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A novice at an island Abbey finds her destiny when a new arrival brings trouble in her wake.
Maresi is a novice at the Red Abbey on the island of Menos where men are forbidden and where the Sisterhood reveres the First Mother. Maresi is one of the older novices and will soon move onto what comes after. Then Jai, a young girl with an horrific past arrives and Maresi takes her under her wing. But Maresi has issues from her own past as well and it looks like there's going to be a collision between M ...more
Maresi is a novice at the Red Abbey on the island of Menos where men are forbidden and where the Sisterhood reveres the First Mother. Maresi is one of the older novices and will soon move onto what comes after. Then Jai, a young girl with an horrific past arrives and Maresi takes her under her wing. But Maresi has issues from her own past as well and it looks like there's going to be a collision between M ...more
4.5 stars
This book starts off slow and descriptive, but then becomes utterly harrowing. I loved the clear and innocent voice of Maresi, who narrates the story, giving it a highly personal feel.
It is an emotionally stirring book, which highlights the fears and strengths of the women in the story, reminding me in its feel of parts of The Mists of Avalon. Highly recommended. ...more
This book starts off slow and descriptive, but then becomes utterly harrowing. I loved the clear and innocent voice of Maresi, who narrates the story, giving it a highly personal feel.
It is an emotionally stirring book, which highlights the fears and strengths of the women in the story, reminding me in its feel of parts of The Mists of Avalon. Highly recommended. ...more
3.5 stars
I don't read much YA but I felt like I needed a bit of a palate cleanser and I loved the premise of this book. For me, it wasn't quite the "thrilling, suspenseful and gloriously feminist" book that the blurb promised, but it was a diverting enough read.
I enjoyed the mythology of the Mother/Maiden/Crone and the descriptions of abbey life, as well as the emphasis on female friendship and co-operation, but I felt that there wasn't really quite enough character development. The language fe ...more
I don't read much YA but I felt like I needed a bit of a palate cleanser and I loved the premise of this book. For me, it wasn't quite the "thrilling, suspenseful and gloriously feminist" book that the blurb promised, but it was a diverting enough read.
I enjoyed the mythology of the Mother/Maiden/Crone and the descriptions of abbey life, as well as the emphasis on female friendship and co-operation, but I felt that there wasn't really quite enough character development. The language fe ...more
2.5 stars - I was disappointed in this. It had a ton of potential. I loved the premise of a safe island for women/girls only who were abused or damaged in some way and needed to heal. This should have a short story there just wasn't enough here to make a novel. It is the first in a series but I doubt it's one I will continue to read.
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This was a wonderful novella by a Swedish Finn. It’s billed as YA, probably because the MC is young, but it is sophisticated enough for any adult to enjoy.
I enjoyed the Triune Goddess religion, which was the background to this story and authoritative and bad-ass manner this religion gave to the women and girls at an Abbey on a remote island. It was a little black and white, women=good, men=bad but the issues that are grappled with are not unfamiliar, so fair enough.
The style of the writing is ...more
I enjoyed the Triune Goddess religion, which was the background to this story and authoritative and bad-ass manner this religion gave to the women and girls at an Abbey on a remote island. It was a little black and white, women=good, men=bad but the issues that are grappled with are not unfamiliar, so fair enough.
The style of the writing is ...more
There were aspects of the setting/world I really liked, but overall the story was just OK.
I liked this. It's a little slow to start, as the author describes the Abbey and its practices, and various caring Sisters, and main character Maresi's curious, gentle and kind nature. She lives a peaceful existence at the Abbey for years, until a new novice arrives, Jai, whose violent past intrudes on the Abbey's idyllic island. All the details laid out at the beginning pay off in a satisfying ending.
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