Now that I have a library card I am way more open to checking out new book series that normally I wouldn't buy because I wouldn't know if I'd like them or not. Usually the books I buy are the ones I either really want to own physically (mostly xenofiction) or I buy some cheap ebooks for those I don't feel the need to have physical copies of. But with my library card, I can no check out way more. The covers of the Narroway Trilogy immediately spoke to me, so I of course had to check them out, starting with book one. Spoilers ahead.
Ottilie is a girl who lives in a poor part of the kingdom with her brother Gully and their somewhat neglectful mother whom neither of them is very close to. One day, Gully gets kidnapped, and Ottilie is determined to get him back. She does so by disguising herself as a boy and joining the group that has kidnapped Gully, the so-called Narroway-hunt, a group of teenage boys being trained to hunt devious monsters known as dredretches. The two siblings re-unite at Narroway, but things are getting more and more difficult with Ottilie having to keep up her cover and many mysteries unfolding.
Overall I had a good time reading this book. It wasn't perfect and I had some trouble being immersed into the world, but overall I had a good time.
I think what I like the most about this book are the characters. Ottilie herself is a super steadfast character and without any hesitation will do whatever it takes to stay with their brother, and I totally admire that. She's also a bit brash sometimes, but that just makes her a likable flawed character. She's overall just super determined and fiercely loyal and I definitely rooted for her. Her relationship with her brother and friendship with the other boys and her maiden friends at Narroway was also nice. I also unexpectedly grew to like Ottilie's mentor, Leo, despite him being a real asshat throughout the majority of the book.
There are elements that'll probably be touched on more in later books. The absentee mother of Ottilie and Gully, for example. There's also quite a bit of mysteries regarding this world, such as the witches (supposedly) being wiped out, the unknown origins of the dredretches and the curse that rests on the king. All probably going to be touched on in future books, and the mysteries kept me engaged.
One major factor in this book, like it or not, of course is the sexism. Only boys are allowed to be a part of the Narroway Hunt, girls only get tasks such as cleaning, working in the kitchens and disposing of dredretch cadavers. The hunting is all reserved for the boys, hence why Gully was captured to join them and Ottilie (under the guise of being a boy) joined under the name "Ott". Of course she's eventually caught, demoted and sent to do chores as a punishment, but after proving herself in a tough situation she once more gets to join the Narroway Hunt as their first huntress.
The whole subject of sexism is addressed, and I like that this book doesn't try to answer it even. When Ottilie outright asks her mentor why girls can't be hunters, his response isn't "because they are weaker" or something like that. There's really no good answer to the question other than blatant sexism, and the book addresses that. However, despite Ottilie being allowed to join in the end, the entire Narroway Hunt still isn't quite what it should be as literally all other girls present there are still doing the chores and not allowed to train to become hunters (and that's not counting the fact that these children were kidnapped en masse to essentially do the kingdom's monster-hunting chores, which in and of itself is pretty fucked up).
I do hope that this changes in future books. Maybe even Ottilie's two girlfriends could participate in training then, though I'm not sure if they'd want to. I just think it'd be neat to see the Hunt change, especially if Ottilie is the one who pushes them to change. She already got them to break their own bigoted rules in book one, so maybe she can convince them to train other girls in book two or three.
Overall this was a rather solid book. My main gripe was that I didn't really vibe with the author's writing voice (not a huge issue and this could just be because of my Dutch translation, but it did bother me slightly) and the fact that I couldn't quite get into the world. Maybe it's because not everything is explored in-depth here yet and I just need a bit more world-building before I'm invested, though. There's definitely elements I really like, however, such as the flying feline steeds of the hunters, the many different monsters and the lore behind the witches and the curse.
I do recommend you pick up this book if you like fantasy for younger readers. It's not perfect, but I had a good time reading it and will be checking out the next two.
Rating: 3.5/5
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