The Bear and The Nightingale

This was the third book I've read recently about How Horribly Women Had It In Those Days, Especially Unconventional Women, and I think I need a palate cleanse - maybe some space ships exploding or something.

There were other issues that bugged me about this book, too. The first two-thirds was full of really rich, vivid, gorgeous prose. It was like watching a movie in my head, Dr Zhivago maybe, but much prettier and more colorful. But at some point, the writing style seemed to change abruptly: more telling. less showing, odd POV changes, and sloppy editing. Several hundred pages before we even knew who the titular characters were, and even then, I'm not entirely sure I get it.