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The Pattern Scars
by
Caitlin Sweet (Goodreads Author),
Martin Springett
Nola is born into poverty in Sarsenay City. When her mother realizes that Nola has the gift of Othersight and can foretell the future, she sells her to a brothel seer, who teaches the girl to harness her gift. As she grows up, she embraces her new life, and even finds a small circle of friends. All too soon, her world is again turned upside down when one of them is murdere...more
Paperback, 377 pages
Published
October 18th 2011
by Chizine Publications
(first published September 14th 2011)
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“The Pattern Scars” è rimasto per un sacco di tempo nei libri da leggere, lo avevo richiesto ma poi come sempre mi era passato di mente perché presa da altre letture. Finalmente ci ho messo mano e devo dire che è stata una piacevole sorpresa.
Il libro si sviluppa come una sorta di diario e racconta le vicende di Nola da quando era una bambina. Nola è una Otherseer, una sorta di veggente, o comunque una ragazza che è capace di leggere il futuro o meglio il Pattern delle persone, con la cera, con l...more
Il libro si sviluppa come una sorta di diario e racconta le vicende di Nola da quando era una bambina. Nola è una Otherseer, una sorta di veggente, o comunque una ragazza che è capace di leggere il futuro o meglio il Pattern delle persone, con la cera, con l...more
Oct 13, 2012
Nighteye
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone and persons who like not so typical Fantasybooks
Recommended to Nighteye by:
Anna Bark Person
Shelves:
favorites
"Predicting the future dosen't mean you can prevent it..." are the words on the backcover and these words are mirroring the book well!
I meet the auhtor at Swecon and then read her book, we talked a bit about the book after I've been reading a bit into it. The book is about a young girl who's mother sells her to a brothel when she discovers that her daughter is a seer, a person who can foretell the pattern of the future for a person .
Then she lives there a time, dreaming to come to the chaste, an...more
I meet the auhtor at Swecon and then read her book, we talked a bit about the book after I've been reading a bit into it. The book is about a young girl who's mother sells her to a brothel when she discovers that her daughter is a seer, a person who can foretell the pattern of the future for a person .
Then she lives there a time, dreaming to come to the chaste, an...more
It would be very easy to wax poetic about Caitlin Sweet's, The Pattern Scars. Deservedly so. From the first sentences Sweet demonstrates her craftsmanship by translating the reader into a richly and perfectly realized world, populated by people who are very human despite extraordinary and sometimes dark abilities.
With astonishing subtlety, Sweet presents a relationship between a clairvoyant girl who is employed as a seer in a brothel, and a psychopathic and megalomaniacal seer who holds the tru...more
With astonishing subtlety, Sweet presents a relationship between a clairvoyant girl who is employed as a seer in a brothel, and a psychopathic and megalomaniacal seer who holds the tru...more
Nola is born into poverty in Sarsenay City. When Nola's mother realizes that Nola has the gift of Othersight and that she can foretell the future, she sells her to a brothel seer, who then teaches the girl to harness her gift. As Nola grows up, she embraces her new life, and even finds herself a small circle of friends. All too soon, Nola's world is again turned upside down when one of that small circle of friends is murdered. When a handsome, young Otherseer from the castle promises to teach he...more
3 1/2 Stars
This is one of the most somber stories I’ve ever read. It took me an extensive amount of time to get through this book, probably because of its somber tone. Well written, but if you like your stories to have some glimmer of hope or happiness, you’ve come to the wrong place. This is a standalone book written in 1st person POV, about Nola, a common girl who has a strong talent to see into someone’s future.
After being sold by her mother to a brothel for that purpose, she finds that her...more
This is one of the most somber stories I’ve ever read. It took me an extensive amount of time to get through this book, probably because of its somber tone. Well written, but if you like your stories to have some glimmer of hope or happiness, you’ve come to the wrong place. This is a standalone book written in 1st person POV, about Nola, a common girl who has a strong talent to see into someone’s future.
After being sold by her mother to a brothel for that purpose, she finds that her...more
Not giving this a rating, because I thought the writing was generally very good but the story just got too bleak for me to listen all the way through. I listened for over two-thirds, then went to the last few chapters. I had to give up at the point because there had just been too many chapters depicting Nola's utter powerlessness at the hands of the creepiest of villains (no names, as it's a bit of a spoiler, though by the time it comes out who he is, it's not a big surprise), and her powerlessn...more
Shall we begin with the warnings? If any of these (spoilerish) elements disturb or trouble you in any way, you should probably run back to reading The Princess Diaries or something equally scary:
abortion, abuse, blood play, child abuse, cutting, death, dead babies, lying, murder, necromancy, paedophilia, physical abuse, psychological abuse, prostitution, rape, scars, slavery, zombies.
Now that all of the sane, self-preserving, healthy people have moved on, that just leaves the creepy mentally d...more
Now that all of the sane, self-preserving, healthy people have moved on, that just leaves the creepy mentally d...more
I really love this book, for a variety of reasons. I think it does what spec-fic needs to do, and it does it well, in that it takes something fantastic, like the power of foresight, and portrays it in a new and different way that really makes you think about the human psyche. Of course, it's also a really great book; there's a good balance of action, contemplation, romance, and conflict in here, and Caitlin Sweet's characters are all very well developed in a way that makes them not only three di...more
A truly original book. It was so good that I couldn't put it down (I read it over the course of a single day)! Nice to know also that Caitlin Sweet is also a Canadian author who also lives in Toronto. I highly recommend this book.
Oracles and blood magic? Obviously I was all over this as soon as I heard about it. I can't remember why I elected to get the audio edition instead of reading it, but I think that was the right decision. The voice acting in this is amazing. Ohmigod I'm tempted to buy Claire Christie's other available titles even though none of them sounds like my kind of thing. There's a part where her voice is on the edge of cracking while she's describing a piece of cloth that is fucking amazing. She adds this...more
This was a hard book for me to read, not just because of the control issues, but also because of the "predestination" and visions -- the book is set up so that you know various horrible things are going to happen... and then they do, and there's nothing anyone can do about it.
It has a lot in common with Octavia Butler's Kindred, in that the female protagonist is in a situation where other people have near complete control over her -- and in fact, part of the plot is based around the idea of con...more
It has a lot in common with Octavia Butler's Kindred, in that the female protagonist is in a situation where other people have near complete control over her -- and in fact, part of the plot is based around the idea of con...more
I picked up this book yesterday and have already finished it -- I couldn't stop reading! As other reviewers have noted, the lavish prose draws the reader deeply into the story and keeps them there through all of the nail-biting tension as the novel careens toward completion. I haven't enjoyed a book this much since I stumbled upon Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian! One of the things that I especially enjoyed was Caitlin Sweet's ability to create believable, three-dimensional characters. This is...more
Masterfully done, a tale full of intrigue and darkness, of the desire for power and fate, both fixed and mutable. Our narrator Nola weaves a compelling story high on drama if not sympathy.
It was good. Very good even, and I could easily see other readers enjoying it still more than I did. The ever present seductiveness of the story and its tall-dark-and-handsome villain, though titillating at times, is probably aimed more at readers who can easily connect with the young, female protagonist. Some of the dialogue occasionally bordered on the melodramatic, but was generally overshadowed by author's otherwise lovely prose.
This was the first book I read by the author, and would certain...more
This was the first book I read by the author, and would certain...more
I'm giving this book 3 Stars because the book itself merits 4.5 stars but I personally didn't like it and would give it 1 star.
Here's my timeline in trying to read it:
December 2012. I'm having a hard time getting into this book at the moment. Right now, I need light reading, or non-fiction, or no reading, until the holidays are over.
January 2013, Update: I checked it out from the library again. It sat for three weeks until I returned it, unread. I couldn't make myself read it.
February 2013, upda...more
Here's my timeline in trying to read it:
December 2012. I'm having a hard time getting into this book at the moment. Right now, I need light reading, or non-fiction, or no reading, until the holidays are over.
January 2013, Update: I checked it out from the library again. It sat for three weeks until I returned it, unread. I couldn't make myself read it.
February 2013, upda...more
The Pattern Scars is a book that has so much going for it - prose, narrator, world building - that I kept hoping the author won't partly squander that by keeping it a one note novel to the bitter end; but sadly the novel while starting promisingly, morphs into a s&m - ok mostly psychical and magical, not purely physical, but that's beside the point - relationship that takes precedence over everything else.
A page turner and well written but its one dimensionality keeps it from being more tha...more
A page turner and well written but its one dimensionality keeps it from being more tha...more
I'll be very careful with what I say about this book as I don't want to spoil the plot. I didn't expect the ending. While I was reading it I can't say I really enjoyed it, but after I had finished it I found my self thinking of it differently, it's hard to explain.
The plot is set in a medieval world where people with the gift of othersight can see the future of individuals who ask. The characters are rounded individuals who all seem to have good points and bad points. It was the plot that I init...more
The plot is set in a medieval world where people with the gift of othersight can see the future of individuals who ask. The characters are rounded individuals who all seem to have good points and bad points. It was the plot that I init...more
This book is by turns startling, sad, disturbing, and beautiful. I feel like the less said about the plot, the better (no spoilers!), but the author does a superb job of drawing you into the main character's mind and world. One review labeled this book "not for the faint of heart," and I definitely agree—it gets quite dark, especially in the latter third or so. However, if you can roll with that, this book is a worthy use of reading time. It's difficult to put down, too!
I had no idea what I was picking up when I bought this book.
I thought it was a run of the mill fantasy book. Young girl, born into poverty, saved from a brothel, taught in the castle, groomed for court life, etc. Yeah, no. This book takes you on a dark journey into sex, power struggles, damnation, ruin, and death. This is no fairy tale, not the kind you tell children. But good, so very very good. I couldn't put it down until it was done. Very good, you should read it.
I thought it was a run of the mill fantasy book. Young girl, born into poverty, saved from a brothel, taught in the castle, groomed for court life, etc. Yeah, no. This book takes you on a dark journey into sex, power struggles, damnation, ruin, and death. This is no fairy tale, not the kind you tell children. But good, so very very good. I couldn't put it down until it was done. Very good, you should read it.
Jan 11, 2013
Cat Hellisen
added it
A difficult, complicated, flawed ouroboros of a book.
There are moments that are so horrifying that they are beautiful, but the repetitive nature of the dream-visions, and the utter darkness of the story made it difficult for me to read. Nola is a hard character to feel sympathy for - I should - and I know at times I did, especially when I sat back to remind myself just why she was doing what she was doing, but the final story ultimately left me feeling like I had missed something.
And perhaps I d...more
There are moments that are so horrifying that they are beautiful, but the repetitive nature of the dream-visions, and the utter darkness of the story made it difficult for me to read. Nola is a hard character to feel sympathy for - I should - and I know at times I did, especially when I sat back to remind myself just why she was doing what she was doing, but the final story ultimately left me feeling like I had missed something.
And perhaps I d...more
When Nola’s mother cuts herself badly with a knife while fixing dinner, and blood cascades over the cutting board, 10-year-old Nola is swept up into a vision that changes her life. She has no choice but to tell her mother what she’s seen, even though she knows her ability to Oversee means the end of her life with her family. Her mom promptly sells her to a Sarsenay lowtown brothel to apprentice with Ygranzi, the Overseer there and learn to train her powers. Read the rest of my review at http://p...more
Very disturbing due to all the blood, cutting, death, children, etc. but also so new in terms of who the heroine is, how she forms relationships, and the interconnections between the people in the story. I feel it's a serious luxury to have a book like this.
5e tentative avortée de l'héroine pour se libérer. Rapé encore. Lectrice frustrée. Mais ce pendant, à part ce malaise qui dure depuis 100 pages, l'histoire est très engageante et le monde riche et bien décrit. J'espère que le dénouement va être satisfaisant, à défaut d'être joyeux."
Hurray! Something has come up! Oh what a relief!
not for long.
It was, but if the heroin triumphes, with a collection of happenstances,... she loses a lot. The ending is told by another character.
Absolutely mesmerizing. The writing is so beautiful in this book, it seemed to cast a spell on me. I could not put it down, even as I cringed in horror at parts of it.
If I could give this book twenty stars, I would happily do so. I stayed up 'til after three a.m. to finish it, and cannot recommend it highly enough. What an absolutely gorgeous book.
Waaaay creepier than expected, it was actually quite hard to finish it.
...I had typed a review, and then this window ate it. *sigh* Will redo later.
A dark fantasy about a seer who can see the future but can doing nothing to change it. I really enjoyed it.
Full review on my podcast: SFBRP episode 169.
Yeah, 169.
Yeah, 169.
May 14, 2013
Veronika
added it
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELEVEN READER'S CLUB: 5nd UPDATE OF: THE PATTERN SCARS | 1 | 8 | Nov 22, 2012 06:04am | |
| ELEVEN READER'S CLUB: 4nd UPDATE OF: THE PATTERN SCARS | 1 | 1 | Nov 21, 2012 08:30am | |
| ELEVEN READER'S CLUB: 3nd UPDATE OF: THE PATTERN SCARS | 1 | 3 | Nov 19, 2012 08:00am | |
| ELEVEN READER'S CLUB: 2nd UPDATE OF: THE PATTERN SCARS | 1 | 8 | Nov 08, 2012 06:51am |
Caitlin Sweet’s first fantasy novel, A Telling of Stars, was published by Penguin Canada in 2003. Her second, The Silences of Home, was published in 2005. Between them, they were nominated for Aurora Awards, a Locus Best First Novel Award, long-listed for the Sunburst Award, and ranked in the top 5 of SFSite’s Best Novels of 2005. For a few years she was deluded enough to think that she might writ...more
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