I really love these books, the stories Serilda weaves, the details, the plot, the horror of the dark ones court. All of it is a tangled web that somehow unravels into a fantastical tale that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Serilda plays unwilling accomplice again and again. Thinking she can outsmart a demon/immortal. Or at least, hoping she can. Hoping the magical deal she made with Gild means their child will be safe. Thinking the Old Gods would be able to, or even care to, save mere mortals. The Alder King is a formidable foe. I was very intrigued to learn how the dark ones came to be. They are the bad deeds or emotions that mortal spirits shed when they enter the afterlife. The hate, the anger, the killing, murder, vice. No wonder they are so evil, but even still they dream of freedom and revenge for their place in the world. We are also introduced to his true home, and his castle appears to be haunted. The elements of horror jump off the page, as a young girl's giggles permeate the silences, as dark things slink in the darkness and lurk at the edges of Serilda's vision. The book is a bit long and I was glad for the audiobook to push through some portions. I think it could have been condensed a bit. But, overall this fantasy world is so rich with history, characters, and even heart, that it is hard not to be fully immersed and engaged. Gild and Serilda are adorable together and so clearly devoted to one another. They are not the greatest at communicating, but that is mostly because Serilda is one of those self punishers. She continues to think she must do all for herself to protect those she loves. The added element of the Old Gods was good. Their presence added depth and wonder to a story already made magical by the addition of dark fairies/demons. Then there is the hunt for the mythical beasts and what it could mean to the world, the hopelessness that Serilda feels when she figures out the truth and her part in the hunt. This story is loosely structured around the Rumpelstiltskin myth. However, the way that Marissa Meyer twisted and turned the story, in which Rumple became the good guy and Serilda giving her child was actually the right move, gave a breath of new life to this old tale. How the gold was used in order to create cages and ropes to hold the mythical beasts. How Gild's ancestry links to two princes who founded his Kingdom. And, like many fairy stories, and the Rumpelstiltskin tale, names hold power.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Currently ReadingGraphic Novel
Romance Audiobook
Archives
April 2024
|