought the Polish folklore was really interesting to read about and it was cool to not really be able to guess what was going to happen based off the introduction of folkloric elements since I was unfamiliar with them.
“That was when Liska knew that there was something wrong with her that could not be prayed away. The thing inside her, it made people afraid.”
The setting of this book is in a relatively newly monotheistic society after shifting from worshipping pagan gods, making the village that Liska comes from very against gods and magic. Because of this, Liska has a really negative relationship with her magic as she suppresses it so that she will be accepted. (sound familiar?) Liska coming terms with her magic and her fears is an interesting plotline that is explored well. It is obvious that the magic here is a metaphor for a lot of things that aren’t accepted in spaces that mirror those from this book especially through the dialogue. At one point, Liska is convinced the church was right about her and the dangers of her magic and the Leszy says to her, ‘No,’ he says sharply. ‘The church is clever.’ in regards to it demonizing magic in order to push it’s own agenda. I kept thinking about how this especially mirrored the queer experience as Liska continued to suppress who she was. This was really well done and I really love how magic was used to symbolize real world topics.
“ ‘Impressed?’ he asks, amused. ‘I think I might be going into shock.’ ‘I do have that effect on women,’ he says casually.”
The characters of this one really made it for me. The Leszy is a sassy, petulant 700-year-old spirit that feels a bit Howl-esque and Liska is able to bite back in a really fun way. They both have this really great dry humor (see: “The people of Wałkowo are used to my visits by now,’ he says. ‘At least I assume so, since they’ve stopped screaming at the mere sight of me.’ ” ) that bounces well and is entertaining to read. The way their relationship progressed felt pretty realistic too; however, the weakest part of this book for me was their romance. I found the previous romance that the Leszy was in to be significantly more compelling and, while I did really enjoy Liska and the Leszy’s interactions and sass, I just didn’t really feel a romantic connection. I also am a bit of a pet name hater and “not-so-clever fox” got really old really fast (seriously, that’s so long). There were also a few moments that I found to be a bit cringe and cliché, but I do think that a lot of those factors played really into subverting expectations for the ending of this book which I really loved. I was also really just neutral about the relationship, which is pretty impressive for a romance that is between a 17-year-old girl and a 700-year-old forest so kudos to the book, I guess? The good news is that, although this is categorized as a fantasy romance, I would argue that the romance is very much on the backburner with this one and the main relationship between Liska and the Leszy is more structured to learning to love and trust again in any capacity.
“… she is not defined by her magic, for better or for worse.”
Where the romance fell short, the found family went hard. Liska radiated kindness throughout the whole book so watching her kind of collect these new inhabitants in the house and bond with the house and the wood felt very natural and was honestly just really sweet. The backbone of this book really is the found family here and just the way that Liska is able to create these really safe, beautiful spaces for others as someone who was denied that for so long. With that ability to create these spaces, Liska also starts deconstructing her view of herself and moving away from how the church views her, allowing for growth and self-love.
“What is fate but an excuse to surrender responsibility?”
There were some points during the second half of the book where I was starting to lose steam and wasn’t super invested, but the last two chapters of this book really tied the whole thing together for me. It subverted my expectations in a way that really worked. A lot of things that made me cringe a little were seen in a new light and I really appreciate the direction Poranek took with this one. It really was the perfect ending for me and I cannot wait to see what she writes next.