Sarah Micklem

A fantasy in the tradition of "The Mists of Avalon, Firethorn" is an extraordinary tale--at once magical and violent, beautiful and frightening--about a bold young woman and her journey to the brink of war.

A Novel

Firethorn

Aleena Korell

DNF about a third in, which I never do. How do I even explain this? The writing is utterly beautiful, the type that speaks to your soul with things you've always known but never articulated or even thought. The first chapter sucked me in and if the whole book had been like that first chapter I'm sure it would be an instant and forever favorite. But it's not and the story takes a sharp veer aside, and after treading a little further into the story, I can tell that this one is not for me. For several reasons, one of which being that Firethorn's choices just don't sit well with me to the point where I'm really not enjoying reading about them. 

I skipped ahead, skimming several scenes that each made it seem like barely any time had passed and not much had happened that I couldn't infer. And (terrible, I know) I finally flipped to the end and read the last scene, which was lovely and sad and brilliantly written and I'm glad I did.

Because of all this, I don't really know how to rate it-- but I guess I have to stick with the middle of the road. Because I loved the writing. But I really don't care for the story, or even the characters. 

What a weird review, but there it is I guess.

Firethorn A Novel

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