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sophia_sol) wrote2022-12-11 12:27 pm
sophia_sol) wrote2022-12-11 12:27 pm
Illuminations, by T Kingfisher
I've been in a bit of a reading slump, so I pulled out T. Kingfisher's latest, because you can't go wrong with a Kingfisher.
This one, Illuminations, is a children's book about rival magic families in an alternate universe Italian city-state, which of course gave me inescapable dwj vibes, but this one is doing its own thing!
It's a very good and charming book, with solid themes, but I found the first lengthy part of the book very stressful since it involved everyone thinking badly of the main character with her unable to defend herself because of secrets she has to keep. And people spend a good while not trusting each other and not talking to each other. But thankfully the book recognizes that this is a problem, and sets out rectifying it much more promptly than it would have in another book, which I appreciate! Still meant though that I spent more of the book than I like being stressed rather than enjoying myself.
One of the things it's doing is the classic children's book thing of depicting important lessons about friendship, and you know, this is one of the things I love about children's books, that they DO highlight the value of friendships and the work needed to be a good friend to someone, and how worthwhile that is. Learning how to navigate jealousy in a vital yet platonic relationship in your life is key actually!
Overall: maybe not my fave Kingfisher, but a quick read and a solid book.
This one, Illuminations, is a children's book about rival magic families in an alternate universe Italian city-state, which of course gave me inescapable dwj vibes, but this one is doing its own thing!
It's a very good and charming book, with solid themes, but I found the first lengthy part of the book very stressful since it involved everyone thinking badly of the main character with her unable to defend herself because of secrets she has to keep. And people spend a good while not trusting each other and not talking to each other. But thankfully the book recognizes that this is a problem, and sets out rectifying it much more promptly than it would have in another book, which I appreciate! Still meant though that I spent more of the book than I like being stressed rather than enjoying myself.
One of the things it's doing is the classic children's book thing of depicting important lessons about friendship, and you know, this is one of the things I love about children's books, that they DO highlight the value of friendships and the work needed to be a good friend to someone, and how worthwhile that is. Learning how to navigate jealousy in a vital yet platonic relationship in your life is key actually!
Overall: maybe not my fave Kingfisher, but a quick read and a solid book.