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Strands #1
Strands of Starlight
Miriam is a frail young outcast whose healing powers have branded her a witch in the Inquisition of 14th century Europe. Fleeing her city in search of the Free Towns and acceptance she is brutally violated by a man she heals from the brink of death. Saved by the intervention of the elves Miriam swears to exact revenge on her assailant. But first she must learn the art of swordsmanship and train to be a warrior with her newfound powers of elfin sorcery. When the Free Towns come under siege by the Inquisition led by Miriams attacker the safety and very existence of her people is threatened. Miriam knows her strength will be tested in a face to face confrontation with her enemy, but how can she battle for the freedom of others when her own revenge is a mere swords length away...
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 7, 1989
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781 people want to read
About the author
Gael Baudino
20 books72 followersGael Baudino (born 1955) is a contemporary American fantasy author who also writes under the pseudonyms of Gael A. Kathryns, K.M. Tonso, and G.A. Kathryns.
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February 7, 2022“I cannot say Deny your pain. There is no life without pain. But use it. Grow beyond it. And do not deny your joy either, for without it life has no meaning.”
So What’s It About?
"Baudino sets this engrossing fantasy-adventure in a mythical land that replicates the political and religious tensions of 14th-century Europe. The heroine, Miriam, unwillingly gifted with the power to heal, falls victim to a savage Inquisition that condemns her ability as witchcraft, and to a ruthless nobleman who rapes her after she saves his life. Baudino understands the psychology of the persecuted, astutely motivating the self-immolating rage that consumes Miriam and leads her to undergo a complete, magical physical metamorphosis (she becomes tall, strong and beautiful) so that she can be a scourge for her enemies. Though the plot has its share of exciting sword fights, bold rescues and similar stock-in-trade, Baudino focuses on Miriam's interior journey--her spiritual (which accompanies the corporeal) transformation through contact with the uncorrupted Elves, with the pagan priestesses known as witches and with simple Christians. Her tale acquires an elegiac power, mourning the loss of innocent sources of wisdom even as it vividly imagines them."
What I Thought
If you ever thought I was an overly biased reviewer, please know that this book contains a romance with a broody elf boy AND a trauma recovery arc but I still ended up giving it two stars. So there!!!!!!!! I’ll be the first to admit that there is a kind of cheesy delight to be found here - the book is very prettily written and I AM a sucker for elf boys and trauma recovery...it’s just that there is also so much that is messy/dissatisfying.
Miriam is a very interesting character - incredibly angry, guarded and bitter at the start of the story because of the horrors that she has experienced. I really enjoyed seeing her process of starting to accept love and kindness while healing. That being said, the whole point is that she learns to see how many choices she has and how everything is connected, ultimately choosing love and compassion, but I can’t help but feel that much of her transformation happens only because of her magical transformation from human to elf. I would have much preferred that she stay as a human so that her changes in worldview and personality aren’t simply accounted for by her becoming magical and elfy.
While her trauma is well-written in some regards, there are a few aspects of this book’s take on rape that read astoundingly poorly in 2021. At one point broody elf boy Terrill tells Miriam that it might have been “for the best” that she was raped in the Grand Mystical Wiccan Elf scheme of things, and then later after she is almost assaulted again he tells her that she might have been able to prevent it if she had been nicer to the perpetrator lol. Now you might just think ‘Well this guy Terrill sounds like quite the motherfucker, but that’s not what the TEXT is saying.” I’d be liable to think that’s a possibility except for the fact that the elves are presented as being infinitely wise and perfect and correct about everything in this book.
Like, I think what Baudino is trying to say is basically what's expressed in the quote I chose to start the review with. This is something that I very much agree with, which is that part of healing from trauma requires you to make some kind of meaning from what happened. (Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl is probably the best person to read if you want to know more about this). But the thing that people often don’t understand about this process is that meaning-making is by no means the same as saying “It was for the best” or “it wasn’t that bad.”
Another reason I think Terrill sucks is that he consistently insists that it isn’t Miriam’s violent actions that are wrong - the problem is that she feels anger when she does them. So his take on morality is that killing and violence are permissible as long as they aren’t performed with anger. What?????? I think I believe the absolute opposite - any emotions are valid in the aftermath of horror, but that doesn’t mean that any actions are justified based on those emotions.
Speaking of violence, the book does that annoying thing where the heroes slaughter their way through waves and waves of minions but then when they finally get to the serial rapist who is planning on leading a genocidal Inquisition they suddenly decide that there are other options and killing is bad, actually.
The book pulls this super weird card at the very end when Miriam confronts said serial rapist who is planning on leading a genocidal Inquisition. His name is Roger; Miriam reads Roger’s mind and it’s all like “Miriam saw everything that made Roger the way he was and caused him to be a serial rapist and then she fixed him with magic.” It feels incredibly cheap to simply say that Miriam learns these things without actually doing the work to explain what they actually are or present them to the reader in the sections that are from Roger’s perspective; as it stands there is absolutely no insight into his psychology during his perspective sections and he is something of a caricature of evil until Baudino says all of this at the end.
The last weird thing is that another girl, Charity, almost gets raped by Roger too, and the book mentions offhandedly that she went to stay with the elves to have her “mind healed.” Later, Mirya heals Mika’s mind from her trauma after she is tortured. If it’s possible to use elf magic to heal someone’s mind from trauma then why didn’t they offer to do that for Miriam?????
Okay, time to stop complaining about a book that nobody knows about. Like I said I kind of love it in all its 80s Wiccan feminist excess, but that stuff also makes it pretty dang dated and cheesy by today’s standards and beyond that there’s just too much that doesn’t make sense.
So What’s It About?
"Baudino sets this engrossing fantasy-adventure in a mythical land that replicates the political and religious tensions of 14th-century Europe. The heroine, Miriam, unwillingly gifted with the power to heal, falls victim to a savage Inquisition that condemns her ability as witchcraft, and to a ruthless nobleman who rapes her after she saves his life. Baudino understands the psychology of the persecuted, astutely motivating the self-immolating rage that consumes Miriam and leads her to undergo a complete, magical physical metamorphosis (she becomes tall, strong and beautiful) so that she can be a scourge for her enemies. Though the plot has its share of exciting sword fights, bold rescues and similar stock-in-trade, Baudino focuses on Miriam's interior journey--her spiritual (which accompanies the corporeal) transformation through contact with the uncorrupted Elves, with the pagan priestesses known as witches and with simple Christians. Her tale acquires an elegiac power, mourning the loss of innocent sources of wisdom even as it vividly imagines them."
What I Thought
If you ever thought I was an overly biased reviewer, please know that this book contains a romance with a broody elf boy AND a trauma recovery arc but I still ended up giving it two stars. So there!!!!!!!! I’ll be the first to admit that there is a kind of cheesy delight to be found here - the book is very prettily written and I AM a sucker for elf boys and trauma recovery...it’s just that there is also so much that is messy/dissatisfying.
Miriam is a very interesting character - incredibly angry, guarded and bitter at the start of the story because of the horrors that she has experienced. I really enjoyed seeing her process of starting to accept love and kindness while healing. That being said, the whole point is that she learns to see how many choices she has and how everything is connected, ultimately choosing love and compassion, but I can’t help but feel that much of her transformation happens only because of her magical transformation from human to elf. I would have much preferred that she stay as a human so that her changes in worldview and personality aren’t simply accounted for by her becoming magical and elfy.
While her trauma is well-written in some regards, there are a few aspects of this book’s take on rape that read astoundingly poorly in 2021. At one point broody elf boy Terrill tells Miriam that it might have been “for the best” that she was raped in the Grand Mystical Wiccan Elf scheme of things, and then later after she is almost assaulted again he tells her that she might have been able to prevent it if she had been nicer to the perpetrator lol. Now you might just think ‘Well this guy Terrill sounds like quite the motherfucker, but that’s not what the TEXT is saying.” I’d be liable to think that’s a possibility except for the fact that the elves are presented as being infinitely wise and perfect and correct about everything in this book.
Like, I think what Baudino is trying to say is basically what's expressed in the quote I chose to start the review with. This is something that I very much agree with, which is that part of healing from trauma requires you to make some kind of meaning from what happened. (Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl is probably the best person to read if you want to know more about this). But the thing that people often don’t understand about this process is that meaning-making is by no means the same as saying “It was for the best” or “it wasn’t that bad.”
Another reason I think Terrill sucks is that he consistently insists that it isn’t Miriam’s violent actions that are wrong - the problem is that she feels anger when she does them. So his take on morality is that killing and violence are permissible as long as they aren’t performed with anger. What?????? I think I believe the absolute opposite - any emotions are valid in the aftermath of horror, but that doesn’t mean that any actions are justified based on those emotions.
Speaking of violence, the book does that annoying thing where the heroes slaughter their way through waves and waves of minions but then when they finally get to the serial rapist who is planning on leading a genocidal Inquisition they suddenly decide that there are other options and killing is bad, actually.
The book pulls this super weird card at the very end when Miriam confronts said serial rapist who is planning on leading a genocidal Inquisition. His name is Roger; Miriam reads Roger’s mind and it’s all like “Miriam saw everything that made Roger the way he was and caused him to be a serial rapist and then she fixed him with magic.” It feels incredibly cheap to simply say that Miriam learns these things without actually doing the work to explain what they actually are or present them to the reader in the sections that are from Roger’s perspective; as it stands there is absolutely no insight into his psychology during his perspective sections and he is something of a caricature of evil until Baudino says all of this at the end.
The last weird thing is that another girl, Charity, almost gets raped by Roger too, and the book mentions offhandedly that she went to stay with the elves to have her “mind healed.” Later, Mirya heals Mika’s mind from her trauma after she is tortured. If it’s possible to use elf magic to heal someone’s mind from trauma then why didn’t they offer to do that for Miriam?????
Okay, time to stop complaining about a book that nobody knows about. Like I said I kind of love it in all its 80s Wiccan feminist excess, but that stuff also makes it pretty dang dated and cheesy by today’s standards and beyond that there’s just too much that doesn’t make sense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2015
What a lovely cover by Thomas Canty!
September 30, 2011
First book I've said since I've had the time and mind to read. And it was the perfect one to start with. Highly enlightening. The book takes you into the soul of a bitter battered protagonist, who is then raped and seeks revenge. You ascend by feeling completely justified by her anguish, your emotions shift from left to right as you change and grow with her and eventually meet her Fate. It truly shifted my perspective of the world. And for that, I am grateful. This book gives a gift in itself, to those who are into the fantasy genre.
January 24, 2018
I read this when I was 18 years old and made me fall in love with the art of sword fighting (dancing). I would love to make this into a film one day. It inspired me a lot during a time when I really needed inspiration.
October 10, 2012
I wanted to like this. It started out with an intriguing concept, but the writing grew repetitive (I'm talking about the exact same descriptive phrases repeated word-for-word throughout the book). Among the few books I couldn't finish.
May 2, 2011
This was a really good book I read many years ago when I was going through a pagan/Wiccan phase. I remember really enjoying this book, which takes place in a setting resembling medieval Europe. I loved the strong female characters, the earth-based wisdom, and the delightful story of elves and magical creatures hidden in plain sight. I looked forward to the rest of the series, but unfortunately this 1st book turned out to be the best one of the lot. Sigh...
December 16, 2007
I have read this book at least 10 times a number of years ago. It's my favourite fantasy book ever... It has great characters, with a great story about rebirth. I totally recommend it and all the other books in this series!
September 22, 2008
I really enjoyed this book; of course I read it like 10-15 years ago but I thought it was a good scifi fantasy book especially for females..too bad it's no longer in print..sigh..
June 13, 2020
A favorite book, love how strong the main character is and how she changes. Gives me hope we can all change.
May 18, 2024
I have often thought fantasy Authors have better understanding and ability to communicate what spirituality is all about compared to many religions. This book does exactly that and what a read!
September 26, 2018
An entrancing novel set in an alternate medieval Europe where benevolent elves still walk the earth, although they must hide increasingly from the Inquisition. A young woman, abused and battered, finds her way to one of the rare villages where the elves still live in peace with the church, granting the people their protection and help. She is given an extraordinary second chance, but her true struggle is to decide who she will be in her new life.
The heroine's journey here is not an easy, fluffy one. Her desire for revenge creates an interesting counterpoint to the elves' pacifism, and the world around them all is changing quickly. Multiple storylines run through the book, giving an all-encompassing view of this world and its factions. The author has obviously studied the time period closely, and the level of detail is fantastic.
I would recommend this to fans of Lackey's Arrows of the Queen, McKinley's Deerskin, and other novels of the "sword and sorceress" genre.
The heroine's journey here is not an easy, fluffy one. Her desire for revenge creates an interesting counterpoint to the elves' pacifism, and the world around them all is changing quickly. Multiple storylines run through the book, giving an all-encompassing view of this world and its factions. The author has obviously studied the time period closely, and the level of detail is fantastic.
I would recommend this to fans of Lackey's Arrows of the Queen, McKinley's Deerskin, and other novels of the "sword and sorceress" genre.
September 28, 2007
When I was younger, I was very into Science Fiction and Fantasy novels. Also when I was younger, the one thing that I could always count on my mother to buy for me was a book. As a result, I have a shelf full of unread novels at home, so despite the fact that my tastes have shifted a bit, I still take a few of them back to New York with me every time I am home in the hopes that eventually I’ll make it through them all. I do still enjoy the genre, just not with the same forgiveness I had for it when I was younger.
This particular novel is a sort of merger between historical fiction and fantasy. The book takes place in seventeenth century England, and features some real historical figures. However, the main character is firmly rooted in the fantasy tradition – she is Miriam, an 18 year old girl with healing power. The book opens with her escaping from a “witch trial”. During her escape, she comes across a man who is dying. After healing him, he repays her by raping her. So, in the first fifty pages, two fantasy conventions have been fulfilled: healing powers and rape. I will never understand why so many fantasy authors are obsessed with the rape, torture and beating of women.
The rest of the story follows a fairly predicatable path of revenge and redemption. There is a forest, and a priest and some elves and plenty of magic and sword-fighting. I found most of the book to be exceptionally tedious, and I left it in my hotel room in Nairobi.
This particular novel is a sort of merger between historical fiction and fantasy. The book takes place in seventeenth century England, and features some real historical figures. However, the main character is firmly rooted in the fantasy tradition – she is Miriam, an 18 year old girl with healing power. The book opens with her escaping from a “witch trial”. During her escape, she comes across a man who is dying. After healing him, he repays her by raping her. So, in the first fifty pages, two fantasy conventions have been fulfilled: healing powers and rape. I will never understand why so many fantasy authors are obsessed with the rape, torture and beating of women.
The rest of the story follows a fairly predicatable path of revenge and redemption. There is a forest, and a priest and some elves and plenty of magic and sword-fighting. I found most of the book to be exceptionally tedious, and I left it in my hotel room in Nairobi.
July 22, 2013
I started this book in general enjoyement, and reaching the end am not entirely certain why I didn't find it more riveting than I did. It does have several good elements. The tale, of a young healer woman set upon by the inquisition who escapes, and finds her destiny interwoven with those of the 'free towns' and the dwindling population of tolkeen-like elves, is plenty interesting. Yet over time it seemed to falter and my interest waned.
The main character goes through a transformation of sorts, and normally in such books I find this transformation interesting, yet in this book, and perhaps it is the character of the transformation, it seems disinteresting. The book also suffers from the 'perfect elf' syndrom, in which the Elves of the forest are magical beings of transcendent happiness and perfection set upon the cruel vagaries of the human world. While the ultimate purpose of the novel, discussions of what it means to know the potential outcomes of your choices and make them anyway, and live with them, there were just too many elements that just felt overdrawn.
I suspect this might have been one of those books that I'd have a far more favourable opinion of had I read it a decade ago. As it stands, it was an alright read, but I don't think I'll be continuing the series or seeking out other works by the author.
The main character goes through a transformation of sorts, and normally in such books I find this transformation interesting, yet in this book, and perhaps it is the character of the transformation, it seems disinteresting. The book also suffers from the 'perfect elf' syndrom, in which the Elves of the forest are magical beings of transcendent happiness and perfection set upon the cruel vagaries of the human world. While the ultimate purpose of the novel, discussions of what it means to know the potential outcomes of your choices and make them anyway, and live with them, there were just too many elements that just felt overdrawn.
I suspect this might have been one of those books that I'd have a far more favourable opinion of had I read it a decade ago. As it stands, it was an alright read, but I don't think I'll be continuing the series or seeking out other works by the author.
July 27, 2013
I won't say it's an amazing, well-written book, a classic, anything like that. It's not.
I will say that when I read it when I was young and devouring fantasy books and searching for personal meaning in books and stories, it made a huge impression on me. This is probably my favorite fantasy book from my youth. I re-read it about once a year and I still adore it. It resonated really deeply with me and when I read it now I still get that feeling for a while. That is what I love about this book.
I will say that when I read it when I was young and devouring fantasy books and searching for personal meaning in books and stories, it made a huge impression on me. This is probably my favorite fantasy book from my youth. I re-read it about once a year and I still adore it. It resonated really deeply with me and when I read it now I still get that feeling for a while. That is what I love about this book.
April 23, 2008
I have read this book several times and am now reading it again. Even though it is a bit dark and is definitely anti-religion, I find the characters interesting and uplifting. I am one of those people who know that transformation, re-birth if you will, is what our journey in this life is truly all about. This story is about transformation, but is presented in a really original way. No airy-fairy elves in this tale!
September 27, 2016
Another favorite author as I revisit my own personal version of the "way back machine" and catch up on reviewing some of the amazing books I've read over the years!
This book... it makes me cry every damned time I read it! Interesting "alternative history earth", kind of, fantasy, kind of. With many elements of both history and fantasy woven beautifully together, this was a truly incredible read and an awesome beginning to an amazing series!
Enjoy!
This book... it makes me cry every damned time I read it! Interesting "alternative history earth", kind of, fantasy, kind of. With many elements of both history and fantasy woven beautifully together, this was a truly incredible read and an awesome beginning to an amazing series!
Enjoy!
February 22, 2010
This was, for the longest time, one of my favorite books. If it had been a stand-alone it would be worth whole universes for its concept of elves alone.
Unfortunately the rest of the series goes downhill from here and isn't much redeemed by the finale.
Unfortunately the rest of the series goes downhill from here and isn't much redeemed by the finale.
September 12, 2012
One of my favourite reads of all times, this is a story of a girl seeking revenge who finds ways towards revenge which weren't necessarily the original path she started on! Elves feature.
February 5, 2008
Urban fantasy with music.
June 4, 2011
Actually threw it out the window and left it there. Awful.
August 20, 2011
One of the best books I ever read. I love reading it over and over and getting lost in the story.
February 3, 2016
This was one of those random books I picked up at a bookstore. Never heard of it. I loved it! It's so awesome when that happens right?
August 27, 2022
Even better on the reread. This time, I saw the hope as well as the bitterness and suffering.
February 2, 2008
ah, to be 15 (and not know it) and gay in a small town and read these books!
October 23, 2017
Another example of "picking up a book because the cover was interesting and the synopsis was compelling" while I was browsing at the bookstore. Even when I was reading the synopsis, I was a bit suspicious, seeing that this was going to be another "rape and revenge" themed fantasy book. Sure: the book was written in 1989, but nowadays the trope is wearing thin, especially as a primary motivator in a female-led fantasy book. But seeing that I'm a writer myself, I think it's fair to see how people approach the topic - especially from a female writer's perspective - and in the case of "Strands of Starlight", I wasn't *entirely* disappointed.
The main character, a young woman named Miriam, had already suffered a great deal at the hands of the Inquisition, having been accused of being a witch for her "cursed" ability of being able to heal people from the brink of death. From the literary standpoint, a girl being able to heal others is already tipping on the cliche side. On the other hand - the narrative side of things - Miriam's experience as a healer is quite brutal: she's tortured extensively by the Church, and I don't recall that she can heal her own wounds... Speaking of the Church, you'll sense that the author has some anti-religious leanings (or at least, she's opposed to dogmatic organized religions), because of the Church's hatred of a person who can heal any wound is quite ridiculous, even in that Dark Age medieval way of thinking. Maybe it was a driving point of the author to show how absurd this way of thinking was, which ultimately put millions of people - most of which happened to be women who were unfortunate enough to be older women who worked with medicine - to death. I would think that a government would like to utilize people with that ability so their army or royal line could never be challenged.
Anyway, so one of two things I appreciate from the novel was that - going back to what I alluded in the first paragraph - the author did do something different with Miriam's sexual assault. It's a big turning point in her life, as it would be with a lot of survivors, but the rape itself is never described. A big criticism of rape tropes used in creative works is how so many authors detail such acts in titillating near-consensual ways that's very off-putting if not downright insulting, with the usual rebuttal being "but it's realism." You can make such a heinous act impactful without presenting it as some sort of sick striptease, and I think the author carries that well. We know that Miriam's assault was savage by the fact that her physical recovery was arduous, and her emotional recovery exceeds the end of the book, since it's her personal driving point to even becoming a non-human, an elf, so that she can seek revenge.
That leads into the second point about this book that I appreciate: the elves, or rather, the application of elves rather than the elves themselves. "Strands of Starlight" is a historical fantasy, taking place in 12th century France. The elven narrative is very Tolkienian, which, sadly, is another trope that is wearing a bit thin nowadays (e.g. perfect elves whose age is coming to end in the shadow of humankind), but I suppose it works for this story. In fact, the author takes A LOT of artistic licence, since this place is basically "Europe in Name Only." Rarely are any real cities or provinces brought up to solidify the fact that the story takes place in this world. So maybe I just invalidated my entire point. XD
I guess one thing about the elves that I thought interesting is their ability of prescience (elves can foresee many futures) which can bring upon the discussion of free will, fatalism, and causality while reading this book, but for some reason it didn't. Characters discussed those themes in passing, but it never clung to me (and believe me: I think about free will and fate A LOT). I guess that brings to mind a pitfall for the book: it has potential, but I think it falls short in some areas. Maybe if the story was more grounded in our world or if the author just took the time to establish her own world, it would have worked out more, but I was never quite able to feel the magnitude of the Inquisition and the plight of the people, elves and human alike, as a whole. I was never really able to imagine beyond the locations that we are placed in or the scope of the elven race (the elves are so flat that I forgot that there were two other elf characters in the story beyond the two main elven characters, Varden and Terrill, and for a greater portion of the book, I couldn't really distinguish them).
In conclusion, this book wasn't bad, but it wasn't great: there was potential, but it was missed. This book is okay as a stand alone installment, but I'm not sure how the rest of the series fairs or if it even rectifies what I think are missed opportunities in this book, as I heard that the successors of "Strands of Starlight" fall much shorter. Maybe if I chance upon the sequel in another used bookstores, all give that one a chance as well...
The main character, a young woman named Miriam, had already suffered a great deal at the hands of the Inquisition, having been accused of being a witch for her "cursed" ability of being able to heal people from the brink of death. From the literary standpoint, a girl being able to heal others is already tipping on the cliche side. On the other hand - the narrative side of things - Miriam's experience as a healer is quite brutal: she's tortured extensively by the Church, and I don't recall that she can heal her own wounds... Speaking of the Church, you'll sense that the author has some anti-religious leanings (or at least, she's opposed to dogmatic organized religions), because of the Church's hatred of a person who can heal any wound is quite ridiculous, even in that Dark Age medieval way of thinking. Maybe it was a driving point of the author to show how absurd this way of thinking was, which ultimately put millions of people - most of which happened to be women who were unfortunate enough to be older women who worked with medicine - to death. I would think that a government would like to utilize people with that ability so their army or royal line could never be challenged.
Anyway, so one of two things I appreciate from the novel was that - going back to what I alluded in the first paragraph - the author did do something different with Miriam's sexual assault. It's a big turning point in her life, as it would be with a lot of survivors, but the rape itself is never described. A big criticism of rape tropes used in creative works is how so many authors detail such acts in titillating near-consensual ways that's very off-putting if not downright insulting, with the usual rebuttal being "but it's realism." You can make such a heinous act impactful without presenting it as some sort of sick striptease, and I think the author carries that well. We know that Miriam's assault was savage by the fact that her physical recovery was arduous, and her emotional recovery exceeds the end of the book, since it's her personal driving point to even becoming a non-human, an elf, so that she can seek revenge.
That leads into the second point about this book that I appreciate: the elves, or rather, the application of elves rather than the elves themselves. "Strands of Starlight" is a historical fantasy, taking place in 12th century France. The elven narrative is very Tolkienian, which, sadly, is another trope that is wearing a bit thin nowadays (e.g. perfect elves whose age is coming to end in the shadow of humankind), but I suppose it works for this story. In fact, the author takes A LOT of artistic licence, since this place is basically "Europe in Name Only." Rarely are any real cities or provinces brought up to solidify the fact that the story takes place in this world. So maybe I just invalidated my entire point. XD
I guess one thing about the elves that I thought interesting is their ability of prescience (elves can foresee many futures) which can bring upon the discussion of free will, fatalism, and causality while reading this book, but for some reason it didn't. Characters discussed those themes in passing, but it never clung to me (and believe me: I think about free will and fate A LOT). I guess that brings to mind a pitfall for the book: it has potential, but I think it falls short in some areas. Maybe if the story was more grounded in our world or if the author just took the time to establish her own world, it would have worked out more, but I was never quite able to feel the magnitude of the Inquisition and the plight of the people, elves and human alike, as a whole. I was never really able to imagine beyond the locations that we are placed in or the scope of the elven race (the elves are so flat that I forgot that there were two other elf characters in the story beyond the two main elven characters, Varden and Terrill, and for a greater portion of the book, I couldn't really distinguish them).
In conclusion, this book wasn't bad, but it wasn't great: there was potential, but it was missed. This book is okay as a stand alone installment, but I'm not sure how the rest of the series fairs or if it even rectifies what I think are missed opportunities in this book, as I heard that the successors of "Strands of Starlight" fall much shorter. Maybe if I chance upon the sequel in another used bookstores, all give that one a chance as well...
May 7, 2020
TW: Rape; it is however viewed as the awful misfortune it is, is not highly detailed. And is the driving point for the protagonist to seek revenge. Alluded to frequently in the story
I found this gem at a garage sale, and it hits just as a good ol Roc fantasy story should.
I appreciate the detail the story has in it and it reads as an illustration. You get a feel for each of the characters and even though you bounce around a little to get an idea of the politics, it gets easier as you progress throughout the book.
Our main character has a lot of anger, and is encouraged to grow out of it, in more ways than one. However, because of the horrible occurances in her life, she has some things to settle first.
After escaping her captors, a few kind acts sets the promise of a future herself. She comes across a small village touched by elves, and is treated with love and kindness for the one of the first time in her life. These folk do not fully understand why she would choose to harbor such anger especially when the only way she feels she can conquer it is with right vengeance on that who had assaulted her. We follow her training to learn the art of living with the past and swordplay to get the future she feels best fits with her mortality.
I was delighted in finding that this book was part of a series.
I found this gem at a garage sale, and it hits just as a good ol Roc fantasy story should.
I appreciate the detail the story has in it and it reads as an illustration. You get a feel for each of the characters and even though you bounce around a little to get an idea of the politics, it gets easier as you progress throughout the book.
Our main character has a lot of anger, and is encouraged to grow out of it, in more ways than one. However, because of the horrible occurances in her life, she has some things to settle first.
After escaping her captors, a few kind acts sets the promise of a future herself. She comes across a small village touched by elves, and is treated with love and kindness for the one of the first time in her life. These folk do not fully understand why she would choose to harbor such anger especially when the only way she feels she can conquer it is with right vengeance on that who had assaulted her. We follow her training to learn the art of living with the past and swordplay to get the future she feels best fits with her mortality.
I was delighted in finding that this book was part of a series.
August 5, 2019
So I really thought I'd enjoy this book because it was Fantasy set around the era of Inquisition and religious zealotry in medieval times, that was mixed in with the very real magic of this world and the elves. The premise was really great, and as much as I dislike the everything else seemed interesting enough to keep reading. Not to mention, I was very intrigued with Miriam's inner journey toward peace or revenge.
I ended up stopping this book because it just got very repetitive and the plot slowed way, way down. It just felt like the middle hundred pages or so was the same thing over and over and over again. I eventually decided that I wasn't engaged enough to see how this story ends.
I ended up stopping this book because it just got very repetitive and the plot slowed way, way down. It just felt like the middle hundred pages or so was the same thing over and over and over again. I eventually decided that I wasn't engaged enough to see how this story ends.
August 20, 2024
I found this novel an intriguing blend of politics, religion, Elves, and vengeance. I am somewhat bothered that it suggest Roger, a major villain, has some type of special powers: he runs off with a sword in his back and recovers; he throws a table across the room. However, I did not find any explanation for these events.
Miriam is a slim, young girl who has healing powers. Her body demands that she uses these powers to cure others, although it causes her pain. Her parents disown her, because they firmly believe in the Church that insists such powers ate evil. She is arrested and tortured, but manages to escape. Her ability leads to several rescues, which don’t always have positive endings.
It is a fairly violent novel.
Miriam is a slim, young girl who has healing powers. Her body demands that she uses these powers to cure others, although it causes her pain. Her parents disown her, because they firmly believe in the Church that insists such powers ate evil. She is arrested and tortured, but manages to escape. Her ability leads to several rescues, which don’t always have positive endings.
It is a fairly violent novel.
April 15, 2020
Read 215 pages out of 371... And just don't care to finish. The story is a slow burn... Even with effective transitions into new scenes and time skips which I appreciate. (you don't need to describe every detail to a reader)
But honestly... If the ending is revenge... I just don't care anymore. I understand the story is about transformation... But it just isn't interesting enough for me to want to finish.
I appreciate the dark and harsh reality of the main character and the difficulty of getting through the challenges she faces.
Would rather find a different book to read.
But honestly... If the ending is revenge... I just don't care anymore. I understand the story is about transformation... But it just isn't interesting enough for me to want to finish.
I appreciate the dark and harsh reality of the main character and the difficulty of getting through the challenges she faces.
Would rather find a different book to read.
November 8, 2020
I didnt want to DNF this book and reading it til the end made me dislike it more.
I couldn't stand the main character. She was so conceited and the author tried too hard to make her relatable and edgy.
My biggest issue with this book was the dialogue. The issue of edginess just got too much at times and characters seemed so contradictory.
Maybe my hopes were too high as I saw some nice reviews. But yeah, this book wasn't for me.
I couldn't stand the main character. She was so conceited and the author tried too hard to make her relatable and edgy.
My biggest issue with this book was the dialogue. The issue of edginess just got too much at times and characters seemed so contradictory.
Maybe my hopes were too high as I saw some nice reviews. But yeah, this book wasn't for me.
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