| Title | : | Lady Hotspur (Innis Lear, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0765392496 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780765392497 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 592 |
| Publication | : | First published January 7, 2020 |
Hal was once a knight, carefree and joyous, sworn to protect her future queen Banna Mora. But after a rebellion led by her own mother, Caleda, Hal is now the prince of Lionis, heir to the throne. The pressure of her crown and bloody memories of war plague her, as well as a need to shape her own destiny, no matter the cost.
Lady Hotspur, known as the Wolf of Aremoria for her temper and warcraft, never expected to be more than a weapon. She certainly never expected to fall in love with the fiery Hal or be blindsided by an angry Queen’s promise to remake the whole world in her own image—a plan Hotspur knows will lead to tragedy.
Banna Mora kept her life, but not her throne. Fleeing to Innis Lear to heal her heart and plot revenge, the stars and roots of Innis Lear will teach her that the only way to survive a burning world is to learn to breathe fire.
These three women, together or apart, are the ones who have the power to bring the once-powerful Aremoria back to life—or destroy it forever.
Lady Hotspur (Innis Lear, #2) Reviews
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If I’m being super picky, 4.75 because we got off to a rough start.
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Holy shit.
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3,5⭐️
Tengo que reconocer que la historia engancha desde el principio.
Sus tres protagonistas se ven enfrentadas ante una rebelión que derroca al rey, por lo que Banna Mora, su sucesora debe renunciar a todo aquello que le pertenece o reclamar su poder y levantarse en contra de la nueva sucesora. Hal Bolinbroke, mejor amiga de Mora, no quiere ser la futura reina, pero todo se complica para no decepcionar a las personas que ama.
Entre ellas se interpone Isarna Hotspur una audaz guerrea que determinará el destino de todos.
Es una historia Muy bien creada y escrita con una prosa poética que enamora al lector.
Es fantasía épica de principio a fin vemos traición, amor, amistad, guerra y magia. Me ha gustado el tema de la magia ya que es muy diferente a todo lo que había leído hasta ahora. Los personajes están muy bien creados, me han encantado las tres protagonistas.
Para mi gusto el libro tiene demasiadas descripciones, además intervienen muchísimos personajes secundarios de los cuales me ha costado muchísimo centrarme en qué familia pertenecían y exactamente de quién se estaba hablando en ese momento. Eso ha hecho que no disfrute del todo la lectura y que a veces me perdiera un poco. -
LIFE'S TOO SHORT FOR BOOKS LIKE THIS
DNF at 15%
I was attracted to the idea of a feminist epic fantasy. However, the reality fell WAY short of my expectation. I was turned off almost from the beginning and just kept thinking 'when is it acceptable for me to throw this out?'
👎 WHAT I DISLIKED 👎
Incoherent: Perhaps this is because I have never read another of Gratton's books, but I found the beginning so confusing and incoherent with way too many people and places being strewn around that I couldn't get into it at all...
Plot: Yes, I only read 15% of this book, but if the plot hadn't made itself known after almost 100 pages, isn't it safe to say, that there isn't really any plot?
Insta-love/lust: I love the idea of a queer romance in epic fantasy. But honestly, this felt like the queerness was the entire purpose of this book. They were attracted to each other so fast and without any known reason, as neither had any real personality or knowledge of the other. When nothing more has happened in the first 15% than repeated queerness being established over and over again, I dare to venture that it is the only point of the book. Which is perhaps fine for some people, but I need more in epic fantasy.
Pace: This should come to no surprise, but I found the pace of this book torturously slow!
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review -
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Slow, deliberate, deeply character-driven, and definitively queer, Lady Hotspur is a follow-up to The Queens of Innis Lear, with events occurring a few generations later. I would definitely recommend reading Queens of Innis Lear first, as I think this would be very confusing without that context. While I personally connected more to the characters in Queens (an all-time favorite for me), I think Lady Hotspur will be an important book for some readers. I especially recommend it if you are looking for an epic fantasy that centers a sapphic relationship that is passionate, complex, and fully fleshed out.
This is a tale of love, betrayal, and revenge with a large, diverse cast of characters, intricate politics, morally gray characters, prophesy, and magic. It is epic in scale, detailed in depictions of the world and characters, and based on Shakespeare's Henry IV (though I can't comment on similarities since that is one I have yet to read). Gratton really shines in long books where she can engage in deep, complex characterization and world-building. This will not be everyone's cup of tea as it is quite slow in pace, but it is an impressive undertaking and much of it is truly beautiful. It also gets quite sexy at points and includes relationships that are m/f, m/m, and f/f with a few rather explicit f/f and m/f scenes.
If this sort of book sounds appealing to you, I definitely recommend giving it a try, but do read Queens of Innis Lear first! Also, there are lots of content warnings here, including suicidal ideation, murder, death of an infant, self-poisoning, infidelity, wartime violence, assassination, lesbian characters having sex with men because of political duty and needing heirs. -
En general ha sido una gran montaña rusa, tanto de emociones como de velocidad lectora, unas partes llenas de salseo, otras llenas de descubrimientos, y otras de cara al final llenas de sangre y acción. Ha sido una lectura que me deja un vacío, siento que me falta sumergirme en Innis Lear al final del día, saber de Mora, Hotspur y Hal, pero todo tiene un final, y menudo final de novela, increíble.
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Here I am, finally writing and uploading a review for this catastrophe 😳
Thank you so much for the eARC to Macmillan Tor/Forge books, I just honestly struggled and struggled through almost every page of it, and probably should have DNFd without giving feedback.
It was so long and gave so many minute, slow burning details into every single character's life, and I didn't find myself caring about any of it. Even after enjoying The Queens of Innis Lear at least a little bit, I could never get into Lady Hotspur. The wizard was the one ray of sunshine.
The book went from slow, to abstract, to convoluted, to a straight stream of consciousness during some of the interlude chapters, and regardless that I put it down and picked it up a few times it stayed very hard to follow what was going on at times. I love Shakespeare too but this was so wrong!
The women were supposed to be such good friends but I never felt that at all. Somewhere in those 600 something pages Gratton could have convinced me they were friends. And Hal, good Lord, a man is not going to impale you during intercourse like a sword. I don't love reading about LGBQ characters as long as they aren't ridiculous, but Hal was ridiculous. So were all of them. Attacking each other's "wells" in a main hallway, yes this is a great idea..
Anyway, I really wanted to find some redemption at the end and just did not find it. At all. Not even a bit. The brothers did... What? I think if the whole book turned it down a few notches and stayed on a straighter course it would have had potential.
I will not be blogging about this one and can't really recommend it to anyone in good conscience -
Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.
I wanted to love this book; truly I did. Gender swapped Henry IV and such, with lesbians? What’s not to love?
Well, quite a bit it turns out.
The main problem in this book isn’t the gender swapping or the world building. These are very well done, and it is clear that Gratton has done research and read the plays. The problem is simply the total lack of characterization and a large amount of detail that is totally unneeded.
The book would have been better served by actually showing the friendship that existed between the women prior to the rebellion. The reader is told constantly about the friendship and love but there is very little showing. And when Hotspur and Hal become lovers, it just feels so empty. The parting scene between the two was incredibly boring when it should have been emotional. This is due to the total lack of chemistry between the two characters. The lack is because the reader is left wondering why Hal is so darn attractive. In the play, it can work if the actor is talented, but as presented here in this book, it falls totally flat.
And you are told everything, never shown. -
Cómo he disfrutado de este libro. Empezaré comentando que no es una historia para todo el mundo porque la verdad es que es densa y compleja en cuanto a personajes y al mundo que crea Tessa Gratton pero es una verdadera delicia.
Las primeras cientocincuenta páginas me atraparon muchísimo y sólo quería seguir leyendo más y más. Es verdad que después me costó más engancharme pero he disfrutado muchísimo de esta lectura. ¿Es lenta? La verdad es que sí, por lo que si buscáis una historia de fantasía épica llena de acción, sangre y guerra no es del todo vuestro libro porque es una novela pausada. Aún así, está llena de magia y detalles que me han encantado por lo completa que es.
Está narrada desde diversos puntos de vista pero los importantes son los de nuestras protagonistas: Hal, Hotspur y Banna Mora, tres mujeres que deberán decidir cómo será la inminente batalla por el trono que pelean. Lady Hotspur deberá elegir entre seguir a su corazón o bien seguir la razón de la guerrera que lleva dentro. En realidad la novela es más compleja que este breve resumen pero es mejor adentrarse y descubrir los detalles y las tramas poco a poco.
Lady Hotspur ha sido todo lo que esperaba que fuera: una novela completa, con personajes que me encantaron, con romances que me enamoraron sobretodo el principal y me ha dejado una sensación de plenitud al terminar el libro. Si buscáis un libro completo, leedlo. Es una verdadera delicia. -
It really won't be fair of me to write a review when I didn't even make it half way to the book.
I've tried reading this book so many times but honestly, I made it till 43% and then I gave up.
So yes I DNF-ed Lady Hotspur at 43% -
3'5 🌟 Es la primera vez que leo una historia de fantasía épica, me llamo tanto la atención la sinopsis que me anime a darle una oportunidad. Ha sido una lectura que me ha gustado, es verdad que en algunas ocasiones se me hizo densa y tuve que tomarme un descanso, y también he compaginado la lectura con otros libros para así no saturarme. Es un libro que te mantiene en vilo por todos los secretos que esconde, las traiciones que van surgiendo y los personajes que van apareciendo a lo largo de la novela. Tessa Gratton con su prosa poética ha creado una historia magnífica con unos personajes complejos y un mundo rebosante de magia.
"Lady Hotspur" es una montaña rusa de sentimientos y emociones. Una historia repleta de secretos, traiciones inesperadas, acción, magia, amistad, profecías y mucho amor. Una novela adictiva e intensa que cautiva al lector.
Reseña completa:
https://aprovechalavidacadadiaa.blogs...
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![laurel [the suspected bibliophile]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1645808644i/7494844._UX200_CR0,6,200,200_.jpg)
DNF at 4%
The weird thing is that I was enjoying it, but not enough to invest 15 hours. I'm in a weird reading mood—I need light and fluffy, not something that will make me think and untangle. -
Hay algo en los libros de Tessa que me incomoda, pero al mismo tiempo disfruto mucho.
No sé si es el ritmo de la historia y cómo progresa o si es un tema fluidez.
Pero adoro la forma en que construye su mundo y la magia tan extraña que lo envuelve, en cómo crea conexiones y desarrolla sus personajes que sin duda son el punto fuerte.
Y no solo el tema del desarrollo de personaje sino de las relaciones y dinámicas entre estos, creo que pocos autores saben capturar realmente lo que implica love is love y cómo el amor no es absoluto, puede ser mutable y dedicado a más de una persona, que no hay amores mejores sino que diferentes.
Amé todo, sufrí imaginándome mil finales diferentes, pero Tessa lo hizo funcionar mejor de lo que hubiese esperado, así que sin duda acá esperaré por más libros de la autora. -
Rep: lesbian mc, bi mcs, gay mc, trans side character
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I am truly sad to say I read approximately fifty percent of this book and stopped. Perhaps if I'd read books before this about Innis Lear but honestly I'm really not sure. I can say the three females who dominate this story are interesting but i just sadly didn't feel pulled in or engaged enough to continue at this time. I absolutely hate stopping a book before the completion so perhaps will revisit when time is not so pressured. Its well written and has a unique slant so definitely very interesting.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair -
2,5🌟
No sabía muy bien qué nota ponerle a esta historia porque lo cierto es que me ha despertado ciertos sentimientos contradictorios.
Objetivamente, el libro nos presenta una historia de fantasía épica muy bien escrita, compleja y bien estructurada. Se trata de un retelling de la historia Henry the IV y se nota que la autora se ha documentado y ha habido un gran trabajo de ambientación detrás. De hecho, el world-building es una de las cosas que más me sorprendió e intrigó desde el comienzo.
Sin embargo, resultó ser un arma de doble filo, ya que en muchas ocasiones, las descripciones se me han hecho muy pesadas dando lugar a que, aunque la narración me encantaba, se me hiciera muy densa.
Además, a lo largo de la historia hay mucha influencia de su anterior novela basada en el mismo universo, “Las reinas de Innis Lear” por lo que creo que, en orden para entender mejor todo el contexto, me hacia falta algo más de base.
No me ha fallado tanto la densidad y lentitud de la historia, ya que yo suelo disfrutar de estos libros que se cuecen a fuego lento, sino la profundidad de los personajes. En mi opinión, mi principal problema con el libro fue que no conecte demasiado con las protagonistas, se me hicieron muy superficiales sus relaciones y creo que ese fue el principal motivo por el que aunque la historia si que me ha gustado, no ha logrado encantarme y hacerme querer coger el libro y devorarlo incluso después de que tuviese lugar un suceso importante.
Creo que es un libro que tiene muchos puntos positivos, pero que no es para todo el mundo. Para mi le ha faltado algo de profundidad y le han sobrado algunas páginas, creo que de esa manera me hubiera sumergido mucho más de lleno en la historia y entonces, si que la hubiera disfrutado mucho más. -
Oh my God.
A genderbent Henriad fantasy? With lesbians??
GIVE IT TO ME NOW!!!! -
“But in the Third Kingdom a strong mother-line was respected, and for a decade now Celeda had gathered allies and woven her plans, always knowing she’d never be invited home. Knowing if she was to return, she would have to seize back her legacy.”
Tessa Gratton had my attention as an incredible novelist with the first book I read by her, "The Queen of Innis Lear". As a huge Shakespeare enthusiast, a lover of female powerhouses in lead roles, and a devourer of books that are epic in scope, that have nuanced storylines, and of course exquisite prose, Gratton offered everything I desire in a book and more.
"The Queen of Innis Lear" was a remarkable book that definitively convinced me to read everything that Gratton writes. So there was no question I would be signing up for the follow-up, entitled "Lady Hotspur".
I was very eager to read it, and it was the first book I selected for my #FebruarySheWrote reads, where I will be reading exclusively female authors who use the pronouns she/her. I got started a little early (late January), in my excitement to see what Gratton would do next, and because with such an ample book as the opening read, I needed that head-start to digest it, and still fit all my #FebruarySheWrote books into the month.
This novel is no less lengthy than "The Queens of Innis Lear", Gratton’s previous Shakespearean fantasy retelling, set in the same universe. Yet, for me, while I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this duology, "Lady Hotspur" is even a cut above the marvellous "The Queens of Innis Lear". This second novel is around 600 pages of simply glorious prose, an intricate plot, startling magic, love, passion, intrigue and betrayal, and characters so wondrous you will immediately miss them when you turn the last page.
In "Lady Hotspur", Gratton is as reverent to Shakespeare’s original work, "Henry IV, Part I", as she was to the famous Bard’s "King Lear" in her "The Queens of Innis Lear". Yet she makes everything feel new, fresh, modern, while maintaining the classic feel of a famous literary masterpiece.
As the passage at the start of this review, taken from early in the novel, indicates, the plot centres, just like Shakespeare’s "Henry IV, Part I" (and part of the preceding play in chronological order, "Richard II") around rebellion that causes turmoil and sets dramatic events in motion.
“’This is how kings die,’ she thought, again and again. ‘Betrayed.’”
But Gratton swaps most of Shakespeare’s male leads for females, save for King Rovassos of Aremoria, who stands in for the ineffectual and tragic figure King Richard II of England. The powerful Celeda (compared to Henry Bolinbroke, later King Henry IV), Celepia ‘Hal’ Bolingbroke (Prince Hal Bolinbroke who goes onto to become King Henry V), Isarna ‘Hotspur’ Perseria – known as the Wolf of Aremoria (Harry ‘Hotspur’ Percy), her mother Caratica Persy (Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland), Isarna’s aunt Vindomata, Duke of Mercia (Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester), Princess Banna Mora, heir of Rovassos (Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March), knight Ianta Oldcastle (Sir John Falstaff) are all women, and partial composites of the male historical figures.
Like in the Shakespeare plays, Rovassos banishes Celeda. But with the help of supporters such as her daughter Hal, Hotspur, Mata Blunt, Caractica, and Vidomata, the ambitious Celeda returns to Aremoria and overthrows Rovassos. Yet Banna Mora, the disinherited heir, does not take losing out on the throne lightly. At one time, she was the Crown Prince of Aremoria, and the new Crown Prince Hal was once her loyal retainer and friend, serving Banna Mora as part of the Lady Knights, the royal personal bodyguard, of which Ianta was also a prominent member.
Hotspur too, was once a dear friend and vassal of Banna Mora, and Hotspur is the most feared warrior in the land. Banna Mora eventually falls into the hands of the Queen of Innis Lear, but marries into the family, and comes in line to rule in that kingdom. But Mora is not satisfied with only Innis Lear, and dreams of uniting both stolen Aremoria and Innis Lear under her rule.
The key to victory is having the generalship, allies, and forces of Hotspur on Mora’s side. Hotspur, meanwhile, has fallen in love with Hal, and Hal with her – a great twist Gratton throws in to completely change the nature of the retelling. Celeda similarly needs Hotspur on her side, and Hal’s relationship with the love of her life will be put to the test, because of all the tension surrounding Mora's aspiration to rule Aremoria, versus Hal's new position as heir to Aremoria.
Just as the Bard purported with his portrayal of Hal, Gratton paints Crown Prince Calepia as one who is all about hanging out with her rowdier friends - led by Ianta - carousing, drinking, and avoiding facing her princely responsibilities. The aptly named “Prince of Riot” holds a shadow court of hangers-on, lovers, and those who encourage her to keep cavorting in style.
This contrasts to the austerity, discipline, and suspicion hanging over the real court of Hal’s mother, because, as history shows us, usurpers can never completely rest easy. Hal was easily my favourite character, and her conflicted feelings about ascending the throne, her natural charm and wit, and her desire to keep Mora in the fold, have Hotspur as her consort, and yet stay loyal to her mother’s ideals, make her extremely fascinating.
There are plenty of extremely well drawn and engrossing male characters in the book. Rowan Lear, Connley Errigal, their love affair, and the jealously of the mysterious Ashling ghost towards Rowan was one of my favourite subplots. Charm is an intriguing figure, and the quirky wizard, whose identity was a great reveal, was a blast of a character.
But this book is all about the magnificent women, and they are intelligent, charismatic, fierce, wonderfully conflicted, and kept me glued to every page. Even the more minor female characters, such as Vatta and Nova, stole plenty of scenes. The titular Hotspur is a force of nature, and while as noted Hall was my fav, I truly enjoyed Hotspur’s arc, and wanted to see if, as in Shakespeare, she would finally come to sword-points with Hal, despite the love for one another that Gratton has added in her retelling, to ramp the stakes of such a potential show-down even higher.
The contrast of the elemental, earthy, grounded magic, and casual, rather informal monarchy of Innis Lear with the pragmatism, more stern militaristic culture, and legacy-bound royalty of Aremoria was exceptionally done by Gratton. The esteemed Morimaros, patriarch of the Aremoria royals, looms ever-present as one ideal as a ruler, compared to the legend of the wild and unpredictable wizard who founded Innis Lear.
I loved the call-backs to the first book, "The Queen of Innis Lear", with the spectre of the three sisters who nearly tore the realms apart – warrior Gaela, schemer Regan, and dreamer Elia – still haunting the new characters about a century later.
Finally, in my praise for the book, we cannot talk about Gratton without specifically talking about her astounding prose. Let’s just admire one of my favourites:
“The sky glowed with stars: bright, silver, white and pink and yellow, pinpricks of illusory colour, a rainbow shattered and tossed into billions of points. There the half-moon, a chunk of magic that hung, only the saints knew how, so near one could count its gray freckles and pockmarked shadows. Hotspur took a deep breath, her body filling up with a sensation she hardly knew how to name: awe, peace, longing. Love, maybe.”
I am voracious for every word that Gratton pens, because she writes in such a lovely, detailed, lyrical style that is more than worthy of the legacy of Shakespeare. But Gratton’s book is no mere copy of the Bard.
In creating a masterpiece of her own, with #OwnVoices, injecting magic, unique characters, and gender inversion based on the writing of the icon that is Shakespeare, Gratton once more weaves her spell around the reader, drawing us into her world of prophecy, divided loyalties, and destiny.
With evocative, edgy prose, engaging drama, and overall a dreamy feel to her books, Gratton has me hooked, and I will surely be coming back for more. Five plus stars for "Lady Hotspur"! -
La trama, como podéis imaginar, está plagada de intrigas palaciegas, de drama y lucha, y de la fascinante relación que podría darse entre estas tres grandes mujeres: Banna Mora, la heredera original, que fue traicionada, Hal, la actual heredera y que para nada quiere esa obligación y responsabilidad, y lady Hotspur, una mujer de armas tomar que tiene su destino muy claro. Por supuesto, el corazón les jugará malas pasadas, y es que tenemos por ahí un romance salvaje por parte de Hal y Hotspur, y otras historias también llenas de giros argumentales, traiciones y mentiras. Sin embargo, he de decir que, aunque tenía muchas expectativas en el tema romance, no he sido capaz de creérmelas, y es que he sentido que la historia entre Hotspur y Hal era demasiado instalove, así que no terminaba de comprender la dinámica que se establecía entre ellas, y todas las idas y venidas que tienen a lo largo de la novela...
Reseña completa:
http://fiebrelectora.blogspot.com/202... -
Terminar este libro ha sido una lucha constante. No, no lo he disfrutado, y me ha aburrido tanto... Una pena, porque tenía las expectativas muy altas, pero está claro que no ha sido un libro para mí.
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I have finally completed this thing - and let me tell ya, it was worth it, but still has a lot of questionable decisions that made the book a lot less enjoyable than it could have been. It is basically a retelling of Shakespeare's Henry IV with heavy emphasis on part 1. It is gender bent and queered up, so there will be a lot of rep across the whole of the community. The chapters are broken into narratives mostly by the three main ladies - Banna Mora, Lady Hotspur, and Prince Hal. There are other characters thrown in as the book rolls a long, and some of the action is broken up by some interludes.
One of the best things about the book is that the writing style. If you're here for some pretty passages, beautiful details, and flowery speeches, it delivers that in spades. Some of the characters are just beautifully portrayed, especially Banna Mora and Lady Hotspur. Hotspur does work really well as a gender bent character, mostly because her role is very much tied to loyalty, battle, and duty. Lady Hotspur is easily more a foil to Prince Hal than Banna Mora- the Learish Prince who is fighting for the throne - Hotspur is more bold and true, where as Prince Hal is wavering and timid in her new role.
While I enjoyed parts of the book, I would have to say that much of it is disconnected. When it all comes together, the book is just wonderful and engaging. Beyond that, though, it is too jumbled and messy, especially near the beginning, to really grasp what is going on. I believe it is because it is trying to retell the play but with magic, make Hotspur a lead, and allude to events in The Queens of Innis Lear. It's a lot to handle, and at times, it falls short most of the time. I will say that I enjoyed genderbending the characters, and also the surprise of making Hal and Hotspur lovers. Hal is not a great character - and I am half annoyed and glad that Hal took so long to wake up to her shortcomings. The book also seems to speed through part 2 of Henry IV, and alludes to when Hal becomes the queen (or basically when Prince Henry becomes Henry V), so it seems to not have any conclusion.
Also, note that some readers in the LGBT community might be frustrated with how the story plays out, all the characters are queer but most get bittersweet endings. Only problem is that the story does force marriages on a couple of characters in the name of keeping the line alive, despite the huge amount of magic the novel likes to throw around. Yes, the characters all end up with their s/o's like the play, but there were a couple parts that made me a little queasy, especially since it seemed that Hotspur was only Hal-sexual, but then almost sexually assaults her new husband. Again, yes, her character in the play was very similar - Harry Percy thought that sex with is wife was basically a battle in the bedroom. Hotspur never really acted like that with Hal (they did have a lot of angry make up sex, but it was very much consented to on both sides), so to have her basically attack her new husband for sex (at that point they were both in love with other people) was jarring. Also, Hal is definitely a lesbian, so to have her marry a male character (Prince Henry's wife is not mentioned in the play) and not rule on her own is very, very annoying.
There's a lot to unpack here, but I think the main takeaways from the novel is that I enjoyed only a few parts of the book, while at times I had to step away from it to really process what I was reading. Some folks will not enjoy how dense it is, especially with the magic systems that are a hold over from Gratton's first book, The Queens of Innis Lear. I'd say the first book is much more tightly knit, and much easier to follow.
I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review. -
i dont even care that all the rating are so low, i have JUST read henry iv and im fucking DYING over this concept, when i say tessa gratton reads my MIND
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Menos mal que lo he acabado ya.
Este libro me estaba provocando un parón lector y quitándome las ganas de leer como hacía tiempo que no me pasaba.
Hablando de pasar, en Lady Hotspur no pasa nada durante más de 400 páginas y luego es todo muy normalito. En esos centenares de páginas lo único reseñable son arrumacos y romanticismo que poco o nada tenían que ver con la fantasía épica que vendían en las redes sociales. Muchísima paja que aporta poco o nada, al estilo Rothfuss pero al menos él hacía esa paja interesante. -
¡Menudo libro!
A nivel ambientación, es uno de los más alucinantes que he leído en mucho tiempo. La cantidad de detalles que hay y las vidas tan diferentes que tenemos en estos dos reinos que se convierten en el tablero de una guerra que se va cociendo a fuego lento. Me ha parecido BRUTAL.
Eso sí, este libro, como ya he dicho antes, no es para todo el mundo. Es muuuy denso. Tanto, que me ha agotado mentalmente en más de una ocasión, la misma sensación a cuando estás en plena época de exámenes y acabas exhausto. No es una lectura para estar todo el día, sino para saborearla poco a poco y disfrutar de cada uno de sus elementos. Es posible que la autora le da muchas vueltas a las mimas cosas y estas podrían haberse resumido para descargar páginas y capítulos, pero el camino que recorremos desde que comenzamos hasta que acabamos es impresionante.
Es la primera vez que leo algo de esta autora, pero he quedado encantadísima con ella. ¡Pronto os dejaré una reseña mucho más completa! -
I felt much the same about this as I did about The Queens of Innis Lear - beautifully written, but somehow lacking in substance. I was actually enjoying this one at the beginning, with the flirtations between Prince Hal and Lady Hotspur; it actually seemed like it was going somewhere. But then we returned to Innis Lear and star prophecies and sadly I just lost interest and ended up DNFing it. Still, the prose was really special, and it's a shame that it just seemed to lack in every other respect.
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Llegados a este punto, solo puedo decirte que la obra que a simple vista impone por su extensión, lo que logro a medida que avanzaba, era sentirme totalmente dentro del mundo creado. He vivido y amado, he sentido cada paso que han dado como propio. Cada personaje está tan bien delineado que no se pierde, no sobra, simplemente va creciendo y llevándote algunas veces a una trampa y otras, simplemente a sorprenderte de las sorpresas que se ocultan y que debes descubrir antes de ese punto final Cada protagonista tiene su punto, es imposible no sentir empatía en su momento por cada una de ellas o maravillarse por la evolución que tienen, y ya puestos, esa última batalla que te lleva de la mano a ese apoteósico final que te deja emocionada, porque a pesar que sabes que te tienes que despedir cuesta, pues no dudo en que se convertirá en tus lectoras, en una de las mejores, como lo es en mi mundo literario, pues LADY HOTSPUR ya está entre mis preferidas del año.
Tessa Gratton ha sido un gran descubrimiento para mi, me ha dejado sin aliento con su pluma intrigante, adictiva, y ágil. Ha sabido sorprenderme y conquistarme desde el inicio y deseo con toda el alma seguir leyendo sus creaciones. ¡Feliz lectura! -
4.5
"If I take a true thing, and dance pretty words around it, the prettiness doesn't ruin the truth. A good story isn't a lie."
For starters, my recommendation for Lady Hotspur would be to read The Queens of Innis Lear first because then you can truly enjoy the foreshadowing and references to past characters/ relationships. It’s a whole different experience with that background, and I can’t recommend it enough. Plus, you then have this background on the world, lore, and politics, so you’re understanding is nearly instantaneous since you learned it all before.
Now y’all know I’m a huge Shakespeare nerd, but this installment was refreshing because I’ve never read Henry IV. I was able to compare King Lear to QOIL the entire time, but Gratton’s version of Henry IV is purely her in my head. Not to say she doesn’t make the story wholly her own, cause she does, but I wasn’t comparing it to its inspiration. Like QOIL, Gratton is able to mold this perfect ending that fits her stories so wonderfully. It’s modern too, which is a complete bonus in terms of enjoyment.
I think besides her artful descriptions and enthralling world building I’m a sucker for her characters. Gratton builds these dynamic and imperfect characters that mimic the real world so perfectly. Morally ambiguous characters are my favorite, and she emphasizes that to a T!
Lady Hotspur was by far my favorite character, and SOMEHOW my annoyance with Prince Hal in the last 200 pages turned to admiration and pride. How Gratton made me change my mind so quickly?! To me that speaks to her ability to create such realistic characters. They have their faults, and they’re utterly human. Nobody makes the right decisions every time, so it’s always refreshing to read about characters who constantly work to better themselves even in the face of their mistakes. I think the only character that I never cared for at all was Rowan, but that was because he gave me vibes that he only cared for himself. Maybe that’s just me but couldn’t stand him. Though even with his less than favorable qualities, I still heavily enjoyed his part to the story because he added a depth that became vital to the ending. None of these characters are irrelevant.
"Queens do not perform loyalty, it is owed to them."
Moreover, did I mention the diversity?! *throws hands in air* I. Loved. It. From racial to sexual orientation and even a character who I would describe as transgender. I don’t want to label them incorrectly, but the prophetic stars called her a she when her body showed a male. Then when she told her family she preferred to be a female, they accepted readily. She’s not a main character by any means, but the fact that Gratton emphasized her in a fantasy book was great.
Countless of the main characters are in the LGBTQIAP+ community, and it just makes me so happy. Plus, these novels tend to have significant amounts of interracial couples and a wide range of acceptance for differing cultures. All around just a wonderful aspect to this complex world, and an example I wish our world would look up to/ strive to emulate.
Finally, I’ve seen quite a few people complain about the dense plot/ prose, but I didn’t find it like that at all. There’s constantly something happening, and it all does culminate to the end. Gratton’s endings are the peak to her writing in my opinion. She did it perfectly with QOIL, and she did it again with Lady Hotspur. Now there was a few elements at the end to Lady Hotspur that weren’t my absolute favorite, but it didn’t take much away from the story.
I wish I could talk about the plot more, but I’d recommend going into this story blind besides the synopsis and knowledge of QOIL. We see the culmination of decisions from the past and the examples present characters try to make from them. It’s complicated, but it’s fascinating. I hope you give Lady Hotspur a chance because it truly is a phenomenal book.
P.S. Just look at this last beautiful quote because Tessa has such a way with words.
"A love story does not trump a stable line of succession any better than love can stop a sword in its killing arc."
I’m probably going to return to this review to edit/ potentially add more thoughts, but for now a final thanks to Tor Books for sending me an ARC to review. -
this is a spectacular sequel to
The Queens of Innis Lear, which I adored, with similarly gorgeous language and imagery. think A Song of Ice and Fire but with less characters/convolution and more of an opportunity to get close to the characters emotionally (although I was more immediately drawn to the Innis Lear characters and it took me a bit to warm up to the ones in LH). brutal, beautiful, and compelling. -
En realidad 2,5/5
Banna,Hotspur y Hal llevan siendo amigas desde siempre. Juntas entrenan, luchan y se forman como guerreras y aunque Banna es la heredera al trono de Aremoria nada las separa. Además Hal y Hotspur han jurado servir y proteger a Banna como miembros pertenecientes a las "Damas de Armas", una élite de guerreras creadas por y para servir a la futura gobernante de Aremoria. Pero cuando la madre de Hal regresa del exilio liderando una rebelión que acaba con la vida de Rovassos, el actual rey de Aremoria, y se proclama reina, Banna se verá obligada a elegir entre aceptar su nuevo papel y someterse ante la nueva reina o huir y enfrentarse a sus antiguas amigas si quiere recuperar el trono que le han arrebatado.
El libro me ha gustado pero tengo que reconocer que se me ha hecho un poco pesado quizás debido a la extensión del libro. La historia se centra en la vida de Banna Mora, Lady Hotspur y Hal Bolinbrooke, tres amigas cuya amistad se rompe cuando la madre de Hal asesina al nuevo rey y se proclama nueva monarca de Aremoria. La mayor dificultad que he encontrado es que al comienzo aparecen una gran cantidad de personajes y muchos nombres de lugares y reinos lo que hizo que me costase entrar en la historia ya que me sentí un poco perdida al principio. Una vez superado esto ya disfruté más de la historia. Lo que más me ha gustado es la ambientación que ha creado la autora ya que me parece muy rica y mágica. La historia tiene lugar en Aremoria e Innis Lear dos reinos muy parecidos pero que llevan en disputa desde hace unos siglos. Me han gustado mucho las descripciones que hace la autora de los lugares donde transcurre la acción ya que te los llegas a imaginar perfectamente. Otra cosa que me gustó es el sistema de magia, es verdad que al principio me pareció algo peculiar pero al final me gustó porque es diferente a la magia a la que estamos acostumbrados en los libros de fantasía ya que nos encontramos ante una magia arcana y antigua. También me gustó la idea de los santos terrenales, una especie de entidades muy poderosas parecidos a fantasmas que seguían presentes en el mundo después de haber fallecido debido al rencor u a otros motivos de diversa índole. Me encantó todo el tema de las profecías, los rituales mágicos y las leyendas y que tuvieran tanto peso en la vida de los ciudadanos sobre todo en los de Innis Lear. En cuanto a los personajes decir hay bastantes, todos tienen personalidades muy complejas y hay representación LGBT. De todos ellos solo voy a destacar a Banna Mora, Isarna Hotspur y Hal Bolinbrooke porque son los 3 personajes principales de la historia. Banna Mora era la heredera a la corona hasta que la madre de Hal asesinó al antiguo monarca y nombró como sucesora a su hija Hal. Esto provocó que Banna Mora se enemistase con sus amigas y compañeras de armas Hal y Hotspur. Banna es una chica con las ideas muy claras y que no se rinde ante nada ni nadie para conseguir los objetivos que se fija. Hal es una mujer que actúa antes de pensar y que lo hace siguiendo sus sentimientos. Tiene muchas inseguridades aunque intenta ocultarlas tras una imagen de despreocupación y el papel de juerguista del reino. Crea la Descorte, su corte personal en la que cualquier tipo de perversión y vicio están permitidas para huir de sus obligaciones como heredera, un papel con el que no se siente nada cómoda. Por último tenemos a Isarna Hotspur la mujer que se encuentra entre Hal y Banna y que jugará un papel muy importante en el destino de Aremoria. Hotspur se verá obligada a elegir entre hacer caso a su corazón o permanecer fiel a su familia. Ella es una guerrera acostumbrada a seguir órdenes y solucionar todo en el campo de batalla. En cuanto al romance tengo que decir que no me ha convencido. No me han gustado ninguna de las relaciones románticas que aparecen en el libro debido a que algunas me parecen muy precipitadas y otras las veo por simple conveniencia política. Los capítulos se alternan narrados por diferentes personajes (los principales de la historia) y aparecen ambientados en una determinada estación del año. Por último destacar que el libro creo que es una reinterpretación de la historia clásica de Shakespeare, digo creo porque no he tenido la ocasión de leer esta historia. En definitiva un libro en el que las traiciones y las guerras están a la orden del día y que creo que disfrutarán los fans de Juego de Tronos y los amantes de la fantasía épica.
