Hello Fellow Journeyers,
Now you may be asking why I decided to read and review Seven Endless Forests after deeming The Boneless Mercies as mostly subpar. While The Boneless Mercies did disappoint me for being less than I expected, I had hope that April Genevieve Tucholke could redeem herself with a sophomoric effort, and I believe my hopes were fairly justified.
What's the story about: Seven Endless Forests focuses on Torvi's quest to escape evil brigands and also find herself, glory, and eventually, a sword. After tragedy strikes, Torvi and her sister, Morgunn, are forced to leave the safety of their home and embark on a winding journey that encompasses loss, friendship, love, heartache, and good drink.
What's so easy to like about Tucholke's writing is that it flows so well; the descriptions are soft, caring, and gentle. And the way she narrates her characters is just a little different, in almost a sensual sort of way; even if it's a little too YA at times for my tastes, it's captivating by itself. What drew me in to this one was the actual formation of a plot and genuine character motivation. It did not need to be an amazingly nuanced or unique thing, but Torvi's motivation and drive just worked for me, unlike Frey's.
Other than that, the world also seemed less rigid exposition-wise and more realized in this one. Instead of blatantly telling us different world-building pieces in Boneless Mercies, it read naturally to hear about events, places, and artifacts based on character and plot needs. The forced structure was gone and it read more easily this time around.
All the praise aside, certain aspects also did not change. Some of the dialogue is still a little corny and wooden. Some of the actions of characters seemed too... Straightforward? Plot-inducing? Simple? Unlikely? Just as in Boneless Mercies, making friends in this world is incredibly easy and even enemies aren't that far from being warm to you. It just reads a little ridiculously for me. Tucholke's writing invites sensory delight that compelled me to enjoy the main events, finding comfort in the scenes and world-building that occurred, but there was never resolution and the climax was seemed awkward and unearned. The character motivations were better, but it still left so much to be desired.
★★★ 2.5 Stars - There was something pleasantly lovely about reading this story. The comradery, companionship, descriptions, worldbuilding, plot all worked pleasantly well and worked much better than in Boneless Mercies. I definitely think the book would've been really good had there been more interesting drama, conflict, or tension, even if this was an improvement after Boneless Mercies.
Recommended For: those who enjoy comfort reads. Lovers of young adult with simple plots. Those with interest in retellings of King Arthur that is very loose.
Let me hear from you! If you like what you read, want to hear more thoughts on this book, other reviews, or talk book recommendations and Essential Reading, leave a comment below.
Rating system:
★★★★★ 5 Stars: It was amazing; I loved it. Read this book; it is definitely Essential Reading!
★★★★★* 4.5 Stars: It was nearly perfect. I really loved almost every aspect of it, but a few things kept it from being amazing.
★★★★ 4 Stars: It was very worth reading and satisfying; highly recommend.
★★★★* 3.5 Stars: I thoroughly enjoyed this story, but it was lacking in certain crucial areas.
★★★ 3 Stars: It was good, but could've been better or improved upon significantly.
★★★* 2.5 Stars: I wanted to enjoy it. Certain aspects were good, it was worth finishing, but many issues.
★★ 2 Stars: It was okay, I didn't feel strongly about it.
★ 1 Star: I did not like it. It was not worth finishing or I did not finish it.
*I round up based on the system on Goodreads. Also, there is no 1.5 Stars because it does not seem to have enough differentiation.
