Review by Gift Nwagu -- The Gryphon by Paula Grover
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Gift Nwagu
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Review by Gift Nwagu -- The Gryphon by Paula Grover
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Gryphon" by Paula Grover.]
The Gryphon by Paula Grover stands as a true example of the “don’t judge a book by its cover” narrative. Though the book’s cover art is absolutely stunning, it’s true gem lies within its words. I have read a lot of fantasy fiction but nothing hits the spot like this one. This wonderfully weird text provides an experience that far surpasses satisfaction and branches into a realm of unabated excellence.
The author carves from her imagination, a flawed, different alternate reality, which I believe is strongly based off of the current day society, where animals possess superior mental capabilities. Themes of political strife and prejudice run equally as rampant in this world as they do in the present day.
This book begins, right off the bat, with a scandal. A forbidden mating has taken place between the gryphon princess and heiress to the throne, Sunsky, and the equine Nightsky, her stark opposite and enemy-turned-lover. Unexpectedly, the union conceives a hybrid hippogryph, a hated species. She later makes a decision to parent this child, which eventually causes her banishment to the “Valley of the Outcasts”, loss of future queendom, family, and mate. It also forces her to abandon the custody of her other newborn child, Sun Wing.
In Sunsky’s absence, her half-sister/arch-nemesis, Talona, ascends to the throne and immediately wreaks havoc on every species of every kind, including her own, by exerting a government ruled by fear, execution, and intimidation. Sunsky, seeing the state of her beloved land, quickly grows to accept her destiny and, together with her peace brigade, embarks on an experience like no other.
The portrayal of the creatures in the book is superb. The author truly manages to portray futuristic animal characters while still managing to keep certain traits of their supposed ancestors (eagles, horses, and lions). The author always manages to toe the line between animalistic and humanistic tendencies when it comes to the characters. Can you imagine a civilized society, with a fully functional government system, still practicing spiritual divinations and animal-like multi-partner mating practices? The features in this novel fully culminate into a beautifully bizarre piece of writing. I also admire the family dynamic portrayed, though at times I get lost when trying to understand the family tree.
This story is told from a third-person point of view which enables the audience to gain insight into the thoughts of almost everyone in the book. Surprisingly, all the characters in the book, both young and old, think maturely, which is admirable. The writing style adopted is especially useful when exploring Sunsky’s feelings concerning the love triangle she has found herself in.
The author is also obviously a master of surprise and suspense. There are so many things that are revealed that are unexpected yet impactful, like the identity of Sun Wing’s mate. In regards to the suspenseful nature of the book, I find myself on the edge of my seat while reading, asking questions like “Will the hophas betray them?” or “Will they persecute Soundringer?” throughout the book.
My only problem with this book lies within the slight discrepancy between the information provided in the synopsis and that embedded in the book when describing how Sunsky and Nightsky come to mate. This is not much of a problem and can easily be solved by a minor adjustment of the Synopsis.
This book is not fit for children and strongly religious people. The best audience for this book would have to be young adults and adult individuals who are interested in fantasy, as that is the overpowering genre of the book. Though there are some somewhat romantic scenes in the novel, I would not label them erotic. On the other hand, heavy themes of incest are present in the book and this may not be ignorable by certain people. There is no profanity present. I find no spelling or grammar errors in this book and would go as far as to say that the book is professionally edited.
This story is one of love, compromise, and above all else, acceptance. It stands to teach anyone who reads it some lessons in life, which can be applied in reality, such as shunning prejudice against others on the sole basis of them being different. I rate it a 4 out of 4 stars because, not only does it have a wonderful plot execution, storyline development, and character consistency, but it also offers educational information on politics and spirituality. Not once do I feel the storyline dragging along.
All being said, this book is one I would, without a doubt, recommend to people.
******
The Gryphon
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
The Gryphon by Paula Grover stands as a true example of the “don’t judge a book by its cover” narrative. Though the book’s cover art is absolutely stunning, it’s true gem lies within its words. I have read a lot of fantasy fiction but nothing hits the spot like this one. This wonderfully weird text provides an experience that far surpasses satisfaction and branches into a realm of unabated excellence.
The author carves from her imagination, a flawed, different alternate reality, which I believe is strongly based off of the current day society, where animals possess superior mental capabilities. Themes of political strife and prejudice run equally as rampant in this world as they do in the present day.
This book begins, right off the bat, with a scandal. A forbidden mating has taken place between the gryphon princess and heiress to the throne, Sunsky, and the equine Nightsky, her stark opposite and enemy-turned-lover. Unexpectedly, the union conceives a hybrid hippogryph, a hated species. She later makes a decision to parent this child, which eventually causes her banishment to the “Valley of the Outcasts”, loss of future queendom, family, and mate. It also forces her to abandon the custody of her other newborn child, Sun Wing.
In Sunsky’s absence, her half-sister/arch-nemesis, Talona, ascends to the throne and immediately wreaks havoc on every species of every kind, including her own, by exerting a government ruled by fear, execution, and intimidation. Sunsky, seeing the state of her beloved land, quickly grows to accept her destiny and, together with her peace brigade, embarks on an experience like no other.
The portrayal of the creatures in the book is superb. The author truly manages to portray futuristic animal characters while still managing to keep certain traits of their supposed ancestors (eagles, horses, and lions). The author always manages to toe the line between animalistic and humanistic tendencies when it comes to the characters. Can you imagine a civilized society, with a fully functional government system, still practicing spiritual divinations and animal-like multi-partner mating practices? The features in this novel fully culminate into a beautifully bizarre piece of writing. I also admire the family dynamic portrayed, though at times I get lost when trying to understand the family tree.
This story is told from a third-person point of view which enables the audience to gain insight into the thoughts of almost everyone in the book. Surprisingly, all the characters in the book, both young and old, think maturely, which is admirable. The writing style adopted is especially useful when exploring Sunsky’s feelings concerning the love triangle she has found herself in.
The author is also obviously a master of surprise and suspense. There are so many things that are revealed that are unexpected yet impactful, like the identity of Sun Wing’s mate. In regards to the suspenseful nature of the book, I find myself on the edge of my seat while reading, asking questions like “Will the hophas betray them?” or “Will they persecute Soundringer?” throughout the book.
My only problem with this book lies within the slight discrepancy between the information provided in the synopsis and that embedded in the book when describing how Sunsky and Nightsky come to mate. This is not much of a problem and can easily be solved by a minor adjustment of the Synopsis.
This book is not fit for children and strongly religious people. The best audience for this book would have to be young adults and adult individuals who are interested in fantasy, as that is the overpowering genre of the book. Though there are some somewhat romantic scenes in the novel, I would not label them erotic. On the other hand, heavy themes of incest are present in the book and this may not be ignorable by certain people. There is no profanity present. I find no spelling or grammar errors in this book and would go as far as to say that the book is professionally edited.
This story is one of love, compromise, and above all else, acceptance. It stands to teach anyone who reads it some lessons in life, which can be applied in reality, such as shunning prejudice against others on the sole basis of them being different. I rate it a 4 out of 4 stars because, not only does it have a wonderful plot execution, storyline development, and character consistency, but it also offers educational information on politics and spirituality. Not once do I feel the storyline dragging along.
All being said, this book is one I would, without a doubt, recommend to people.
******
The Gryphon
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas
