| Title | : | Winterbourne's Daughter |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781620049228 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | ebook |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
| Publication | : | First published March 13, 2017 |
But the new queen knows Emeline is a threat, and will do whatever it takes to see the throne she's taken stays firmly in her grasp.
Winterbourne's Daughter Reviews
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god, that was fucked up.
and i enjoyed every minute of it.
this is quite possibly the best retelling of snow white i've ever read (i haven't read many, but ssh). the level of political intrigue and complexity of the characters reminded me of A Song of Ice and Fire; yes, it was that good.
the narrative was perfectly paced; one of my pet literary peeves is when there are plodding sections of 'filler' just for the sake of bulking the book out a bit, and i am glad that rabig did not commit that sin.
the extraordinarily diverse cast of characters was the cherry on top of the multifaceted, intricately plotted confection that was winterbourne's daughter. i honestly cannot recommend this book highly enough, and if you're a fan of asoiaf, it's a must-read. definitely an author to watch. -
A diverse and detailed fantasy world!
Winterbourne's Daughter is a fantasy novel, and like many fantasy novels it has a truly enormous cast of characters.
What makes this one so different and intriguing is how diverse those characters are. Of the four primary protagonists, there are two bisexual men, a trans woman (who is unable to physically transition because there is no medical or magical means for her to do so) and an asexual (but not aromantic) woman.
Polyamory is a norm, there is a nonbinary side character, and a neighboring kingdom is thought to be 'stifling' because at adulthood people have to choose to be either homosexual or heterosexual; bi or polysexuality is frowned upon. Even the 'bad guys' respect people's chosen gender pronouns almost all the time, though there is one distressing scene where Lisette's hair is cut off and she is forced back into boy's clothing.
That's not to say that there is no discrimination in this book; indeed, the conflict arises primarily from a huge class divide between a caste of aristocrats and Everyone Else. There are some dark parts as well, including a fair bit of torture and death, so it may not be for everyone. I thoroughly enjoyed it, however, and I'd highly recommend to anyone who enjoys fantasy and would like to read a book with some gender diversity as a central theme. Five stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through ReadingAlley. -
High fantasy with some true diversity - asexual/bisexual, cisgender/transgender, and polyamorous - but the plot took a long time to come together. It was still an entertaining read, but I was constantly aware that I was waiting for something significant to happen.
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This book has a deliciously diverse cast of characters, but I'm halfway through and there doesn't seem to be a central plot tying everything together. Abandonment beckons.
It starts off very promisingly and I was much looking forward to the story of Lisette, the ten-year-old transgender princess, who experiences a drastic change in fortunes after a coup results in the death of her mother and one of her fathers. Rather than swear allegiance to her surviving father, she prefers to live as a bondservant, exiled to live "downstairs" and serve others.
However, the story meanders as a number of other characters are introduced, including Emeline the royal mistress, the huntsman, the champion of deathfights and the royal executioner. Some sections also read rather flat, and you struggle to make sense of what's happening. My review copy says it's an uncorrected proof, but it's more an unedited manuscript. This book could well be a diamond in the rough, but doesn't live up to its promise in its present form.
(Review copy from NetGalley.) -
Loved it!! This was a random readathon pick to fit the prompt for a Queer book with a winter vibe and pre/non medical transition. I was worried at first because there were only 18 ratings but I realized that is usually the case with indie books which I believe this is. I am sooo glad I took a chance, it worked out perfectly!!
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Review forthcoming - let see what the book club has to say about this first
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Alloro ace MC
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https://aspeccharactersoftheday.tumbl... -
This is a book with many fairytales woven together and altered slightly.
I've always enjoyed fairytales and to have different sexual leanings for each main character was interesting too. A woman born a boy is our main protagonist Lissette as her world is thrown asunder but 2 of her parents murders by their 3rd.
This story was long but I loved each character and what they brought to the story with their love and strength to carry on even when it felt like all was lost. -
I wanted to finish this book. I really did. But I’m going to be honest and admit that I only made it to about the 15% mark. This just wasn’t the book for me. I always support queer authors and publishers, so I hope this book sells–I hope the right audience members find it and love the shit out of it–but I am not one of those audience members, and I most certainly did not love the shit out of it.
Check out my blog to find out specifics (though I did think the book had some vaguely interesting class politics). -
This is a book that I loved in theory...and didn't like at all in practice. For one thing, when the story starts, Lisette is nine? NINE. Which is fine if you mention that in the blurb, or if there's immediately a big time jump, but I wasn't expecting a child protagonist when I requested the title.
Thumbs up for diversity and cover art, thumbs down for actual content and plotting. Too many characters and no reason to care about them.
