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wordsofclover 's review for:
Brightfall
by Jaime Lee Moyer
I received this book from Jo Fletcher Books in exchange for an honest review.
12 years on from being abandoned by Robin Hood, Maid Marion is happy raising her children, and helping the people of Sherwood Forest in the ways she can with her special powers of magic and relationship with the Fae. When Friar Tuck comes to Marion with terrible news of the deaths of several of their friends in mysterious circumstances, Marion ends up on a journey with her ex-husband, a tricksy Fae lord and a sullen warrior to discover what is happening and to stop the killer coming for her children.
I really loved a lot of things about this book from a new and interesting look at the character of Maid Marion - who I feel is often an underused character in Robin Hood stories, and can at other times fall into any kind of category from damsel in distress to badass warrior princess. I loved this magical version of Marion and it felt really natural that she would be a hedgewitch, helping people with their ailments and with a special relationship with the fae and the dragon of Sherwood Forest. Yes, dragon!!
Some of the descriptive writing in this about the fae, the different kinds of magical creatures and just the general description of the nature and surroundings were so beautiful, I really loved it. I really loved the magic used in this book too - it wasn't flashy by any means, but quite subtle and in a way, it felt more real and authentic. I think people who love the fae in The Cruel Prince, would like the fae in this book. I wish we saw more of Underhill, the fae world, in this book as we only got descriptions but never saw what it was like ourselves so that would have been cool.
The villain in this book, despite doing some scary things wasn't actually that scary for me, and I felt the reveal seemed a bit obvious. The ending with the villain also felt a bit anti-climatic - I know there was suppose to be a sadness there as well over it all, which is true, there was, but I wanted more of a fight I think.
One of the things in this book however, that I just can't get over is how Robin Hood is portrayed. I hated seeing what a vile, bitter person he was. The Robin Hood I grew up watching and being told stories about would never become the Robin in this book, and the way he treated Marion and how he talked to her was truly unforgivable. For readers who love the tale and figure of Robin Hood, prepare to have your hearts broken in this book!
12 years on from being abandoned by Robin Hood, Maid Marion is happy raising her children, and helping the people of Sherwood Forest in the ways she can with her special powers of magic and relationship with the Fae. When Friar Tuck comes to Marion with terrible news of the deaths of several of their friends in mysterious circumstances, Marion ends up on a journey with her ex-husband, a tricksy Fae lord and a sullen warrior to discover what is happening and to stop the killer coming for her children.
I really loved a lot of things about this book from a new and interesting look at the character of Maid Marion - who I feel is often an underused character in Robin Hood stories, and can at other times fall into any kind of category from damsel in distress to badass warrior princess. I loved this magical version of Marion and it felt really natural that she would be a hedgewitch, helping people with their ailments and with a special relationship with the fae and the dragon of Sherwood Forest. Yes, dragon!!
Some of the descriptive writing in this about the fae, the different kinds of magical creatures and just the general description of the nature and surroundings were so beautiful, I really loved it. I really loved the magic used in this book too - it wasn't flashy by any means, but quite subtle and in a way, it felt more real and authentic. I think people who love the fae in The Cruel Prince, would like the fae in this book. I wish we saw more of Underhill, the fae world, in this book as we only got descriptions but never saw what it was like ourselves so that would have been cool.
The villain in this book, despite doing some scary things wasn't actually that scary for me, and I felt the reveal seemed a bit obvious. The ending with the villain also felt a bit anti-climatic - I know there was suppose to be a sadness there as well over it all, which is true, there was, but I wanted more of a fight I think.
One of the things in this book however, that I just can't get over is how Robin Hood is portrayed. I hated seeing what a vile, bitter person he was. The Robin Hood I grew up watching and being told stories about would never become the Robin in this book, and the way he treated Marion and how he talked to her was truly unforgivable. For readers who love the tale and figure of Robin Hood, prepare to have your hearts broken in this book!