The Seventh Bride by T Kingfisher
Publisher: 47North
Publication Date: November 11 2014
Genre: YA Fantasy, Retelling
Source: Netgalley eARC
Link to the author: http://tkingfisher.com/
Click here for the Goodreads Summary
3 Bird Golems out of 5Buzz Words: powers, mysterious, hedgehogs
Favourite Quotes:
Rhea followed, because when your future husband is a mad sorcerer, following a hedgehog sometimes seems like a good option.
“If it says this is the way, then it’s the way,” said Rhea firmly. “I would follow this hedgehog into the mouth of hell”
My thoughts:
I wasn’t familiar with the bluebeard fairytale before reading this story. I didn’t realize it was a retelling at all. Often there is a lack of world building and explanation of the magic system in fairytales, so I shouldn’t have expected it but I was still dissapointed. The setting was eerie and gloomy but not very creative. It reminded me of something Tim Burton would write. It was such a weird story but it was so weird I couldn’t stop reading, so I guess that worked in its favor? Now that I have finished it though, it isn’t a book I would go back and re-read. The plot just didn’t do it for me. Rhea has to complete tasks if she wants to avoid the marriage. The tasks are set for her to fail but she finds a way around them, all but the last and then has to marry him anyway? So in a last ditch effort she asks one of the other wives for help, who sends her ‘down the rabbit hole’ to find answers. Even though she is successful it felt anti-climactic. I really wanted more from the story.
What I liked:
The hedgehog. Rhea discovers a hedgehog on her way to the mansion and it accompanies her throughout her stay there. Quite possibly the best parts of the book are the one-sided conversations between Rhea and he quilled familiar. I often found myself giggling while reading those passages. It was a unique touch, I dont read many tales with familiars and certainly not hedgehog ones.
What I disliked:
I didn’t connect with the main character and I felt she changed much by the end of the tale. What did she learn? How did she grow? Okay, she knows she is a bit of a witch now and it would take a lot to shake her after all she’s been through but I just didnt see the character development. Also, not a big deal but the summary was very vague, it did not prepare me for what the story was about. I don’t want a summary to give it all away but I want it to tell me enough to know if I want to read it or not.
Would Recommend To:
Anyone who enjoyed Thorn, the fairy tale of bluebeard, or fairy tale retellings in general. This is a book that not everyone will enjoy, but the right person would love.
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