Honestly every single thing about this book makes me wish it was a 400 page novel .

"Do characters even need agency?"

Good question. The answer is it depends entirely on the character, situation, and the story you want to tell. Protagonists are the characters who should have the most agency as they are the ones causing, or reacting to, events. More freedom of action their situation allows, more actions they should be initiating.

I think even the spinning silver marketing team advertised it as a romance, but then halfway through, these girls are plotting to kill their husbands Colleen Hoover style....took me out a bit, but it was a good read.

I'm on the "make it a novel" train! Currently, it reads like a draft where Novik tested stuff she liked, but she never really went back and made it all coherent as in having a setup and then the payoff for each element. Like setting up the dad at the start and not really doing anything with it, and then having Celia withhold her magic because she'll need it later on for a big spell but she never did. These seem like ideas that were supposed to lead somewhere and then she changed her mind, but never removed/reworked the setup that created the expectation, and the result is messy. I read it and enjoyed the prose, but kept going "wait, what?! I thought x was going to happen!" The setup with Roric learning to sing and being kept around because it was prophesied he'd help his siblings was all the story needed. Actually, I think his arc would have been the most interesting to follow in the novella's current form. He was out doing shit, meanwhile Celia is in her tower eating bread over the sink.

The timing is impeccable, I just finished reading this last Wednesday! :) I enjoyed it, but agree wholeheartedly: it should have been a novel.

Super excited to hear your thoughts on this one! I'll say that the only reason I don't give this book 5 stars is because there were elements about the start and the end I didn't enjoy as much.

Firstly the dialogue at the start had an excessive amount of italics which I find kind of insufferable but which thankfully calmed mid way through.

And secondly because I think the end went against the whole ethos and lesson of the story by rewarding the summer prince with Argent's hand. I thought Roric's solution was brilliant and I frankly would have prefer that ending: The Prince killed, the oath fulfilled. And then everything else on the human side could have happened anyway. Those responsible for the war dead or deposed. Dunno it just felt like a happy ending for the sake of happy ending rather than to serve the actual story.

I really enjoyed this novella, but completely agree I wish it was a full length novel. Love the delicious icing with no cake analogy! I keep hoping Novik will revisit it one day and turn it into a longer story, just like she did with Spinning Silver.

I dont know authors' names of books I love but I sure know Novik

Im so glad i watched this before getting to the book because I dont think I would have caught the king being the lord in the song!!!!
It made the book SO much better!!
Absolutely ADORED this book. <3

I feel very sorry for everyone who didn't stick around long enough to hear Katie's brilliant metaphor.

My girls look so beautiful today!❤

Commenting for the algorithm

Finally!

I really enjoyed this, as I do all of Novik's work, but I couldn't help realising that this was a VERY thinly veiled GOT fanfic with the serial numbers filed off. This made it harder to root for Celia as all I could see in my mind's eye was Cersei...

Yeah definitely on the disappointing end of published Novik works. It's not bad but it also doesnt really have anything going for it. The 20 page info dump about the dad was really out of place and weird for something that really didnt matter at all. It just doesnt separate it from the crowd of fairy tale stories that have been published for over a hundred years.

Rorick IS a cardboard cutout. Nobody ever expected anything at all from him. He's a child of neglect. He didn't even get proper hygiene from his caregivers!
The way they cope with neglect is to withdraw into themselves. Which makes them terrible to write about.

What happened to Paladins strength on the 4th

I’m so sorry guys, I gotta hit “not interested” until I read this on vacation 😭😭

Does this channel review viewer-submitted books if they are sent a copy?