booksonmars's Reviews (670)

despite loving natalie’s books in the past, i found this one to be quite tedious. i enjoyed the discussion of societal issues in ancient greece and how they’re reflected in the goddesses, but a lot of it was mainly summarising classical literature with quips of humour that fell flat. i’d recommend pandora’s jar for more in-depth analysis on women in ancient greece instead of this one. 

if this series, particularly the last book, has no fans, i'm dead. 

i think this series is faulted a lot for its slow start and plot, but i think it's because the author really dedicates the time to manifest this world and all the love, strife and mysticism it contains. i love a series that follows characters and shows how the world can change them and they it, how they love and fight and grieve, not just others but themselves. it's one of those books where each character served as a foil for a human quality: okoa and his yearning for meaning, balam's poisonous ambition, naranpa's desire to belong, xiala's love and serapio's struggle for selfhood. 

there were some parts i wished were expanded on, like xiala's reconciliation with her mother, naranpa's role in the plot, okoa's relationship with his sister and the ending to their story, as well as the rest of tova's. i did love the ending, though. it was tragic but also raw with hope. 

i will miss serapio and xiala who were my favourites just because i loved their growth and them together, but i will also miss iktan who i grew to love, and balam who despite his intentions i found really enjoyable to read. 

i think the author could definitely do a spinoff series in this universe, there's so much more to explore not just in tova but in other countries that had been mentioned. or maybe a prequel series about the spearmaidens? 

a little predictable, but the seasonal descriptions and the cosy setting really flourished. i’d recommend this for a lighthearted mystery series for autumn.

once again, maybe later 

at least i got more into it than last time

i'm gonna start off with my main gripe about this book: the change in pov. when the announcement of this duology first came out it was introduced as an oak spinoff, which implied oak would be the main character. however, the stolen heir is actually in suren's perspective, which over time i grew to like as she is a character that we didn't know much about in the cruel prince trilogy. surprisingly, this second book is in oak's pov, and not only that it switches to third person. this choice was so confusing to me as a reader: we spend all this time in one character's head and then we don't even get to read her thoughts throughout the last book? i wish this book, or both books, had been a dual pov. this choice added to the overall feeling of detachment i had reading this book. suren comes off as a totally different character now that you don't hear her thoughts. she is cast aside as a supporting role and doesn't really have much presence in this book. 

the book itself doesn't have much presence either. leaving the court of teeth and returning to elfhame was a good choice, though. i was swept back into the gilded world of court intrigue, shifting alliances and buried secrets, and it also helped showcase oak's character. now that we're in his pov, he's less of the golden trickster prince and more human, more unsure of his footing and his feelings. i loved the return of jude and cardan and everyone else from the original series, and it was interesting to see them in oak's eyes and see how he fit into this family. 

the ending was kinda...dull? it was so slow at the beginning, then picked up the pace in the middle, but the last chapter ended on a discordant note, i think. it made me realise how little oak and suren have actually developed their relationship, their conversations quite stagnant and strained throughout the book, although i do like how suren helps oak realise things about himself. i think their reunion at the end felt kinda rushed, and left so many questions unanswered. there's hints of a possible judecardan book or novella from the plot point that was suggested in this duology then never really acknowledged. or at least i'm hoping for one. 

a deep and extensive analysis on the history of women through the eyes of art. the author used a lot of examples from ancient history and the modern world, while also highlighting the lack of diverse representation that is unfortunately still current today. obviously the author couldn't cover everything, but the race discussions were very based in american art, and the mythology discussed was also eurocentric. i did however find this very accessible as someone who knows little to nothing about art, and enjoyed the author's passion for putting women in the forefront of the art world (as they should be!).

so strange because historical mysteries with a romance would normally be 100% up my alley but right now i’m just not feeling it. maybe in the future i’ll pick it back up 

in this essay collection prowles teaches us how water connects us to our childhood, identity, culture and memories. beautiful, tender and enchanting.