Status Updates From A Knot in the Grain and Oth...

A Knot in the Grain: Feels kinda weird to be in the modern day after so many stories set in vaguely medieval times. I like that the magic in this one is sorta lowkey, it lets Annabelle's feelings show through more. And McKinley makes a lot of great observations about teenage behavior - the aspect of Bill's quiet arrogance is absolutely spot on.

Buttercups: This is the best one. Full stop. The grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one and my world is complete. (Seriously though, I am such a fucking sucker for a hardworking older guy and the slightly younger woman who is all the colour in his life)

Touk's House: This is how you write believable love in the fairytale style. The whole bit with the king and the sick prince was a little tired (even though I know McKinley is playing on tropes on purpose) but all the parts with Touk showed real love between him and Erana. The building of his house together has that same respect for handiwork that shows up in a lot of these stories, I love how grounded it is.

The Stagman: I love a female character who is interesting and autonomous without turning into a ToG type badass. Ruen is quiet and shy and lets her husband make a lot of the leadership decisions, but she still goes after her real love when she gets the chance. A really quiet story that's still gripping and welcoming

The Healer: A really good classic fairytale structure. I love stories that show respect for the good handiwork done by village folk, and this one has that respect in spades. Reminds me of Le Guin in a way, where goodness and solidity come from craft rather than vast power. Also Sahath is a great wizard name; it lands just right.

ok this last story is much much more interesting and cool than the first few.