dnf @ the halfway point.
Gave it three tries but I am just so disinterested in the plot

There wasn't anything bad per see, I simply am not invested in anything and I was hoping the story would be more engaging but I feel so removed from the characters and their motivations. Still love the premise and magic in it though, those parts were good and the reason I kept trying.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I struggled with this one sadly. As a non-binary AFAB person, I can very much relate to the struggles Sorin has with their body, their identity and how others perceive them. It's always amazing to have a character like that at the heart of a book, and to know it's from an own voices author.

I think sadly there is a bit of an unbalanced approach to that introspection element and the plot itself. It can be quite jarring going back and forth, and with such a negative, resistant MC that constantly brings the focus to those aspects of themself, it is really hard to like Sorin. There are a number of plot holes, and overall the flow just doesn't feel like it's there.

The exploration of gender dysphoria was spot on for me, and I do think that if this was more of a contemporary fiction that focused on this experience and the relationship with Magda, it would be more successful. While the setting of the fantasy world is interesting, I don't feel you get enough actual world building or background.

I think I'd still try other works by this author, but don't think I'd return to this one sadly.

The synopsis was intrigued me. I love witchcraft so much but when I finally read this book, sadly my expectation was missed a bit. The setting and world building was so brief for a fantasy book. The character didn't really appealing for me too. But the concept was exceptional. That's it, I guess.

2.5ish stars. I have mixed feelings about this book, but ultimately I found it lackluster. While I think the writing flows well, I failed to connect with the characters or plot.

I’m conflicted about the main character Sorin. While I felt for them because they were sheltered and denied opportunities, I quickly grew tired of their negative internal monologue. I found them rather unlikable and I think they’d constantly walk around with a snobbish, I-just-smelled-something-foul expression on their face. What I did like, though, was the exploration of their gender, and I sympathized with them because their society is so gendered. I really liked Magda, the badass love interest, but her actions are really inconsistent and by the end I was confused about where her values lay. There’s another main character who joins Sorin and Magda on their quest, and while I kind of hated him at first, I ended up liking him better than Sorin by the end, especially because his actions started to make a lot of sense. The characters have a few funny quips that I enjoyed, which shows that J.S. Fields is great at writing fun dialogue.

I think Fields has built a cool world, but I didn’t care much for the main plot line. Half the time I didn’t know what was going on, and since this book felt pretty short, more time could have been spent explaining what was happening. Plus, the characters often come to sudden conclusions that made me go…huh? There are some pretty big plot holes too, but I won’t discuss them here because I feel like I was always one step behind while reading.

On an emotional level, my least favorite part of the book was the treatment of animals. Main characters are completely unfazed by a horse’s sudden killing, horses are abandoned mid-journey and completely forgotten, and there are mentions of Sorin using mice for alchemical experiments and thus killing them. As an animal lover, all of these things made me sad and significantly detracted from my enjoyment of the book. It would have been nice if the animals in this book had been a given a modicum of dignity, but there was none to be found, unfortunately.

content warnings: arson, animal killings, animal death, blood, death of loved ones, death of side characters, disowning, gender dysphoria, gore, injury, kidnapping, manipulation, misgendering, semi-graphic sex, violence

I received an ARC from Ninestar Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

1.5 stars rounded up because the nonbinary rep and villain(s) are good.

Sorin’s mother is missing and so is the queen. The royal daughter Magda convinces Sorin (17, outside of gender binary) to go with her to search for their mothers as well as all the disappeared guild members. Even though Sorin can’t wait to start their career as an alchemy apprentice, they embarked on the adventure with Magda to the glaciers, dodging multiple dangers along the way. And what they find might not be what they expected.

It took me three months to read this book because the first few chapters were not engrossing and I wasn’t motivated to continue. But since the nonbinary rep is great and I’ve heard great things about Fields’ Ardulum series, I picked up the book again. I really liked the villain character(s); they have clear motives and beliefs and are actually rational and logical. The unraveling of the guild member disappearance mystery took a few turns and I enjoyed the surprises. Also, I like that while Sorin binds their chest in public because of potential misgendering, they feel fine with having breasts when they’re alone. We don’t get to see nonbinary characters talk about how they feel much in books, and I think Fields handled Sorin’s identity pretty well.

What I don’t understand is why Sorin, especially as a nonbinary main character who gets constantly misgendered, would gender everyone else? Is it difficult for them to see a person and think “that person” instead of “a man” or “a woman”? And while this world does not have the term “nonbinary,” there was a scene where Sorin sees “a man, a woman, and a person of indeterminate gender” and I find “indeterminate gender” very odd. It’s also not very nice to be in Sorin’s first-person POV all the time since they are quite judgy and stubborn, looking down on traders (vs guilders) and despising magic.

Another thing that made me uncomfortable was that animals are treated as disposable tools. The characters just don’t care. Also, Magda’s actions are sometimes illogical and Sorin’s thoughts on magic and alchemy also don’t make a lot of sense.

I am disappointed by my first venture into Fields’ work, but I will be picking up the Ardulum series since the writing in Foxfire in the Snow was good. However, I don’t think I will continue reading The Alchemical Duology.

Plot holes and weird things:
1. The queen didn’t learn the details of bone oil until Sorin found her, but guild members have been missing and losing their powers since before the book started.
2. According to Sameer, Magda was very worried about Sorin’s disappearance, but the next chapter, we see her in a meeting in Puget with other royals, seemingly unperturbed.
3. Ethanol sounds poisonous in this world: “Ethanol was great at penetrating skin. One drop was enough to kill a mouse [...]” but they have drinks like cider.
4. Magda and the queen didn’t have a bad relationship. When Sorin told her that they killed the queen, Magda was like: okay, let’s sleep together.
5. The conjured Amada called Sorin her “daughter,” which felt less like something Walerian would do and more like an easy way for Sorin to figure out that she was a conjuring.
6. Sorin claimed to be a “chemist” at the end of the book after having a random lightbulb moment of magic, alchemy, and chemistry being three related but different fields. They seemed to believe that chemistry is something sort of between magic and alchemy. I beg to differ.
7. Poor Sorin never got to relieve themself after getting interrupted and almost died.
8. What’s Sorin, Magda, and Sameer’s first reaction to seeing the creepy magical fungi in the snow? Follow them...

[content warnings: misgendering, death of family members, death of minor characters, animal death, violence, blood, kidnapping, graphic sex, arson, disappearance, disowning, murder]

This is a book where I enjoyed the idea of it, but it didn't just pull it off for me. I liked the idea of a non-binary trans person who is struggling with not just their personal identity, but also not wanting to carry on their family's legacy because it doesn't fit for them. Yet, it focuses way too much on Sorin's pain as they try to cope with the world adjusting to them. Sorin is a decent character, and I like them as a lead, but so much of the plot revolves around their internalized pain around their presentation, that once it shifts to the external conflict, it feels a little too jarring, even if both the external and internal conflicts Sorin experiences are related.

Sorin and their childhood friend - turned- crush Princess Magda, are in a rush to find their mothers, who somehow disappeared just before the beginning of the book. Sorin hasn't seen Magda since their mothers separated the two in their early tweens(I think). They are in their late teens now, and this will be the first time Magda sees Sorin living as their non-binary selves. So of course, Sorin has to go through a ton of feelings on top of trying to find both their mothers.

Like I said before, I like the premise of this book, and the socio-political stuff is well built, but because it is so hyper focused on Sorin's journey in accepting their body and presentation, that once it reveals some of the plot twists, it feels too sudden. Like it goes from Sorin's relationship with their body and Magda's relationship with Sorin's body to suddenly remembering that, oh yeah, that's why we're on this quest.

That all said, I loved Magda's and Sorin's developing relationship, especially since Sorin is a person who is naturally shy, and them getting comfortable with their body is also (whether healthy or not) hinges on the people around Sorin accepting it, especially Magda. Sorin also pushing back against the ridged class structure was nice, even if it was a little difficult to understand at times. Like a lot of things between what a witch is and different magic users are is a little muddled though it seems to be very important to the books.

I am still curious enough and invested in Sorin and Magda to see where this goes, but I hope Fields can balance Sorin's personal journey better with the events outside of Sorin's personal sphere. It will hopefully explain plot things better as well.

This was my first non binary character book I have read. It's a subject I'm not very familiar with but this book certainly makes me want to know more about "gender identities".

Sorin identifies as a non binary person, born female but doesn't not identify as a "she" or "he". However, Sorin is at the indecisive stage, not knowing what gender they want to be. I actually felt empathetic towards Sorin, as I know how people can often judge you by the way you look or dress. Why should the body parts we have or the way we dress be stereotyped into a gender?

Not only Sorin has difficulties identifying what gender they are, they also have difficulties working out what career they want to pursue either; woodcutter or alchemist.

I loved how different powders of plants and nature were used, and I was awed that Foxfire; a luminescent fungi, was used as a magical element in the story.

My only downside of this book was I would have liked more about the guilders and guilds explained. I'm hoping that the sequel can explain a bit more. Other than that, the book was very enjoyable.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Nine Star Press for the eARC copy of Foxfire in The Snow in an exchange of my review

Thank you netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for a review

A great intrigue, a lot of plot twists, magic, alchemy and fungi.
Sorin spend the last five years living with their mother. Sorin wants to be an alchemist, and they're finally able to attend the alchemy fair. But once in town, Sorin notices that something is wrong... There's no trace of the guilds, their mother, or the Queen. Sorin has to work with Magda, their childhood friend and Royal Daughter, to understand what's going on and save the country.
I was immediately hooked!

The MC is non binary (the word isn't used, but we're in a fantasy setting, so they probably don't use the same words to describe gender and sexuality), and you can feel that the author isn't cisgender. While Sorin's experience of dysphoria is sometimes different from mine, I could relate to some aspects, and the aspects I personally didn't relate to were still very realistic.

Also, there's a scene with a lesbian black smith princess who carries her nb crush in her arms and this is top tier.

I hope we'll have other books in this universe!!

I found this book really excellent and captivating! The premise is definitely interesting and it's really well written.

3.0 stars. This is a book where I enjoyed the idea of it, but it didn't just pull it off for me. I liked the idea of a non-binary trans person who is struggling with not just their personal identity, but also not wanting to carry on their family's legacy because it doesn't fit for them. Yet, it focuses way too much on Sorin's pain as they try to cope with the world adjusting to them. Sorin is a decent character, and I like them as a lead, but so much of the plot revolves around their internalized pain around their presentation, that once it shifts to the external conflict, it feels a little too jarring, even if both the external and internal conflicts Sorin experiences are related.

Sorin and their childhood friend - turned- crush Princess Magda, are in a rush to find their mothers, who somehow disappeared just before the beginning of the book. Sorin hasn't seen Magda since their mothers separated the two in their early tweens(I think). They are in their late teens now, and this will be the first time Magda sees Sorin living as their non-binary selves. So of course, Sorin has to go through a ton of feelings on top of trying to find both their mothers.

Like I said before, I like the premise of this book, and the socio-political stuff is well built, but because it is so hyper focused on Sorin's journey in accepting their body and presentation, that once it reveals some of the plot twists, it feels too sudden. Like it goes from Sorin's relationship with their body and Magda's relationship with Sorin's body to suddenly remembering that, oh yeah, that's why we're on this quest.

That all said, I loved Magda's and Sorin's developing relationship, especially since Sorin is a person who is naturally shy, and them getting comfortable with their body is also (whether healthy or not) hinges on the people around Sorin accepting it, especially Magda. Sorin also pushing back against the ridged class structure was nice, even if it was a little difficult to understand at times. Like a lot of things between what a witch is and different magic users are is a little muddled though it seems to be very important to the books.

I am still curious enough and invested in Sorin and Magda to see where this goes, but I hope Fields can balance Sorin's personal journey better with the events outside of Sorin's personal sphere. It will hopefully explain plot things better as well.

*I received this ARC in exchange for my opinion.

4.5/5 stars

Liked: The writing is marvelous, especially for a YA fantasy book. The world-building is well-done and immersive. I really liked the different factions in the society and how their role affects each other. The main character Sorin is non-binary and we see them struggle with the gender norms, people misgendering and invalidating their identity. The book showcases the dark side of a matriarchal society and how it harms people who are not women. There is a queer childhood friends to lovers romance which is enjoyed, along with booktok's favorite tropes such as one bed and nursing the injured love interest.
Didn't like: The book started with a bang and ended with a bang, but the middle part was too slow and dry. I have mixed feelings about the ending and felt that it was rushed.

Genre: YA Fantasy, LGBTQIA+ Rating: ⭐⭐

I really thought I was going to like this book based on the synopsis. It has a lot of good components, such as a nonbinary protagonist, an adventurous quest, and magic! Unfortunately, while the book had potential, the execution left a lot to be desired.

Sorin is determined to become an alchemist, but when they go into town only to find that all the masters and grandmasters of the skills have mysteriously gone missing, their plans quickly disintegrate. The Royal Daughter, and Sorin’s childhood friend, Magda, enlists Sorin’s help to try to find both their mothers. During their quest Sorin is faced with trying to find an identity in their profession, while also feeling the need to explain their personal gender identity.

Honestly, I feel like there were two really good stories within this book, but when they were combined, it was just too much. Sorin’s relationship to their own gender identity was a huge component in the book, and truly could have been a story on its own. On the other hand, the fantasy and adventure aspects of the novel also make a riveting story. Disappointingly, when these two major concepts were combined, both felt under-developed and they convoluted one another.

Another aspect of the story that I didn’t particularly like was that there is the mysterious question of what is happening to the masters and grandmasters, but literally nothing is revealed until the very end of the novel. I feel as though the author should have revealed small pieces of information throughout the book to keep the reader’s interest.

Additionally, I sincerely did not like the protagonist at all. Although I think it’s extremely important to write LGBTQIA+ characters, I don’t think Sorin’s character was written well. They are often excessively rude to other characters in the novel, and they expect those characters to be fine with being treated poorly.

Similarly, they explain multiple times how they don’t like the way others look at their breasts. They are fine with having breasts, but they essentially don’t like the way other people see them and assume they are a woman. However, Sorin assumes the gender of other characters multiple times throughout the book. If they don’t like it when others do it to them, why is it okay for them to make assumptions about someone else’s gender identity?

Finally, not only does the book feel as though it drags on, it also has a few plot holes that were really bothersome in my opinion. The first one is too much of a spoiler, so I won’t share the details, but essentially it has to do with the cause of the people going missing, and the timing that they went missing. The story suggests that they started going missing before the cause was even a factor.

Likewise, the protagonist is an alchemist and carries around her powders. Towards the end of the novel they say something along the lines of they “never meant for [the powders] to be used as weapons…” after they USED THE POWDERS AS A WEAPON FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE NOVEL!!! This was simply infuriating, and I found a lot of contradictions like this as I was reading.

Overall, if you’re a person that doesn’t necessarily pay attention to details and you don’t mind two under-developed themes, then you may enjoy this book. Otherwise, I would probably recommend searching for another book to fit your epic LGBTQIA+ fantasy needs.

This was the first book I read by this author. I have been meaning to read the Ardulum series for quite some time now, but haven’t gotten to it yet. When I saw this new book series, and a fantasy series at that, I decided to start here. Unfortunately, I’m super conflicted on how to review this book. There are things that I think are very important for queer fiction and awareness on non-binary identification and for this alone it is a welcome addition to queer fiction. However, I had the feeling the author wanted too much with a story focused on a non-binary main character and their struggles growing up, and adding an epic fantasy tale on top of it. In the end, I had trouble understanding the main character Sorin, and honestly, I did not like them very much (I’ll come back to this with an explanation), and I also didn’t understand the world as well as I would have liked to.

The book is written in first person from the POV of Sorin, a non-binary main character. There are so few books with a non-binary MC, so I was pleased to see this. As I mentioned, a very important aspect of the book is how Sorin deals with identifying as non-binary in a world that doesn’t understand this. The book starts at a point where Sorin has accepted their identity, but they are mainly hiding from the outside world due to the reactions and especially the assumptions people make. By the way I’m using they/them pronouns in this review, which are actually not used in the book, Sorin is either misgendered or described as Sorin, not a woman, not a man. Having grown up in a very accepting environment myself, I can’t imagine how it must feel to be misunderstood and mislabeled the entire time, and I also don’t know how it feels to identify as non-binary. This book gave some really good insights, which were definitely highlights of the book for me, and I think this will be appreciated by other readers as well.

Despite liking Sorin’s personal journey, and my heart breaking for them during some of the things they are forced into or have to endure, I did not really like them as a person in the fantasy storyline. Besides struggling with their identity, they also struggle with their trade. Born the heir of a master woodcutter everybody expects them to become a master woodcutter as well, but Sorin wants nothing more than to become an alchemist. When the book starts, Sorin’s mother is missing, as well as the Queen, and various strange things are happening. Sorin ends up with their childhood friend Magda (the Queen’s daughter) on a quest to find their mothers. However, I found Sorin to be so very selfish, the world around them is falling apart, their mother has disappeared, and they seem not to care at all, they’re so absorbed with their own problems, and the only thing they care about is becoming an alchemist. Because they did not care about anything around them I found myself irritated, especially as I wanted to find answers that I think Sorin should have wanted to find or care about. I did enjoy the connection between Sorin and Magda, and I liked Magda as a character, but Magda too seems quite oblivious to what’s happening around her. The difference between Sorin and Magda is that Magda wants to find out more. Only at the last 25% of the book did I become invested in the fantasy part of the story, not only because the book takes a turn (and the pace picks up), but also because I finally got the feeling that Sorin was getting (somewhat) invested in it and decided to look at the bigger picture.

Concerning the worldbuilding and the fantasy tale, I had the feeling that I skipped a book when I started reading. There were many things that were not explained and I felt I was missing a general understanding of the world, its traditions and cultures. As an example, a non-binary gender is unknown in this world, but no information is given on the general perception of queer relationships. f/f and m/m relationships were mentioned once, but I’m still not sure whether these are generally accepted or not. Furthermore, the various guilds and their specialties are described, but I didn’t get to know the people. For instance, do they like their Queen (or their system) or not? And who or what is it that Sorin and Magda are really looking for in their quest, it seemed fairly random at moments.

OK, this has become a very lengthy review. Long story short, this book was not what I had hoped for and it was not a good match for me in terms of the fantasy tale I anticipated, but I did like the insights in a non-binary identity. I think there will be people who can get more out of it than I did. I’ve already seen several high ratings and I could be a minority here, so I advise to read some other reviews as well before making up your mind.

3/5

it was okay i guess? i really liked sorin as a non-binary mc and that the idea of being non-binary and how you are perceived by others was a topic, and how they talked about not fitting into the binary genders. imo the plot was just kinda meh, nothing special but nothing too bad either, the pacing was a little off some parts it dragged and then moved way too fast.

3 stars (out now!)

**Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.**
#FoxfireintheSnow #NetGalley

Pros
+ nonbinary author
+ nonbinary MC (uses Sorin/you)
+ nb/f pairing
+ LGBT rep: bisexual/pansexual (prefers women, sometimes men) and lesbian
+ detailed experience of being nonbinary in a world defined by biological sex (guild legacies are inherited through matrilineal lines)

Cons
- I feel the author should have just written the story they were clearly focused on (nonbinary experience/friendship/relationship) in a smaller setting, instead of placing it inside a larger quest narrative. The worldbuilding, quest action, and general plot were underdeveloped compared to the nonbinary elements.
- The pacing wasn't for me. The plot was plodding, then too fast.

TW: misgendering, body dysphoria, death