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bobshmob's review against another edition
1.0
This book has aged pretty badly. Bad writing, tropey characters, cliche dialogue, extremely bad portrayal of indigenous people and Black people, and boring unconvincing romance.
The plot was interesting, although I felt the ending was a bit of a letdown. I with the time travel aspect had been fleshed out a bit because that was probably my favorite bit.
Overall, I can respect that this book was one of the early novels to put urban fantasy on the map, but it leaves much to be desired else than that.
Also, if I have to read “nom de tout” one more fucking time, I’m gonna lose my mind.
The plot was interesting, although I felt the ending was a bit of a letdown. I with the time travel aspect had been fleshed out a bit because that was probably my favorite bit.
Overall, I can respect that this book was one of the early novels to put urban fantasy on the map, but it leaves much to be desired else than that.
Also, if I have to read “nom de tout” one more fucking time, I’m gonna lose my mind.
mebutmagic's review against another edition
5.0
It's a magical story with a mystery at its heart. It's imaginative full of truths and sadness and love. One of my all time favourites
emily_reads_everything's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I’ve read quite a few of de Lint’s books and it follows a lot of his use of fantasy and mythology, but the mystery/detective arc was a pleasant twist.
melissakm's review against another edition
4.0
This is a comfort read and it had been many years since I last visited it. This time I listened to the audio version and it was a lovely escapist novel that has real depth to it. I love de Lint’s work and the worlds within worlds that he creates.
drasis's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Would have DNF'd if I didn't have to read it for book club. Incredibly boring with characters that were not very interesting.
peak_kat's review against another edition
A really nice idea blending folklore and fantasy. I appreciate that De Lint is a pioneer in the “urban fantasy” genre, but this book did not land for me. Littered with things that did not age well (especially his depiction of Indigenous people…and one really off putting scene towards the beginning with a Jamaican man…), this book did not make up for those missteps with its writing. Cringey dialogue and awkward sentence structure everywhere along with underdeveloped characters and a plot that did too much abrupt starting then stopping to keep me engaged. Though this was the February book club pick, I have to DNF because life is too short , and my tbr stack is too tall to force myself to read something I don’t like when I’m well over 10 years out of school now.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cultural appropriation
babbers's review against another edition
2.0
While it might have pioneered a genre, it has not aged well. Can't say I enjoyed this book. I definitely did not like most of the characters, who felt like underwritten stereotypes. 'Lord Dying Jesus,' this one was a slog.
maddandroid's review against another edition
4.0
This novel is of course magical, because other wise it wouldn't be an Urban Fantasy, but it's also very musical.
From the Author's Note.
" this book was written under the influence of Alan Stivell, Andreas Vollenweider, Neville Marriner, An Triskell, Edgar Froese, Klaus Schultz, Radio Silence, Robin Williamson, Silly Wizard, the Fureys, and Kate Bush-to name the most prominent"
I too had my mp3 player dancing with Celtic tunes as I read the book, the music references peppered throughout the novel are almost a subliminal influence forcing you to listen to some Celtic tunes as you read.
Aside from that I loved the way that the author has integrated European legends and mythology with North American mythology, throwing in a healthy does of Taoism to boot makes for a very satisfying setting and story. The main characters are both believable and likeable; the human villains are a little one dimensional but that’s a small quibble for such a terrific novel.
From the Author's Note.
" this book was written under the influence of Alan Stivell, Andreas Vollenweider, Neville Marriner, An Triskell, Edgar Froese, Klaus Schultz, Radio Silence, Robin Williamson, Silly Wizard, the Fureys, and Kate Bush-to name the most prominent"
I too had my mp3 player dancing with Celtic tunes as I read the book, the music references peppered throughout the novel are almost a subliminal influence forcing you to listen to some Celtic tunes as you read.
Aside from that I loved the way that the author has integrated European legends and mythology with North American mythology, throwing in a healthy does of Taoism to boot makes for a very satisfying setting and story. The main characters are both believable and likeable; the human villains are a little one dimensional but that’s a small quibble for such a terrific novel.
michaellehmann1226's review against another edition
2.0
This book had the potential to be a true epic, but I found to to be lacking in climax and a bit too sentimental without backing.