Thanks! I agree, it took my breath away. Though I also think it ended in a kind of perfect way, too, and I am glad it ended with me wanting more instead of with me feeling like it wore out its welcome.
I try not to talk about spoilers in my reviews or here in the comments, so... SPOILERS below for anyone concerned. . . . . . . . . . I think the ambiguity is part of the point. If I remember correctly, the first line of the Author's Afterword is something along the lines of, "If you are staring at a wall with a frustrated look on your face right now then I have done my job," or something like that. That final scene was written in such a way as either one or both of their hearts could have been cut out, and it could have been literal or metaphorical, and they could both be dead or alive... because those details aren't really what is important. What is important is that they are together, they found one another and saved one another in all the ways that matters. They faced the darkness, the magic born from pain and loss and grief, and found that together they were strong enough to conquer it. The details are incidental, it is the coming together, finding salvation not just in another but in the giving of yourself for another, that is what matters... Whether they lived or died, whether it was metaphor or literal, none of that really affects the underlying emotional truth of the ending.
@@joeyq9953 I agree, the cover is gorgeous! More importantly, I felt like the contents lived up to the promises the cover was making. Hope you have fun with it!
i really enjoyed the story but i found the plot twist about dove to be too obvious, basically from the fist few chapters so i was frustrated that it only got revealed towards the end. i was hoping it was a red herring 😕 maybe the author wanted us to figure it out early but i'm not sure why she would
(Trying to not be too spoilery, I will say) I thought it was pretty forecasted, sure, but it didn't bother me. It is such an intimate exploration of Andrew and his fragile emotional state that it felt like that gap--between his state of being oblivious and what seemed obvious/very likely to me as a reader--was just adding to the tone and atmosphere, commenting further on his connection to reality and how he was trying to anchor himself in something less monstrous than everything he found around him. I don't think the author *wanted* us to guess the ending that early on, but there is a sort of inevitability to fairy tales and folk horror that made me feel like the story as told made sense. I do understand how predicting endings, especially twist endings, can diminish the joy for some people. I have read so much and so widely, though, and my brain is always trying to problem-solve, it is very rare to be entirely surprised, that's part and parcel with being so heavily invested in any particular genre! Once I mostly accepted that I found it doesn't bother me as much (usually)...
I like how the author put a bunch of short stories in the novel. I would assume instead of a bunch of world building word fluff filler he used short stories to fill out the novel's length.
Not quite 😂 the world building is actually beautifully done. The little fairy tales they included are few and far between, and very short, just a paragraph or two. They do a lot of work to help the audience get into the mind of the main character, to be honest, and are great at setting atmosphere... but they are just additions to really strong writing overall.
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Just finished this, read it in less than a day. So beautifully written, I could read a hundred more chapters about Andrew and Thomas. Great review!
Thanks! I agree, it took my breath away. Though I also think it ended in a kind of perfect way, too, and I am glad it ended with me wanting more instead of with me feeling like it wore out its welcome.
Can someone please explain the ending to me i am so confused , who cut whose heart out to give to the forest , are andrew and thomas still alive?????
I try not to talk about spoilers in my reviews or here in the comments, so... SPOILERS below for anyone concerned.
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I think the ambiguity is part of the point. If I remember correctly, the first line of the Author's Afterword is something along the lines of, "If you are staring at a wall with a frustrated look on your face right now then I have done my job," or something like that. That final scene was written in such a way as either one or both of their hearts could have been cut out, and it could have been literal or metaphorical, and they could both be dead or alive... because those details aren't really what is important. What is important is that they are together, they found one another and saved one another in all the ways that matters. They faced the darkness, the magic born from pain and loss and grief, and found that together they were strong enough to conquer it. The details are incidental, it is the coming together, finding salvation not just in another but in the giving of yourself for another, that is what matters... Whether they lived or died, whether it was metaphor or literal, none of that really affects the underlying emotional truth of the ending.
The book cover is 10/10. Stunning as hell. I started the book last night and it’s so atmospheric. Gonna finish it today 😁
@@joeyq9953 I agree, the cover is gorgeous! More importantly, I felt like the contents lived up to the promises the cover was making. Hope you have fun with it!
i really enjoyed the story but i found the plot twist about dove to be too obvious, basically from the fist few chapters so i was frustrated that it only got revealed towards the end. i was hoping it was a red herring 😕 maybe the author wanted us to figure it out early but i'm not sure why she would
(Trying to not be too spoilery, I will say) I thought it was pretty forecasted, sure, but it didn't bother me. It is such an intimate exploration of Andrew and his fragile emotional state that it felt like that gap--between his state of being oblivious and what seemed obvious/very likely to me as a reader--was just adding to the tone and atmosphere, commenting further on his connection to reality and how he was trying to anchor himself in something less monstrous than everything he found around him.
I don't think the author *wanted* us to guess the ending that early on, but there is a sort of inevitability to fairy tales and folk horror that made me feel like the story as told made sense. I do understand how predicting endings, especially twist endings, can diminish the joy for some people. I have read so much and so widely, though, and my brain is always trying to problem-solve, it is very rare to be entirely surprised, that's part and parcel with being so heavily invested in any particular genre! Once I mostly accepted that I found it doesn't bother me as much (usually)...
I like how the author put a bunch of short stories in the novel. I would assume instead of a bunch of world building word fluff filler he used short stories to fill out the novel's length.
Not quite 😂 the world building is actually beautifully done. The little fairy tales they included are few and far between, and very short, just a paragraph or two. They do a lot of work to help the audience get into the mind of the main character, to be honest, and are great at setting atmosphere... but they are just additions to really strong writing overall.