Samantha Norman
Autore di The Siege Winter
Opere di Samantha Norman
Etichette
Informazioni generali
- Nome legale
- Norman, Samantha
- Sesso
- female
- Nazionalità
- UK
- Relazioni
- Norman, Diana (mother)
Norman, Barry (father)
Utenti
Recensioni
Liste
Premi e riconoscimenti
Potrebbero anche piacerti
Autori correlati
Statistiche
- Opere
- 3
- Utenti
- 498
- Popolarità
- #49,660
- Voto
- 3.8
- Recensioni
- 29
- ISBN
- 24
Rather than take on the analytical and legendary Adelia, Norman opts to tell the story of Death and the Maiden from the point of view of her daughter Almeison "Allie". This choice is smart on the part of Norman; however, it does create a staggering tonal shift as the predecessor in the series A Murderous Procession ends on a dramatic cliffhanger. Allie is positioned as Adelia's protege in all things medical and macabre, but Allie is chafing at the monotony of her life with her mother. When fan-favorite Glytha falls ill and Adelia breaks her ankle, Allie is proposed as the replacement nurse. Unbeknownst to everyone, Allie is walking right into a village with a penchant for murdering pretty girls.
Allie starts out as interesting, but she soon petered out for me. She never shows any initiative to learn about the mystery of the disappearing girls or to explore her surroundings, even though she supposedly missed living in the Fens and everyone there. As a result, the mystery stalls, and all Allie really does is moon over her attractive neighbor whom her father is desperately trying to marry her to or sulk because she's not getting her own way. Even when a beloved character is kidnapped (and you see it coming from a mile away), Allie doesn't spring to action. The mystery only really picks up steam when Adelia's ankle recovers enough for her to show up in the Fens for the last third of the novel to save both the village and the story. Unfortunately, Allie's lack of agency continues. She neither finds her friend through her own efforts nor even finishes off the villain. Overall, she's not much of a heroine, but comparing her to her mother Adelia makes her even more disappointing. Then, Norman teases readers that Allie might find a future at court with Eleanor of Aquitaine, which would really be something, but that also comes to nothing because Allie can't make her mind up about anything.
My favorite character was Penda. Readers may recognize her as the little girl from Franklin and Norman's other novel The Siege in Winter. Penda was fierce, efficient, bold, caring in her own way, and just so much fun. She lit up the page. It makes sense since Norman finished Penda's novel too. She probably felt more familiar with her, and it showed. She was, by far, the strongest character. As for the other characters - Adelia, Rowley, Glytha, Ulf - they aren't as strong or vivid with the exception of Rowley. Norman managed to capture his dual life fairly well, I thought.
While there was a lot of promise, ultimately, this book is not one I'll revisit. I can't help but wonder if it wouldn't have been better to just let the series end with the fourth book and let readers imagine everything turned out well for the characters at the end. I appreciate the attempt to conclude this famous series, but I really don't think the book added anything. It feels unnecessary, in my opinion, even as a standalone novel in its own merit.… (altro)