Fourth Semifinalist Review for SPFBO #10

The Forest at the Heart of Her Mage by Hiyodori

After years of city life, Tiller is finally ready to revisit the magical forest where she grew up. But the forest has turned deadly, and Tiller has no magic of her own. To survive, she’ll need a bodyguard.

Tiller finds only one mage willing to escort her. A woman named Carnelian: a soldier with a pretty face and a dodgy reputation. Carnelian loves parties, drinking, flirting, big spending, and taking risks others would find downright unthinkable. She’ll happily lead Tiller to the heart of the Devouring Forest.

But she won’t do it for free.

The two of them live in a country where magic-users like Carnelian labor under lifelong legal restrictions. The fastest ticket to greater liberty: getting married. Which is why Carnelian—known far and wide as the mage who no one would wed—demands Tiller’s hand in marriage as her payment.

Cautious, reserved Tiller never lets strangers invade her personal space. She’s horrified by the prospect of marrying a mischievous gambler. But she still needs Carnelian’s magic to overcome the wild monsters blocking the path back to her childhood home.

And the deeper they go in the forest, the greater the danger. Tiller will have to learn very quickly how to deal with the darker side of her would-be wife.

And last, but not least, our fourth and final semifinalist!

Adawia

I was extremely eager to start this book after a fellow reviewer raved about this author’s other work. Admittedly, I had mixed feelings about the beginning, but the characters (much like the forest itself) really grew on me. 

That said, I didn’t quite form as much of an attachment to Tiller compared to some of the other characters. I don’t know if that’s because of her somewhat terse nature (I generally form better attachments to characters through their dialogue, it doesn’t necessarily have to be extensive, but I usually get a better sense of them that way) or perhaps the author deliberately keeps Tiller at arms length given she has to mostly keep the true nature of her identity a secret. She doesn’t divulge much about herself to the people around her and comes off as fairly aloof – even when she’s kind of joking and being casual. Tiller is serious, straightforward, not easily rattled, but we’re repeatedly told deep-down she feels, really feels, especially for anything forest and family related. Though I don’t really feel it – she hasn’t convinced me she feels profoundly even though we’re repeatedly told she does. I waited and watched for the moment Tiller would become a beloved, emotional character, but even by the end of the book she remains at arm’s length, unfortunately, even though the story overall is quite an emotional journey. 

Every now and then, throughout the book, we get little almost reminders of who’s who and their characteristics – almost like the story is being told piecemeal, over a long period of time, and we need these little reminders to jog our memory, or like we’re reading subsequent books in a series. I thought this was a little odd, but there is so much more to love in this book, it really wasn’t more than a very minor distraction.

Hiyodori does an excellent job of foreshadowing, laying the groundwork for things to come. This, along with the character work, is where I think this book really shines. There are so many unique and fascinating aspects to this story including a kind of raw honesty I really appreciate – admitting to feelings, emotions, and senses that are often otherwise considered wrong or shameful. 

A hard, beautiful story that doesn’t pull any punches. The book and its characters will stay with me for a very long time.

Julia

I only saw the “A sapphic romance” tag after I read the book, as I prefer to start my SPFBO books as blind as possible. For a romance, the romance was very, very low key, and didn’t feel central to the story. Yes it’s important for the characters, but it’s more of a thing that exists, effort they are trying to save the forest, survive, and solve some mysteries. For me this was ideal, as I’m not into all the relationship drama, so I enjoyed this bit being center stage.

The worldbuilding was intriguing and well enough to keep me interested, but did feel a bit two dimensional at times, with the occasional part so thin, it’s almost see through. The bits that did work however, were fascinating enough to keep me hooked.

The main strength was definitely the characters. While I didn’t always feel their emotions, I did enjoy their chemistry, and banter. They both have serious trauma in their past, and some hidden mysteries as well. I thought the trauma and the psychological repercussions were well handled, and formed a main hook for me! They aren’t morosely limping through life, but their past just shines through in their actions and emotions.

The plot was a bit meandering at times, and then felt a bit rushed in other scenes, however the twists and turns along the way again made up for this. 

Despite seeing quite some flaws, I really enjoyed this story, and finished it in more or less one go.

Patrick

I wanted to see what some of what the other reviewers did in this one, but despite reading it twice, I just couldn’t. I found the worldbuilding far too sparse and full of holes, and I didn’t believe the actions or reactions of any of the characters. To me, it felt like everything happened for the convenience of the author and the story rather than because they made sense. The prose came across as patchy, too thin in places, too detailed about minor things elsewhere.

It’s true when a book doesn’t click for you, you’re going to see issues in it you miss in books you do love, but unfortunately I couldn’t suspend my disbelief or get into this story, so the flaws stood out strongly for me. That said, despite my reservations and despite it not clicking for me, there’s an obvious quality and confidence to the story, and it deserves its place.

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