Helpful Score: 3
Great story of witchlore and love that moves along quickly. Easy and enjoyable reading.
Helpful Score: 3
Surprisingly unmoony story of a serving girl who falls in love with a high born warrior and follows him into war. Very Good
Helpful Score: 2
A most creative and interesting read. The author held this story next to her heart for years as she wrote, rewrote and finally finished the tale to the delight of her readers. To add realism to her tale, she examined works by historians, sociologists, journalists and anthropologists. Firethorn is the heroine, a young mudwoman who is claimed by one of the Blood as his sheath to accompany him when he goes to war. She is strong-willed, loving and dedicated to Sire Galan who grows to love this young woman with the fiery hair. They endure societal ridicule, injury, and almost lose all as the book progresses. Enjoyed this write so much that I decided I should read the second in the series. Hope that Wildfire is as just as good!
Oddly, I quite enjoyed this novel. I say 'oddly' because it contains some key elements that I tend to dislike. For instance, it's essentially a romance, which I don't read. Set in some imaginary world's Middle Ages, a low-born girl with an independent streak falls for a high-born bad boy. The treatment of women ranges from chauvinistic to misogynistic, and the protagonist's attraction to her lover could be incomprehensible -- even downright disturbing -- if taken out of its medieval context. (Though given the popularity of 'Fifty Shades of Grey,' perhaps I'm wrong about that.)
Also, there is little definitive fantasy. There are frequent references to the story's own, original mythology, but the reader really can decide for him/herself whether invocations and sacrifices actually were effective or whether events are attributed to gods only because of the characters' worldview. Equally ambiguous are the narrator's dreams and out-of-body experiences -- or are they prophetic visions and paranormal activity? Is Firethorn merely a talented herbalist with a vivid imagination or a budding witch with a good heart? This is not to suggest that the author intended these questions as themes; the focus of the story is on the relationship and the protagonist's subsequent tribulations. I simply expected more conventional, unequivocal fantasy.
There is also what some might consider excessive detail. It might take several pages for the protagonist to find a needed herb, for example, and along the way we will meet every tree, shrub and rock she comes across. Occasionally I found this tiresome, but overall, Micklem's writing and research were so strong as to silence my would-be complaints. The believable and intriguing narrator really draws you in to her world. I found the book hard to put down, and I am likely to read the sequel.
Also, there is little definitive fantasy. There are frequent references to the story's own, original mythology, but the reader really can decide for him/herself whether invocations and sacrifices actually were effective or whether events are attributed to gods only because of the characters' worldview. Equally ambiguous are the narrator's dreams and out-of-body experiences -- or are they prophetic visions and paranormal activity? Is Firethorn merely a talented herbalist with a vivid imagination or a budding witch with a good heart? This is not to suggest that the author intended these questions as themes; the focus of the story is on the relationship and the protagonist's subsequent tribulations. I simply expected more conventional, unequivocal fantasy.
There is also what some might consider excessive detail. It might take several pages for the protagonist to find a needed herb, for example, and along the way we will meet every tree, shrub and rock she comes across. Occasionally I found this tiresome, but overall, Micklem's writing and research were so strong as to silence my would-be complaints. The believable and intriguing narrator really draws you in to her world. I found the book hard to put down, and I am likely to read the sequel.
Oddly, I quite enjoyed this novel. I say 'oddly' because it contains some key elements that I tend to dislike. For instance, it's essentially a romance, which I don't read. Set in some imaginary world's Middle Ages, a low-born girl with an independent streak falls for a high-born bad boy. The treatment of women ranges from chauvinistic to misogynistic, and the protagonist's attraction to her lover could be incomprehensible -- even downright disturbing -- if taken out of its medieval context. (Though given the popularity of 'Fifty Shades of Grey,' perhaps I'm wrong about that.)
Also, there is little definitive fantasy. There are frequent references to the story's own, original mythology, but the reader really can decide for him/herself whether invocations and sacrifices actually were effective or whether events are attributed to gods only because of the characters' worldview. Equally ambiguous are the narrator's dreams and out-of-body experiences -- or are they prophetic visions and paranormal activity? Is Firethorn merely a talented herbalist with a vivid imagination or a budding witch with a good heart? This is not to suggest that the author intended these questions as themes; the focus of the story is on the relationship and the protagonist's subsequent tribulations. I simply expected more conventional, unequivocal fantasy.
There is also what some might consider excessive detail. It might take several pages for the protagonist to find a needed herb, for example, and along the way we will meet every tree, shrub and rock she comes across. Occasionally I found this tiresome, but overall, Micklem's writing and research were so strong as to silence my would-be complaints. The believable and intriguing narrator really draws you in to her world. I found the book hard to put down, and I am likely to read the sequel.
Also, there is little definitive fantasy. There are frequent references to the story's own, original mythology, but the reader really can decide for him/herself whether invocations and sacrifices actually were effective or whether events are attributed to gods only because of the characters' worldview. Equally ambiguous are the narrator's dreams and out-of-body experiences -- or are they prophetic visions and paranormal activity? Is Firethorn merely a talented herbalist with a vivid imagination or a budding witch with a good heart? This is not to suggest that the author intended these questions as themes; the focus of the story is on the relationship and the protagonist's subsequent tribulations. I simply expected more conventional, unequivocal fantasy.
There is also what some might consider excessive detail. It might take several pages for the protagonist to find a needed herb, for example, and along the way we will meet every tree, shrub and rock she comes across. Occasionally I found this tiresome, but overall, Micklem's writing and research were so strong as to silence my would-be complaints. The believable and intriguing narrator really draws you in to her world. I found the book hard to put down, and I am likely to read the sequel.
This is a very adult version of a fantasy story.
