Patricia A. McKillip

The bards of Bone Plain

Christine

absolutely did not understand this book. dont really care enough to think too hard about it either .. i wanted so desperately to understand like, idk, fire and hemlock, but this one i'm just like yea ok that happened. Cool! i called it from like chapter 2 btw. def not McKillip's best work. still decently enjoyable. i just did not care enough about anything .. Phelan was kinda cool i guess and Jonah but it was just so. weirdly janky otherwise & i didn't really get into Zoe (i liked her, but didn't love) or Beatrice (i did like the whole vaguely steampunky society with a princess going on archeological digs - banger) or the rest of them. Nairn's story was just Strange with a capital S which i get is the point but also jarring in the rest of the narrative??? i know it weaves back in but i didn't really like the wack pacing? idk i'm generally just confused. atmospherically, great! definitely McKillip! bards and minstrels! but i am just bewildered and confuzzled. also there was absolutely no clear thread of romance it just abruptly Showed Up ? ? ????? im really baffled by this book tbh i'm not confused in the sense of how the narratives intertwine i even mostly got the vague magic part it is just SO odd and i did not connect at all. DID like the way we got to read Phelan's work. anyway. i still love McKillip i should reread riddle-master now thinking about it

The bards of Bone Plain

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