Marie Kondo-ing my way through my tbr. I WILL clear my shelves, real and virtual.

Lovely language, as always from McKinley, but it's just tooooo long. There is no way I can get through another 300 pages of it.

Even readers who never have worn a cloak and spoken in a fake British accent while wearing elf-ears can appreciate a good fantasy. Robin McKinley turns fairy tales into plain old good literature, versus a spin-off of a spin-off of spin-off. She creates something I like to call “cozy” fantasy, which has a double-shot of beautiful forest and a triple spritz of great female leads. Completely aside from my love of her previous “The Rose Daughter” and my perspective on fantasy, can this EZ Read intern find a great read in “Deerskin”, a fantasy classic?

Lissar, our princess lead, is anything but a doe-eyed ninny. Her life is overshadowed by the king and queen’s own dramas; it unfortunately happens that her mother is The Most Beautiful Woman in the Whole World. This makes Lissar The Most Ignored Daughter In All of History. Her only true companion is her dog Ash, presented to her after her mother’s passing. It’s after the queen’s death that the drama unfolds, drama which will not be spoiler-alerted here. The king goes crazy, to say the least, giving Lissar no other option but to flee into the forest with Ash.

I think what makes “Deerskin” feel a little different is darker issues it deals with in the story. It’s more of an original Grimm and less of a cute Disney remake. Another thing that makes this different is the close bond Ash and Lissar have, this really feels like a book with two main characters. The focus is less on the tale, and more on their relationship growing and changing. The book has a lot more to do with dogs than you might realize; the dogs are like…the Sam to Lissar’s Frodo. Hope I didn’t lose anyone there with my crazy fantasy reference.

Conclusion? “Deerskin” is a great addition to McKinley’s already fabulous collection of fantasy. Lissar is a lovable lead, the imagery is beautiful and fairy tale rooted, and the story’s more romantic elements are perfectly played. However, it hasn’t toppled “The Rose Daughter” off its throne yet. That book is still the greatest!

EZ Read Staffer Jenifer

3,5

Originally reviewed on The Book Smugglers

n  Trigger Warning: Rape, abuse, incest.n

Princess Lissla Lissar is the daughter of a heroic and handsome king, who won the hand of the most beautiful woman in the Seven Kingdoms. Every night, Lissar listens to her nursemaid spin the same tale - the story of her father, winning her mother's hand over the other six Kings by completing an impossible, superhuman task. Every day and every night, Lissar hears the story of her mother's incredible beauty and her father's heroic deeds, and how much everyone in the kingdom loves their royal leaders. On the rare occasions that Lissar gets to see her parents, or even interact with other children, she is always in the background, neglected and forgotten in the face of the stunning beauty and splendor of her parents.

But one day, the beautiful queen is not quite as beautiful as she once was, and loses her will to live. Before she dies, she commissions a great and terrible painting of her unparalleled beauty, and with her dying breath she makes her husband promise that he will only marry again if his bride is as beautiful as she. Racked by his grief, the King agrees, driven mad by his grief. As the kingdom mourns, Princess Lissar withdraws further away from the prying eyes and games of the court - her only true friend is her beloved hound, Ash, and together she and Ash spend the next quiet years in a secluded part of the castle, away from the eyes of Lissar's father.

When Lissar turns seventeen, however, everything changes as her father's feverish gaze seizes on Lissar's blooming beauty and her resemblance to her mother. Following a nightmarish birthday ball, the King declares that he will marry Princess Lissla Lissar in three days. Horrified and alone, Lissar tries to lock herself away from her father, but to no avail - he breaks down her doors, beats and rapes his daughter in the night. Battered, terrified, but with a stubborn will to live, Lissar stumbles away from the palace with only the company of her loyal dog Ash, and makes her way through the cold, cruel woods.

After a long, cold winter, Lissar is able to heal, though she blocks out all memory of her past. When the weather warms, she leaves her isolated home in the woods for a new kingdom and earns a job in the palace kennels. Here, Lissar makes a new life for herself - but she will be forced to confront her past once and for all, with a future of hope and happiness waiting for her.

Deerskin is not an easy book to read. Incredibly disturbing, painful, and triggering, this is NOT a book for everyone. That said, as horrific and raw as this book is, Deerskin is also a resonant, powerful, and empowering read.

From a writing perspective, Robin McKinley tends towards the verbose and the ornate - sometimes this works for her books, and sometimes (in my opinion) it does not. I am happy to say that Deerskin is one of the successful endeavors, with its beautiful, languid prose, vivid images and descriptions. McKinley is retelling a fairy tale, after all, and Deerskin is a decidedly dreamlike book with heavy folklore overtones. As Philip Pullman discusses in his version of the story "Thousandfurs" (and in general for Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm), the magic of a fable lies in its telling, and Deerskin excels in this regard with its lush turns of phrase. Even when describing something as simple as cleaning a hut in the middle of winter, or the techniques to feed ailing puppies (both events that occur in this text, mind you), McKinley makes the story effortlessly interesting and surprisingly ethereal.

But beyond the setting, the telling, and the world, Deerskin is really a book that comes down to a horrific story, and a young woman's stubborn will to live. Heroine Lissar, who becomes Deerskin and Moonwoman, is the sole figure at the heart of this book, and on whose shoulders the tale's success or failure rests. And let me say this once with feeling: Lissar is an amazing, gut-wrenching, awe-inspiring heroine. I loved her character, I cried for her character, I rooted wholeheartedly for her character. Lissar's growing dread defines the first part of this book, as she looks into her father's eyes for the first time and sees something she cannot name, but something that frightens her deeply. Like a nightmare, the next years of her young life unfold with her always pulling away from her father's notice, until it comes to a crashing, horrific climax following her seventeenth birthday. This, for me, was an incredibly challenging read - I had to keep putting the book down because it was so disturbing - but Robin McKinley does a phenomenal job of building this terror and claustrophobia, and then segueing the book from one of fear to one of hope. Because as dark and horrific as the first part of the story is, as Lissar flees her old life and begins to heal and gradually comes to confront her past, it's an amazing and empowering arc. And, it has a happy ending - one where Lissar is able to confront and defeat the monster of her past, and have a future of happiness and life.

I could wax on about Lissar and Ash (the most touching, wonderful relationship between a woman and her closest animal companion that I have read probably...ever), about the folkloric elements with the Moonwoman that helps Lissar find her way, about the slow simmering relationship between Lissar and Prince Ossin...but perhaps those are all things that are best discovered by the reader. Suffice it to say, I loved all of these different threads and Robin McKinley's skill at weaving them together into a complete story.

I don't know if I'll read Deerskin again in the near future - most likely not. But I feel stronger and smarter and alive for reading it, and I absolutely recommend it.

I cried happily at the end of this book, not because the story was grand or the characters superb, but because it was finally over.

The book's blurb describes the story as: "As Princess Lissar reaches womanhood, it is clear to all in the kingdom that in her breathtaking beauty she is the mirror image of her mother, the queen. But this seeming blessing forces her to flee for safety from her father's wrath (on Amazon, you will see 'lust' added, which SHOULD be there on the back of the book as well). With her loyal dog Ash at her side, Lissar unlocks a door to a world of magic, where she finds the key to her survival--and an adventure beyond her wildest dreams."

To start off, this is a completely misleading blurb. There is no grand adventure, no 'finding the key to survival' and the kingdom she hails from finds her wretched, and continue to feel that way until the end, because despite the vileness of the villain and the entire first part of the book's setup for the fall, it fails to deliver. The ending is weak, contrived and hollow. It was a terrible letdown to an already disappointing book.

McKinley has a gift for description and making her characters FEEL varied, however, all of them have the same voice and thoughts, and many feel placed by the author to simply move the plot along and pass on information that Lissar isn't asking for but the reader needs to know. The story drags a lot, mainly from McKinley repeating herself over and over as if the reader has forgotten. I grew to feel sorry for Lissar's dog Ash, that she had to be around such a vapid, pointlessly dull character all the time. McKinley also chose to write in 3rd person-unlimited, switching to other people's POVs quickly and without reason, often for only one paragraph at a time, confusing me through most of the book.

Without giving many spoilers, I'll give my impression of the three parts:

PART 1 - The first three chapters of the book (29 pages) are all about a woman who has no real part in the story. It is basically a prologue disguised as being part of the novel. We don't get to see the inside of the main character's head until Chapter 4. It was pointless, in my opinion, given the ending of the story, because none of the story has any bearing on the rest of the book, except to explain in too great of detail how beautiful Lissar's mother was. By page 15 I was bored and wondering what the point was. The book has intense parental incest/rape scenes at the end of Part 1, not that it would have bothered me much, except it felt sudden after 80 pages of a slow crawl.

PART 2 - (SOME SPOILERS) This section of the book is a mixed bag. I struggled through the entire thing. Lissar struggles with her past; she does some innane chores, repeat, over and over and over. By the end of the second part, I felt that the book's blurb should have read "Hermit woman is transformed into mystic-who-doesn't-know-her-mystical-powers. Hermit woman goes to city. Hermit woman gets puppies! Hermit woman loves puppies, puppies love her. Feel good puppy vibes. Oh, there's a 'not handsome' prince that is obvious love interest." The first part of the story basically disappears into oblivion, and I'm left wondering why I even bothered reading it. The positives? I loved the dogs. They were great. I also liked all of the side characters, though some were introduced as if we should remember them and then are promptly never spoken of again. Negatives? Robinson Crusoe meets Anastasia.

PART 3- (END OF SPOILERS). The ending was horrible. What little had been redeemed of the book in the puppy scenes is lost in the climax, which focuses less on a grotesque revenge against her father and more on a romance which, while natural in Part 2, is too shallow to offer conclusion. I also feel compelled to mention, because it was a huge part of the letdown for me, that I was expecting to see some of her father's thoughts to come up against his daughter again, but there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. This felt strange given the POV of the whole novel, and it just made me feel like he was written in just to be a villain--the author had no idea how to conclude or express his demise.

In short, don't read it. Maybe McKinley's other works are better, but this one wasn't worth the effort.

4.5 STARS

This was so different and so good. Fantasy, magic, tragedy and a bit of romance rounds out this beautifully written book. I've read 'Sunshine' by this author and liked it, but this was on a whole other level.
The circumstances of Lissar's escape​ were heartbreaking and brutal. There is incest here, so if that's a trigger then avoid this. However, if that's something you can handle in the context of an amazing story of resilience, hope and new beginnings, then read this book.

McKinley has covered many fairytales in her novels, but this is the one that haunts me the most.
Based on Perrault's "Donkeyskin" Deerskin is the story of princess Lissla Lissar, daughter of the most beautiful woman in the world. Her mother's dying request is that her husband only marry a woman as beautiful as her - and that becomes her daughter.
Unnerved by her father's unnatural behaviour towards her Lissar tries to avoid him, but on her 17th birthday he breaks into her bedroom and rapes her.
Lissar escapes, barely alive, and is granted the time and space to heal by the moon goddess.
Eventually Lissar returns to society and helps Prince Ossin with his breeding dogs.
The dreamlike quality of the writing means that the trauma scenes are obscured. But the emotion is real - as is the hope and the recovery.

1000/10✨ me ha encantado de inicio a fin.
No sé ni qué explicar en la reseña… voy a intentarlo.
Al iniciar el libro pensaba que iba a ser una especie de cuento tranquilo y bonito, pero pronto descubrí del trasfondo y la profundidad de la historia que algunos momentos duele en el alma ❤️‍

Sometimes I’m just in a Robin McKinley mood, and nothing else will satisfy me. After rereading “Beauty” and “Rose Daughter,”  I found I needed a little more Robin McKinley on top of that, so I reread “Deerskin.” “Deerskin” isn’t a book I’m often in the mood for. It’s not that is isn’t wonderful and beautiful and outstanding—because it is—it’s just that this book is such an emotional commitment. It takes a lot out of me to read about the terrible things Lissar goes through at the beginning of the book. And let me warn you, they are unspeakable—rape, incest, abuse . . . not things I can read about lightly. But I felt “Deerskin” calling me, and so I settled down, braced myself for the beginning, and dived in.

The brutality of what happens to Lissar always dominates my memory of the beginning of this book, but every time I reread it, I’m reminded that that’s not all the beginning is. The beginning is also Lissar making her first tentative steps to becoming her own person after a lifetime of being ignored, and learning how to interact with others after being secluded for so long. It’s also when she gets Ash, her dog and best friend. Although, “best friend” is perhaps too light a term for their relationship. Lissar and Ash are everything to each other, and even if you’re not a dog person, I guarantee you’ll become one for the duration of this book. Ash is just that amazing.

This isn’t a fast-paced book at all. It’s entirely about Lissar’s healing process and her very private, very personal journey back from the evil that was done to her. But it’s so freaking well done. McKinley writes about it in a way that gets you so invested and makes you feel so protective of Lissar. And I think her portrayal of Lissar’s road toward healing feels really believable—it’s slow and painful, with sometimes more steps backward than forward, but Lissar survives, and more than survives, she grows stronger. It’s amazing to see.

And of course, I have to make a quick mention of Ossin. Ossin is outstanding. He’s not your typical love interest—he’s not handsome and is overweight and spends more time with his dogs than fulfilling his princely duties. But, oh, Ossin. He’s patient and kind and understanding and gives Lissar the time and space she so desperately needs. I love Ossin for how good he is to Lissar.

While I love, love, love this book, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it if you haven’t read anything else by Robin McKinley yet. In other words, read it, just don’t make it your first Robin McKinley book. Because it’s by far her most emotionally intense, and it deals with the hardest issues, so I think it may give you a slightly inaccurate perception of what McKinley’s books are like in general. But seriously, you won’t regret getting around to “Deerskin” sometime.

Original review at Book Light Graveyard

This was a tough, excellent read which, as it turns out, I have read before but obviously I blocked it out as this probably broke my heart the first time out as well.

The book is a fantasy retelling of Donkey Skin which is a weird, nasty tale in it of itself. This book focuses on the nasty angle, avoiding any sugar coating to explore the impact of psychological trauma and healing from it.

This was a lot darker than I expected - there is rape, incest, childhood abuse here which is on page and graphic. But this is not a dark book for the sake of it but rather it talks about what it takes to overcome such trauma and, in the end, it is hopeful because it posits that healing and love is possible.

Still - I wonder about my headspace that I decided to read this in the middle of a pandemic. Sometimes I wonder …

I also loved the fact that you can’t skim this book. The writing is deliberately stylized in places - you have to focus on some sections (the traumatic ones) as otherwise you won’t get what is happening. The writing can get circular in places when Lissar, our MC, is working through her trauma. I had to slow down and read some paragraphs again (which also turned my stomach at times). These sections contrasted to some lovely, simple scenes of Lissar with her dogs. I like this as a writing choice given the subject matter. The book shouldn’t be easy to get through passively. You should have to engage with the text.

A difficult book which takes its time and keeps focus on the MC even when it slows plot.

5 stars!

Weird and awful and heartbreaking but also hopeful. Those aren't nearly enough adjectives to describe this story, but it's a start. I mean, WOW. It was a powerful story but one that left me with a lot of questions, as well. Dead queen. Mad king. Runaway princess. Faithful canine companion. Eccentric Moonwoman. Kind prince. So many characters and motivations to make sense of. But in essence, this was a story of grief and healing and doing what's right, even in the face of your own failings. I still don't entirely know how I feel about it, except that it won't deter me from reading McKinley's other novels.

I genuinely feel at a loss for words when it comes to Robin McKinley, not because her work inspires speechlessness, but rather because it doesn't. After finishing The Blue Sword last year, I realized that much of McKinley's charm was lost on me. I found one of her best pieces of work to be dull and in need of desperate polishing. Thus, I didn't really intend to read Deerskin but the premises sounded too intriguing to pass up.

A beautiful princess, largely ignored for much of her life, comes to the attention of her father, the King, after her mother passes away. The Queen, known to be the most beautiful woman in all the Seven Kingdoms, makes her husband promise not to marry a woman who is of lesser beauty than she, which shockingly causes the King to announce his intentions to marry his daughter, just two years later. After beating and raping her violently, leaving her for the dead, the King leaves Lissra to her fate.

But she survives. And as a survival tale of courage, this book excels. Lissra is poignantly written and her brutal rape is delicately handled. Furthermore, despite its darkness, I enjoyed this tale. It is beautifully written in a gripping, fairy tale style, and the relationship between Lissra and her faithful companion, the dog Ash, is beautifully depicted. Even the eventual romance with the plump, but kind, Prince Ossin is sweet. I was willing to forgive the slow passages in-between in favor of a 4 Star rating as well - that's how well this book was shaping up - but it seems I am doomed to give McKinley's novels no more than a mere 3 Stars.

Unfortunately, where this book lost me was in Lissra's ultimate healing. While her mind buried the events of her past and she gradually came to know the truth, I was disappointed by the heavy guidance of a magic that dictated her actions. Lissra finds help in the form of the Moonwoman who heals both her mind and body, but throughout the story - and especially during those last scenes - the Moonwoman helps Lissra to confront her father. For me, this lacked the strength of Lissra's own courage and will to stand up to her oppressor.

Additionally, the romance that gives Lissra a new life was paced slightly abruptly. I found that the line between trust and love, friendship and romance, was drawn too faintly and that jump made far too quickly. I cannot deny, however, that Deerskin is a beautiful novel. For once, I have no real qualms with McKinley's writing and have come to admire the deft manner she dealt with the more complex issues in this story. And yet, no matter how much I wish to embrace McKinley as a fellow fantasy lover, I seem unable to fall in love with her books. Maybe Beauty or Rose Daughter will change my mind yet.