soph (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sophia_sol) wrote2015-02-13 03:58 pm
sophia_sol) wrote2015-02-13 03:58 pm
Castle Behind Thorns, by Merrie Haskell
Awww, what a great book! More or less a sleeping beauty retelling, but with preteen protagonists so the only romance is vague hints of possible future. Mostly the book is about mending, and healing from trauma, and family. Also blacksmithing. I really appreciated it!
I got a bit worried as I neared the ending and it was revealed that one of the things they needed to do was for Perrotte to forgive her stepmother Jannet for what Jannet had done to her, for Perrotte's own healing. I was like UGH OH DEAR because too often that sort of thing turns into the perpetrator of violence getting away with everything because the only important thing is the ~power of forgiveness~.
But! First, all Perrotte did was take the first steps on the path towards being able to forgive Jannet, instead of managing to all at once out of nowhere forgive Jannet in one moment. And second of all, Jannet was placed in a position where she needed to face up to the things she had done. YES GOOD THANK YOU BOOK.
Also Haskell is good at writing medievalish historical fiction involving magic that doesn't make me cringe about the historical aspects of things.
I got a bit worried as I neared the ending and it was revealed that one of the things they needed to do was for Perrotte to forgive her stepmother Jannet for what Jannet had done to her, for Perrotte's own healing. I was like UGH OH DEAR because too often that sort of thing turns into the perpetrator of violence getting away with everything because the only important thing is the ~power of forgiveness~.
But! First, all Perrotte did was take the first steps on the path towards being able to forgive Jannet, instead of managing to all at once out of nowhere forgive Jannet in one moment. And second of all, Jannet was placed in a position where she needed to face up to the things she had done. YES GOOD THANK YOU BOOK.
Also Haskell is good at writing medievalish historical fiction involving magic that doesn't make me cringe about the historical aspects of things.