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A review by toggle_fow
The Fallow Year by Margaret Owen
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Alright. Alright. Reading this has taken me on a journey from spitefully infuriated to, now, mildly hopeful for book three.
The thing is - I don't find Emeric and Vanja's choices in book 2 and in this intermezzo to be unrealistic. I simply find them to be DEEPLY unpleasant to have to experience.
It was as if every annoying third act breakup in the romance and romcom genres coalesced and detonated at the end of the second book in a trilogy. Second act breakup? Anyway, it took my desire to continue reading this series and violently eviscerated it.
This (free to read on AO3!) in-between story follows Vanja and Emeric separately as they navigate the fallout of Vanja's (nonsensical) decision. It's them dealing with things. Learning to understand themselves. Grieving and rationalizing and coming into their own. Presumably, book three with throw them back together and they will be, finally, able to come together in a less nonsensical way. Growth!!
What remains to be seen is: WAS IT WORTH IT?
Is the finale going to be WORTH all the teeth-grinding and angry hissing that I did reading book 2 and the first two thirds of this story? Will it be worth the spike in my blood pressure and the loss of brain cells from me slamming my head against the wall in frustration? Will it REDEEM all the time I spent suffering through these characters' fumbling stupidity? I hope so.
The thing is - I don't find Emeric and Vanja's choices in book 2 and in this intermezzo to be unrealistic. I simply find them to be DEEPLY unpleasant to have to experience.
It was as if every annoying third act breakup in the romance and romcom genres coalesced and detonated at the end of the second book in a trilogy. Second act breakup? Anyway, it took my desire to continue reading this series and violently eviscerated it.
This (free to read on AO3!) in-between story follows Vanja and Emeric separately as they navigate the fallout of Vanja's (nonsensical) decision. It's them dealing with things. Learning to understand themselves. Grieving and rationalizing and coming into their own. Presumably, book three with throw them back together and they will be, finally, able to come together in a less nonsensical way. Growth!!
What remains to be seen is: WAS IT WORTH IT?
Is the finale going to be WORTH all the teeth-grinding and angry hissing that I did reading book 2 and the first two thirds of this story? Will it be worth the spike in my blood pressure and the loss of brain cells from me slamming my head against the wall in frustration? Will it REDEEM all the time I spent suffering through these characters' fumbling stupidity? I hope so.