First I fell in love with the cover then I fell in love with the story.
The world building is amazing, the cast of characters well thought and interesting, the plot flows and you don't want to stop reading.
An excellent and entertaining read, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a female protagonist who describes a male character as both insufferable and loathsome must kiss him by the end of the book."

This book opens with an author biography in which Jamie Thomas declares her intention to “smash the patriarchy one novel at a time!” I have to assume that she is referring to some future novel, as this one barely so much as flinches in the patriarchy’s direction.
Asperfell is a Young Adult novel which features just about every standard-issue YA fantasy trope possible. From a spunky not-like-other-girls Strong Female Protagonist to a ‘romance’ built entirely upon snarky dialogue and glares, this book has it all. Does the protagonist have special powers? Of course she does! Are her powers even more special than everybody else’s special powers? You betcha! Does she gain access to those powers by being put in a position where she’s about to get raped? ...Unfortunately, yes.
Even the parts of the plot that can’t be described as just plain tropey are painfully predictable. The stated goal of the protagonist is to escape from Asperfell. When she manages to find time between gardening, attending balls, and glaring at Prince Tall, Dark, and Handsome to actually pursue this goal—she gets stuck trying to figure out a cryptic clue. And by cryptic I of course mean so blindingly obvious she probably should have thought to do it before even being given the clue. Aside from the ‘mystery’ being less complex than a bad Scooby-Doo plot, this novel also features: the main character spending over a third of the book agonizing over not having any special powers (mm-hm), a necromancer who has sworn never to use her powers again (sure), and a kind old mentor who turns out to be evil (gasp!).
It actually saddens me to have to bash this book as much as I am. Somewhere, hidden under the non-romance and predictable plot, there is an actually clever concept that I really want to love. Asperfell as a setting is wonderful. I very much enjoyed the parts of the book where we are just shown how society functions in this magic prison colony. We meet several characters along the way who are great quirky little additions to this world. I laughed out loud at the description of the antics of an odd couple of necromancers whose task is to guard the graveyard!
Regrettably, a highly original cool setting and a good number of characters with potential come together in this book only to be buried underneath a never-ending torrent of YA tropes and a plot consisting of a series of completely predictable ‘twists’.


Would recommend this book to people who: read the first half of A Game of Thrones and thought ‘I wish this were more like Twilight’ – are intrigued by the premise ‘magical prison colony’ – like their YA tropes played straight

**I received an electronic ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Jamie Thomas brings us the first book in a new fantasy series, Asperfell. Asperfell is, first and foremost, a prison for mages. A sentenced mage will walk through the gate to this new world where they remain forever cut off from the world they once knew. Readers follow Briony, a noblewoman whose father is on the privy council to the king.

When the beloved king is murdered by his son, Elyan, the heir to the throne is sentenced to Asperfell. The second son, Keric, takes the throne and wages war on mages. When Briony is found to be an unregistered mage, she is sent through to Asperfell in a desperate attempt to locate Elyan and bring him back. But no one has ever returned from Asperfell.

In general, I really enjoyed this book. I love the magic system and the wide variety of options in the elemental-type magic. There is a mystery that runs through the book as well, which Briony and friends must solve. There are some things that I think were meant to be surprising in the resolution of the mystery plotline, but were very clearly foreshadowed and were not surprising in the least. That being said, the execution of the "twist"s was well done and made sense within the world, so I wasn't upset about it.

I found Elyan to be the most compelling character, but was also very interested in Arlo and Thaniel. I was pleased to find that none of the main characters particularly annoyed me, as there tends to always be a main character in fantasy books that I actively dislike.

Overall, a solid start to a series with a very clear direction for the sequel. I look forward to reading more by Thomas in the future.

Asperfell is about Briony, a privileged girl who's family is a part of the King's court. After the King is murdered by his eldest son with magic, his younger son takes over the throne. The eldest son, Elyan is banished to Asperfell - a prison in another world. With a new ruler, a rein of terror begins, targeting mages and anyone who aids them. Briony's father is skeptical of Elyan's guilt and seeks to find the truth. In a tragic turn of events, Briony's family falls from the King's good graces and she ends up being sent to Asperfell to save her family and her kingdom.

I thought the plot of the book sounded interesting, but I was surprised how much of a page turner this book became. The book went into a lot of detail on how the events during Briony's childhood lead up to the beginnings of a civil war. It didn't seem like there were any plot holes; everything was well laid out without being mundane. Briony is a strong willed and intelligent character, and despite being a bit of an underdog is able to persevere and stand up for herself. There was character development for several of the characters. I am extremely excited to see where this trilogy will go.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
My work and sleep suffered at the hands of this book as I simply could not put it down. It had a little bit of what I would consider a slow start with about 7 chapters of what I can only describe as a back story but there is a reason for all this. I was being impatient as I wanted to know what Briony did to get thrown in mage prison.

This is a well-written book with a different premise and one you will find hard to put down.

Wow. Read this in a day when I downloaded it from #Netgalley. A little bit of a slow start but it contained rich world building and a well explained magic system. And what a finish! A few twists and turns I didn’t see coming. All the characters were well thought out and all interactions between characters had a point. Great book, now when is the sequel released? #asperfell

I don’t know what exactly I was expecting from Asperfell, but those expectations were far surpassed. This debut novel is a bit of a slow burn, but it’s incredibly well written. The grammar and formatting are positively immaculate, which speaks highly of Thomas’s professionalism as an author; it’s obvious that she invested a lot of time in editing and perfecting Asperfell before introducing it to the world. And her way with words is impeccable. Actually, I would even say that the setting and writing reminded me the tiniest bit of Guy Gavriel Kay, who is a phenomenally talented craftsman of an author. It also had a Regency tone and flair to it. If Guy Gavriel Kay and Jane Austen teamed up to write a young adult fantasy novel, it would look something like Asperfell.

Though I was immediately intrigued by the synopsis, I feared that Asperfell would feel very young adult, which is a very hit-or-miss genre for me. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. While it did veer more in that direction as the book neared its zenith, it didn’t feel cliche in the slightest. Instead, Asperfell took the elements of YA that I love, like having a plucky heroine who finds herself in over her head but is determined to rise to the occasion anyway, and translated said elements into a story I could truly connect with while delivering a story that felt fresh instead of regurgitating tired and over-used plot points. Thomas employed so many different tropes that I love without any of them seeming weak. And she did so seamlessly. A coming-of-age narrative, political intrigue, mystery, romance, and even a bit of magical schooling all exist harmoniously in this novel. There were also Regency levels of snark and sass, which were incredibly entertaining. There were also some incredibly subtle pop culture references to fandoms I love, like Harry Potter and Doctor Who. So subtle in fact that I’m not quite sure that I didn’t make them up and decide to see things that aren’t actually there.

Briony is such a remarkable character. She is strong, curious, intelligent, and pure of heart without seeming stuffy or self-righteous. I very much enjoyed being given the opportunity to watch her grow up, and to being allowed to see through her eyes how her kingdom changed radically over the course of her young life. However, as much as I appreciated this introduction, to me the story didn’t start shining until we reached Asperfell itself. Asperfell is such an intriguingly original locale, and I was captivated by each new tidbit of knowledge revealed in its hallways and garden plots.

While I very much enjoyed this book, it fell a bit short for me at the end. The villain’s identity was fairly predictable, in my opinion, and the climactic scenes went a little Deus ex Machina, resulting in a finale sequence that felt oddly abrupt. And while the ending was technically an ending, it left me wanting much more resolution. However, even though I was a bit unsatisfied by the ending, I absolutely loved the world building and character development in Asperfell. I dearly hope there will be future installments returning to this world.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book! Really enjoyed the scene setting at the beginning - describing the slow changes in the kingdom under a new King, I really hope this continues to be explored in the next book. I felt invested in the characters and couldn't wait to read what happened next. Can't wait for the sequel!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a riveting tale in all its mysterious, dark, magical, and twisted glory. I'll just say right out the gate, that I really enjoyed it! Jamie Thomas' style of writing in this book is, as many people have said, very Jane Austen-esque and I didn't mind at all. It neither irked nor deterred me from enjoying this story.

When I think about it, the pacing of this book should have been burdensome, but never was because each part ended up feeling like it had its purpose. This felt almost like 2 stories in 1, separated between Briony's childhood and then young adulthood. The author provides an onslaught of detailed descriptions and information and yet it never feels overwhelming or unnecessary. It actually aids in a more complete understanding of the world of Asperfell. Thomas artfully places bits of information throughout the story that would later become important to the plot so that if one is paying close attention, they could slowly piece together all the little mysteries in Asperfell.

As far as the characters go, this is one brigade of characters! Such varying types of visuals, ages, and personalities portrayed. Jamie Thomas has some way of making me invested in all the characters, even our background supporting characters. Now thats talent! Usually, with this many major and minor characters introduced. I can lose track or become turned off, but somehow Thomas' writing kept me engaged and I felt like I was just watching a movie. The various characters were a pivotal part of the overall world-building which was truly thorough and fantastically done.

My only want is for there to have been a heavier lean into the romance and a lot sooner. I mean, I could use more Elyan any day!

Overall, did the story and characters mirror YA fantasy tropes we se all the time? Absolutely. Did that stop me from reading all hours of the night and into morning? Nope. I was blazing through this story. I recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy and magic with a touch of gothic darkness and dread. I highly anticipate the next book in this trilogy and cant wait to see what happens as our band of characters continue their journey!

Asperfell is a wonderful fantasy book. The setting is different from any fantasy book that I have read. Convicted mages are sent through a one-way gate to another world instead of being put in a local prison. Briony did not show any signs of being magical, but after the king was allegedly killed by his son, his other son sentenced his brother to Asperfell and cracked down on anybody with magical abilities.

After an illness, Briony and her sister were sent to live on the distant family estate with an aunt. Eventually they were hunted down there under suspicion of being magical. To help save her kingdom, Briony goes through the gate to Asperfell to find help. The book ends on a cliff hanger and now I am impatiently waiting for the next book to come out.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and thoroughly enjoyed it.

TW: Attempted sexual assault and sexual abuse is mentioned via memories

Asperfell follows Briony, the privileged daughter of one of the king's men. It starts off when she overhears that the king is dead and the crown prince is the killer. She along with her family, see the son, Elyan, be banished to Asperfell. Asperfell is a prison that was created for mages who have committed terrible crimes. Once the mages have been banished, they can never come back. Briony is set to the countryside after she falls sick. She is raised with her aunt and nothing really happens until one day, a letter arrives from her father informing her that he has been accused of treason and that she needs to go. Briony is captured by the king's men and is set to be executed. Through a series of events, she escapes to Asperfell. There she meets mages who have been imprisoned, some for many years and Elyan, the exiled crown prince. Asperfell has a dark secret and Briony starts to discover her powers. She hears whispers of unrest and her plan to escape suddenly becomes more desperate.

I had my issues with Asperfell and mainly because I felt as if the story dragged. The first half felt extremely long and I found my attention fading while trying to read. The first person point of view was odd since Briony is 8 years old at the beginning of the book. There was social commentary from an 8 year old that read much older. The book didn't really take off for me until about 75% in. I love world building but in Asperfell I wanted to skip it all. The magic was pretty cool and standard so I dont have an issue with it. The book tries hard to appear gothic but for me, that wasn't achieved until about 75% in. Sure, the old house, spirits, and odd people were all included but didn't have a dark feel to it.

Briony was fine but not memorable. I will say that her magic was pretty cool. Props to the writer for giving Briony the one gift that she requires her voice. The romance between Briony and Elyan was expected but it also fell flat for me. I wish they had had more interactions away from Elyan having something smart to say. Another issue that I had was that I have no idea what the characters look like. I know that Briony has red hair, fair skin, and freckled. Elyan has dark curls and bright blue eyes. Everyone else had maybe one description of their hair or eyes but that is all. WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE?

As mentioned above, the story have a few attempts of sexual assault. Asperfell is a fantasy book therefore literally anything can be added and taken away. I am tired of women (in books and general) being subject to sexual assault.

Shout out to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in advance in exchange for an honest review.

Asperfell is a delightful surprise of a book. The cover does little to call attention and in truth, the novel does not get off to a good start, leaning pretty heavily on YA fantasy tropes, but in my opinion the storytelling and worldbuilding more than redeem the piece. Most of what follows will contain spoilers to some degree, but I'll try to avoid them.

Briony and her sister Livia are nobly born young ladies and Livia, the elder, is the perfect courtier and Briony is a wild child. This is a world where magic manifests young, so when Briony falls inexplicably feverish and is then hastily shipped off to the country an experienced reader will recognize that her ailment came from being a late bloomer. The king, by the way, hates mages because one killed his father, I suppose, though his uneven treatment of them is a little bewildering. (As an important note, the mage who killed the king's father was the king's older brother, Elyan, who was sentenced to imprisonment in the eponymous Asperfell, which is another world only accessible by mages through a gate.) Please note, it takes almost a quarter of the book for the narration to cover more than events occurring elsewhere, not to Briony, but the author nevertheless keeps the novel interesting and moving apace. One thing leads to another and when Briony is twenty her father's efforts to protect mages and control the young king go badly and she is discovered, but unexpected allies cast her into Asperfell to save her life, imploring her to find Elyan and bring him back to save the realm.

Within Asperfell there is more worldbuilding that takes place, embellishing what we already know about mages and developing a cast of characters who are entertaining, if a little bit predictable. People who cling to their nobility even after being cast into Asperfell are basically unpleasant. Younger, prettier people who are more likely to be relatable to Briony (and the reader) are more likely to be good guys (good guys who are in mage prison, let's not forget). The prison world setting feels fresh because it is a fantasy world and not a futuristic dystopia, and I enjoyed that. I do have a slight quibble with the number of young characters appearing, given the fact that sentencing mages to Asperfell was a practice that was tapering off and then cut off nearly completely. More people should have been middle-aged or older. But it was truly refreshing to read a fantasy novel with a female protagonist who wasn't in her teens for the bulk of the action. As a male lead, Elyan checked a lot of my boxes, and being positively ancient for a fantasy hero (twenty eight!) was just delightful. A character I can appreciate without feeling like I'm committing a crime.

Another thing I liked a great deal about Asperfell was the development of relationships between characters. It takes seasons for them to get to know one another, and by the time things start to move faster, there are some wonderfully written scenes of slow burning yearning that I went back and reread a few times before moving on. And I must say, even my desire to linger over well-written scenes was insufficient to keep the plot itself from pulling me in and pulling me forward. I stayed an hour late at work in the hope I'd be able to finish before I went home for the night (and not just because characters did sensible kinds of historical research in addition to interviewing magical shadows for information, which always makes me happy as a librarian).

Author Thomas gives readers a lot of clues throughout the piece, alluding offhandedly to events which took place in the past or to intriguing side characters who seem to be only passing fancies. Most notably the importance of two names that are mentioned early in the book as part of what looks like your everyday worldbuilding infodump but which prove to be very important later on. I tested myself to see if I could recall them any better than the characters, having read them within twenty four hours rather than several years and nope! Well done, Thomas! The Cat was another of those things that seemed to be a passing curiosity and turned out to be indicative of more important matters. Myself, I was just glad that he didn't turn out to be like The Magicians' Cancer Puppy. I cannot help but hope that an early mention of the young queen of Sidonia, who kept her claim to the throne by killing her rivals in their beds, will prove another such mention later in the series, because she seemed badass. (I assume this is a series because I desperately want another book with these characters.)

Speaking of series, the ending to this book was exciting, if a bit drawn out. The peak of the action happens and then there's a smaller action sequence that follows and it winds down into a kiss at a campsite that I pray means the book's sequel (please sequels!) amounts to more than a prolonged camping trip through dangerland (looking at you, Rowling). I'll still read it, because there are several loose ends I very much want to watch resolve, but I'd like to see more intrigue and human interaction than fighting beasties, because it was the human interaction and social worldbuilding that made Asperfell appeal so much to me.

Anyway, terrific book. Definitely recommended for fans of YA fantasy or lighter adult fantasy who are tired of reading about teenage assassins but aren't in the mood for grimdark. Also, I want a print copy when it's out in paperback.

Conspiracy, vivid characters, and clever uses for magic.

When the king is murdered and the crown prince banished to the magical prison of Asperfell, Briony Tenebrae follows her family to the capital, where her father is chief advisor to the new King Keric. The young girl is curious and intrepid, and more interested in eavesdropping on political meetings or chatting with the master mage than learning etiquette. As King Keric grows in age and cruelty, his edicts spread paranoia of mages across the kingdom, and Briony is sent with her sister to a distant family house. Sequestered with an aging aunt, Briony relies on annual visits from her father's servant to receive news of her family, the capital, and the tragic fate befalling those with magic. However, no distance is truly safe, and in a whirlwind of events, Briony finds herself dragged from isolation, scrutinized by the king, then charged by her closest friend to do the one thing that can stop King Keric - find the crown prince in Asperfell.

I loved Asperfell. It is both dark and chilling yet charmingly provincial. Unreformable prisoners dwell in the caverns underground, guarded by stalwart Battlemages. Necromancers tend the graveyard, careful to (try to) not raise the dead. Others tend the garden, mend clothes, and mind the kitchens - all with the aid of magic.

I'd encourage those who struggle with the opening chapters to at least read as far as Briony's arrival in Asperfell. For me, this is where the book really came to life, and the focus shifts from mostly politics to individual character stories.

Briony feels very down to earth. While disinclined to following rules, she works diligently to help others and learn new skills, and she is brazenly unafraid of the opinions of others. She is an honest narrator, quick to recognize both fear and courage.

While uncovering mysteries about her home and Asperfell, Briony collects stories of her fellow prisoners, and I'm looking forward to seeing her band of friends work together in the next book.

**Received eARC from Netgalley**

Great story about ayoung woman who discovers she is magic and because of this is send to another world. There she tries to survive, learn about her magic and searches a way home.

Asperfell was a wonderfully designed novel. Magic and murder all tangled up together had me turning the pages faster and faster. Our story opens up on the eve of a King's murder and the sentencing of his first born son, a mage no less, as the murderer. He is sentences to Asperfell, a prison for mages who have committed heinous crimes. Once they are sent through the Gates they can never return. Paranoid with the fear of those with any magic at all, the prince's brother, now king, creates a registry and so begins a magical purge.

Jamie Thomas crafted a world, and a main character that was believable and lovable. Finding ourselves mirrored in Briony Tenebrae. She is a wild creature, not meant for the preening masses that assemble at court, and we cheer her on in her quest from the moment she embarks upon it.

While I at first thought the novel began a bit slowly after the revelation of murder, I understand the necessity to create the tension and portray the deterioration of the world as we are originally introduced to it. We follow Briony through many twists and turns, and while some twists were entirely predictable, the craftsmanship and world building made those anticipated turns less shocking than I would normally find them to be.

This novel is a great addition to the New Adult category, and I highly recommend the read to anyone who has their imaginations deep in the magical recesses of murderers, thieves, and the wrongly accused.

It is quite something that I could make time to read between Christmas and today (which is my birthday, so a lot of planning and all going on), while settling in on a new job. Asperfell was totally worth doing so! The worldbuilding is so good, and so intense, I could not help but love both Tiralean and Asperfell itself, however grim both were and became. The same goes for the characters. Not one of them is perfect, but they all have something to them that made me like them in some way, and made me really root for the good guys, and feel the pang of betrayal of the bad ones. Then the plot, it never felt slow, but also never hurried, and it kept me at the edge of my seat. I loved it, and I already look forward to part 2 so much!

This is a story about a fantasy kingdom descending into anti-magic totalitarianism, from the perspective of a girl, later woman, who discovers a family secret and takes on a family tradition and a quest to try to right the wrongs of her world. It's the first of a planned trilogy, since I'm cursed to unintentionally begin trilogies long before final book publication is in sight.

It took me a moment to get past the initial sentences, which weren't in natural language at all, and were a bit awkward even for the intention of evoking a medieval fantasy setting, but I did read on and I did enjoy the story. Even though clues about and resolutions to various mysteries were highly telegraphed from chapters away, and—just in case you weren't already taking notes—the author was always sure to include a reminder of any relevant long-ago references a few pages before each resolution, I did enjoy the mysteries. It helped that each mystery and its resolution involved a lot of dense, world-building <em>lore</em> (catnip to my kind of fantasy fan).

I was enthralled by this book almost from the first page. It is a YA fiction but I think many adults would thoroughly enjoy this too .

Yes there is familiarity here and some tropes are clear but still the strength of the plot and dialogue is such that it keeps you turning pages

There is magic, romance and wit at work here and it gallops along at a fair old whip once the exposition at the start is completed.

I will happily seek out the next book in this series as I just have to know what happens next!!!!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC this is my honest review !

ARC from NetGalley

3.5

The first 75% of this book was an easy 4 stars from me. The ending I take issue with. There wasn't sufficient foreshadowing, and the villain is a surprise only because of this. You are thrust into the breadcrumbs that lead us to book #2, unfortunately the price being the ending of book #1.

Looking back, I can see that certain little quests the characters went on were only to set the stage for a point of convenience later on. It cheapens it. It feels like an afterthought. One of the fights towards the end was just like *fight fight fight* "oh wait magic! I forgot I had magic!" And it just made me mad. I feel cheated out of the ending this book could have had.

Okay. I am done complaining. The majority of this book I quite liked. It was a page-turner. Great if you like YA fantasy. Hits a lot of the tropes, hits them well. A few things feel like they've already been done, but that's because they have. In like every YA fantasy to come before it. NBD. It's got neat magic and great imagery. The MC is likeable. The love interested is shipable. *shrug*

***I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Uproar Books!***

I wanted to like this book. I really really wanted to like this book. It is exactly the type of book that I normally enjoy. A young, spunky female lead character. Magic. Society that seems to be based on a Victorian standard. Mysteries. Prisons. Other planes of existence. But I just couldn’t like it.

The writing is very good and thus why I gave this a two star rating over a one star. The dialogue is engaging, the plot moves at a fairly good pace, and the narrative flows beautifully. The first half of the book seemed a bit on the slow side while the second half was very rushed but that is my only complaint about the writing.

WARNING: From this point on there will be lots of spoilers, consider yourself warned.

This book has never met a young adult trope that it didn’t like….and utilize…..frequently. Let me preface where my opinion is coming from on this novel. The very first sentence, before I even hit the first chapter is that the author wants to “smash the patriarchy one novel at a time!”. Now, I will also explain that I am rather tired of reading militantly feminist literature, it seems to be everywhere these days. Normally I can overlook an author’s personal views or opinions about the book and just take the book for the story it presents. But not when that’s what you open with. The very first thing you told me about your story is that it’s smashing patriarchy with its strong female characters so you need to live up to that. You have now infused that idea into your novel and need to deliver.

This did not deliver. Instead I got the same old tired tropes of the young adult genre that feminist readers complain about constantly. How exactly are you smashing patriarchy? By presenting me tropes that I’ve been reading since I was 13 years old?

Briony is just like every young adult female lead character. She is spunky, sassy, strong willed, and bucks the patriarchal system that she was born into. Her older sister is the perfect lady of the court. This isn’t a new dynamic and it can be a good one when used correctly. I didn’t actually mind this because it set up Briony as a character who is questing to be knowledgeable. Knowledge and wisdom will be her weapon in the fight against what society has said her place is. That’s all well and good. My problems start when Briony gets to Asperfell.

Naturally she instantly dislikes Prince Elyan. He is dour, brooding, and wants nothing to do with her and largely he is exactly what one expects from the young adult male lead. I assumed Briony would be on a mission to find the answer to take him home whether he protested or not. But…..she doesn’t. Within the space of a chapter she seems to have completely forgotten about her mission and just goes along with working in the gardens and learning magic all while throwing a glare at Elyan when he deigns to make an appearance. He, of course, is primarily there to ridicule her efforts before disappearing again.

It wasn’t until about the last forty pages that Briony suddenly remembers that she is supposed to be getting Elyan back to their homeland. And only because someone whacked her across the head with the information that would lead her to that goal. She was far too busy trading gossip, learning magic, gardening, and making sarcastic remarks at Elyan to actually discover the answer on her own.

Another trope, instalove. Authors think that they are avoiding this if their characters start off hating each other. But Briony and Elyan go from coldly tolerating each other to gazing at each other affectionately literally in the space of a single dance. So not quite instalove but maybe 3 1/2 minute love? Microwave love? Be sure to wait for the ding!

Briony was also revealed to not be that strong or much of a feminist either. The most offensive example of this is when another character attempts to sexually assault her. Okay, we kind of have to assume that’s what he’s doing because it doesn’t get very far but I’m fairly confident that’s where this was headed. Briony courageously defends herself. She fights off her attacker and escapes to safety before the situation escalates into anything much worse. I was cheering for her! I was so proud of her for reacting in her own defense so decisively and swiftly. But then she decides to have a whole inner monologue about how she feels shame about the situation. Why exactly? Surely you would be feeling scared but also proud of yourself? She even says to herself that she has nothing to feel ashamed about…..but then concludes that thought with “but I do” and moves on. Is this really an example of a strong woman? Feeling shame about something that you recognize should not be causing you shame and during which you admirably protected yourself? I was highly disappointed.

Next we have the other young adult trope that I despise so much. Briony does something very stupid and reckless. She recognizes internally that it was reckless and stupid. But when Elyan points out that it was reckless and stupid then she yells at him about it. Because, how dare he think that he can control her! He doesn’t own her! She can do what she likes without him! Does anyone actually think that this is the makings of a strong woman? Actual thoughts that she had. No one was trying to control her or prevent her from doing anything on her own. She made a reckless and foolish decision, but because a male confronts her about it then he’s controlling. Then later he, naturally, apologizes for daring to question her reckless, foolish behavior because he was just so scared of losing her. And she gets to walk away feeling smug. Strong women rejoice! Patriarchy smashed!

Finally, the ending. We spent a very long time getting to Asperfell. We spent an equally long time gardening and learning magic in Asperfell. That left about 60 pages for the conclusion. I thought the conclusion was supposed to be the rescue of Elyan from Asperfell and delivering him back home. Except that didn’t happen. The book ends with them in the woods. On their way to a potential way to get home, but they aren’t actually sure it will work yet. And of course, it ends with a kiss. Frankly, it left me wondering what exactly the point was? We couldn’t spare another 30 pages to actually get back to Tiralaen? And then end it once they have successfully left Asperfell? I recognize that we’re setting up a sequel here, but the sequel works just as well starting with the moments after they escape Asperfell as the moments before.

Overall, this story reminded me of every single bad young adult novel I’ve ever read. Exactly the same characters. Exactly the same plot devices. Exactly the same tropes.