This is creepy as heck, wildly atmospheric and really engaging with it. (Way too close to horror for me to pick up normally, but I figured since this This is creepy as heck, wildly atmospheric and really engaging with it. (Way too close to horror for me to pick up normally, but I figured since this was YA it couldn't get too awful...) Not the sort of story I'd usually go for, but I heard the author speak at a convention and was really interested in the own-voices First Nation Queensland mob element. Turns out it was even closer to home for me, set in a regional area not far from where I grew up - the settings described, from home to school and the bush surrounding, and the slang used, could all have been lifted directly from my own youth. (That made it all ring like a bell for me, but might also make it more difficult for foreigners, though I feel like everything is used in meaningful context that helps make sense of it.) The big strength here for me is a glorious emotional complexity to the whole book - from our main character's relations with and feelings about her twin, to the emotional repercussions of an unflinching finale. Nothing's simple, everything's twistily real, and the book is the richer for it....more
This was charming and satisfying and nicely written, but something about it niggled at me and prevented me from being swept away. There are strong theThis was charming and satisfying and nicely written, but something about it niggled at me and prevented me from being swept away. There are strong themes throughout looking at power, safety, consent, compromise... but I felt that they were never quite as firmly stated as they could have been, and as such I was unclear whether some of the ambiguity was the author consciously exploring elements, or unconsciously muddying things. Through the early middle, the romantic dynamic felt very man-pushy/woman-yieldy, which I found mildly unpleasant without a stronger presence of active female consent. The self-development to reach final state is rather dramatic on Sebastian's part, and very understated on Annabelle's, and I found the general overall theme of lust constantly overwhelming sensible decisions not entirely satisfying. And while the book engaged solidly with all the downsides and dangers of Annabelle's options, the ending sort of handwaved them aside for a little fairytale love-wins-the-day. I remain on edge about Annabelle's future and happiness, especially considering that the text only fleetingly engaged with the fact that "duchess" is a job, one for which women were trained from birth, and Annabelle has no trustworthy female support to assist her in the job that Sebastian is blithely sure she can learn to do. So, overall... good, but not delightful....more
Setting aside at halfway; I gave it longer than I ordinarily would, because a couple of reading friends had recommended it, but it just wasn't workingSetting aside at halfway; I gave it longer than I ordinarily would, because a couple of reading friends had recommended it, but it just wasn't working for me. I haven't read all the preceding material - only the first book in each cycle - and for me, this didn't stand alone. It's constantly filling in what's happened since the end of one or the other part (which plays havoc with the pacing, especially because it's framed as a catch-up, rather than essential backstory-to-the-present information) and it's leaning far too hard on the reader's willingness to spend time with these characters while the author slowly unfurls tantalising hints that there will one day be a driving plot. (This is especially egregious in the Nikolai / Zoya storyline; the Nina storyline doesn't seem to be related at all, which is another annoyance.) Nikolai and Zoya seem like fantastic characters, but the ratio of banter to them actually struggling with things is way out of whack for me. And I like banter. But I like characters struggling a lot more....more
I struggled my way through this one, but I think that's more on me - the time of year, how much I have going on, being in a bit of a reading slump, anI struggled my way through this one, but I think that's more on me - the time of year, how much I have going on, being in a bit of a reading slump, and possibly just my picky tastes on epic fantasy. I pushed myself through for a bit in the middle with interest in the women's-politics of the court, but then the book swerved hard away from that into stuff that I'm less conceptually into, and I nearly gave up a few times through the second half of the book. Not because anything was really wrong, just... I wasn't having a good time.
Part of that was that the movements of the story didn't quite flow ineluctably. Every development made sense, and Arwa was a magnificent character to follow (I do love an angry lady), and thematically everything comes together beautifully through the finale sequence. But I felt like not a lot got carried along with the big movements, and as a consequence I wasn't really swept along by the story. I also found some aspects of the worldbuilding a little slippery, possibly due to how long it's been since I read the first book, and I especially never quite got to grips with the timing of historical events, especially the Maha's death and how that related to other things.
Anyway, I think this is probably a better book than I experienced. Certainly a few of the line-writing hitches I had with the first book were all smoothed out. I still find Suri's style in here a little fulsome, exploring and repeating points more than I prefer (but it's been noted that I favour a breakneck pace, prose-wise) but it's pleasant to read. And I really do enjoy reading a deeply explored non-Euro/Western setting....more
Setting aside barely 9% in because it's got that quick-sticks-YA-fantasy and I am extremely impatient with that right now. The world seems unusual andSetting aside barely 9% in because it's got that quick-sticks-YA-fantasy and I am extremely impatient with that right now. The world seems unusual and interesting (a largely subterranean society because the sun is killingly hot) but we saw literally none of it before our girl was whisked off into desert temples and being kidnapped (/remanded in custody) by the prince who's unsurprisingly quite handsome...
Anyway, not for me, not right now, moving on....more
This book was always an absolute delight to read - charming and engaging in every POV, with an intricate world gently unfurling and a very realistic tThis book was always an absolute delight to read - charming and engaging in every POV, with an intricate world gently unfurling and a very realistic tangle of motivations in many directions. But the overall structure left me a little bemused, with a long, slow, character-driven build-up to a somewhat frenetic finale of murder-mystery solving. I enjoyed all of it! If anything, I wanted more time and space and care given to that murder-mystery, really making the big culminations feel more than they did.
But overall, this was charming and fascinating, both highly intelligent and deeply moving, and I enjoyed it tremendously....more
Setting aside around page 50; I'm just not settling into the style. There's a lot of description, a lot of introspection, a lot of narrative, interspeSetting aside around page 50; I'm just not settling into the style. There's a lot of description, a lot of introspection, a lot of narrative, interspersed with little bits of doing and talking. Turns out I like a lot more doing and talking! Or maybe I just want a more striking voice, if it's going to be heavy on narrative. There's also a tendency to use as scene hook (the question that's supposed to be pulling a reader through the scene) the very thing that I need to get invested in a scene, leaving me wading through pages wondering why I should care. It all adds up to: just not for me!...more
I just don't know how I feel about this. It mostly kept all the strengths of the first one - complex characters in complex situations, a quick pace buI just don't know how I feel about this. It mostly kept all the strengths of the first one - complex characters in complex situations, a quick pace but a thorough world, no easy answers and lots of intriguing magic. But this started to feel less fun and more a slog for me. Partly it was that it's just damn long. Partly it was that the two thrusts of the story were in such opposition that it was obvious there was going to be a cataclysmic conflict, and absolutely no one was going to be happy. Reading toward that was less anticipation and more dread.
Upon the stories colliding, cataclysm occurring, and no one ending up happy, the epic finale sequence was full of adventure and action and big face-offs, and I just... didn't really care about the physical peril. Not in the midst of the massive emotional stuff. I found myself skimming. So that's... not great either. And then the story twisted into a wild new configuration that makes a fascinating setup for a third book, but I just... don't know. I suppose I will finish the series sometime, but I'm not really filled with enthusiasm right now....more
This was a charming little bite of second-world urban fantasy thief-shenanigans. The story and world and characters all felt nicely done at this size;This was a charming little bite of second-world urban fantasy thief-shenanigans. The story and world and characters all felt nicely done at this size; in this case, my yearning for more comes down to language and style choices. Every now and then, there'd be an absolutely sparkling line, but in general the prose was more functional, which made some of that sparkling seem a little overly ostentatious; I'd have preferred more felicity throughout. Similarly, the later inclusion of a new POV made things feel a little unbalanced; I'd have preferred to have had it throughout....more
There are a lot of things I enjoyed about this book. Absolutely fascinating worldbuilding is chief among them, taking us intPawns of prophecy, indeed.
There are a lot of things I enjoyed about this book. Absolutely fascinating worldbuilding is chief among them, taking us into a culture with a completely different concept of performative gender (and this is the sort of thing I wish more speculative fiction did - really speculate) on a rollicking whirlwind adventure. I also remain really intellectually fascinated with the things this series is doing with narrative framing and reliability and angle - who are the villains, from whose point of view, and what are their goals?
That said, I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first. It's a similar level of "traditional adventure fantasy", which is not really my thing, but the first one overcame largely by being pretty sprightly and sparkling in the line-by-line delivery. This one is far less elegant, and a lot more utilitarian (possibly because of the whole series delivery timeline, which is honestly gobsmackingly quick) and I found it consequently a little more of a plod than a dance.
But still, a great recast of traditional modes of epic fantasy with fancy new trimmings....more
A smidgen too literary and fablesome for my personal tastes, with the sort of quest/journey plot structure that I often find a little frustrating, thoA smidgen too literary and fablesome for my personal tastes, with the sort of quest/journey plot structure that I often find a little frustrating, though the complexity in the character work, especially of Fatima, is magnificent. The resolution feels extremely relatable in these tumultuous times....more
Just as good as everyone has been saying it is. Full of deft and crunchy themes of translation (culture and language and ways of looking at the univerJust as good as everyone has been saying it is. Full of deft and crunchy themes of translation (culture and language and ways of looking at the universe) and questions of self-identity, lots of politics and action, all wrapped up in wonderful writing and lashings of poetry. A wonderful book. Possibly more of a 4.5 stars because there are some little bits and pieces I don't feel were quite as perfect as they could have been, but those are such small niggles on a thing that is overall just a magnificent piece of work....more
What a world, thickly delivered through experience and movement and rarely through direct explanation, and what characters sprung ineluctably from thaWhat a world, thickly delivered through experience and movement and rarely through direct explanation, and what characters sprung ineluctably from that world, and wrestling with the conundrums of that world. It's full of strange and wondrous and monstrous and mysterious. It is richly and so deftly explored. There was so much here that kept me hooked and thrilled.
The only niggle for me is that this is so very ships. It's basically a tall-ship nautical adventure, tight in on the maritime matters and all the details (in the vein of Patrick O'Brian or CS Forester) except that everything has been twisted around to fantasy version. And it's so impressive, definitely part of the rich tapestry of the world of this series, but I find that level of technical and logistical detail a little wearying, and the resulting Big Damn Action Setpieces (Naval Engagement Version) somewhat make my eyes glaze over.
But that is a me problem, and for those without my delicate reader constitution in such matters, this is a stonkingly creative fantasy adventure....more
This was so full of things I love that I am completely incapable of thinking anything like objectively about it. It is wall to wall subtle and preciseThis was so full of things I love that I am completely incapable of thinking anything like objectively about it. It is wall to wall subtle and precise court drama, endless scenes of careful conversations over tea or music or walks in exquisite gardens, abundant details of clothes and food and who said what to whom... and I loved it. I mean, one of my few slight dissatisfactions is that the full range of POVs and intrigues slims down in the second half to concentrate on the key players in the central drama... and I missed all the other connivings! (Another would be the sometimes overblown nature of the prose, but it was a barely-there niggle.)
So anyway, I am WAY EASY for this sort of lush mesh of political intrigues and I had a great time and I cannot wait for the next book....more
A fun little addition, widening the canon and giving a different point of view on the whole world of magic in this series. Sometimes a little bit too A fun little addition, widening the canon and giving a different point of view on the whole world of magic in this series. Sometimes a little bit too similar to the Peter Grant voice, but mostly Tobi stood nicely on his own as a narrator. Very curious about how this widened scope will feed into the next arc of the main novels....more
I whipped through this book so quick, and I had a great time doing it. There's a lot of old-skool fantasy flavour to this - prophecies! rising darknesI whipped through this book so quick, and I had a great time doing it. There's a lot of old-skool fantasy flavour to this - prophecies! rising darkness and dying hope! systems of magic! lots of POVs! corruption and brutal cleansings! betrayals! - but also a canny awareness of those flavours, combined with a freshness of setting and a story really embedded in some great characters. It's YA-tending, inasmuch as all of our five main/viewpoint characters are in their late teens, but I found them so much more believable in their youth and experiences (and the trauma they're carrying from those experiences) than some other examples. Indeed, that youth and trauma worked so well to drive the book. Every character is so full of jagged-edged needs that claw at the world, and when they come together, as they do in many different configurations, they strike sparks....more
A fun but still gritty romp. Enjoyment of this one will definitely pivot on whether you like the main characters - our first-person narrator - and I dA fun but still gritty romp. Enjoyment of this one will definitely pivot on whether you like the main characters - our first-person narrator - and I did from the very first line. His voice is a delight, and he's the most interesting sort of anti-hero: one who doesn't think he has the capability - or even the desire - to fix all the many wrongs in the world, but who still knows they're unjust. He's full of insecurities and uncertainties and slightly broken bits, and he's covering them all with wisecracks and a veneer of stubborn independence. I want all the good things for him, ever.
On top of that, the magic was absolutely fascinating, and the world felt faded and lined and real - we weren't going on a magical tour, we were following along as people lived their lives, and they didn't necessarily know everything outside the bounds of those lives.
Setting this aside at page 109 (at chapter 4, about a quarter of the way through). It's so beautiful, just delightfully written, every sentence is a jSetting this aside at page 109 (at chapter 4, about a quarter of the way through). It's so beautiful, just delightfully written, every sentence is a joy to read... but I have no curiosity about what the next sentence might be. The story has not hooked me at all. And the line by line joy isn't enough to make me persist.
This is 100% a me-problem. I don't really like portal fantasy - the whole concept is not one that interests me. (This is part of why I left this book for so long, despite the glowing reviews and awards and everything.) I am also a hard sell on nested narratives - I find them frustrating and distracting in ways that others clearly do not. All of these: me-problems. This book, alas, is not for me.
Which is a shame, because the writing really is so very beautiful....more
What a book. It's a masterclass in Parker's style, so much of what he does so well condensed into a tight space. There's the capable and unreliable naWhat a book. It's a masterclass in Parker's style, so much of what he does so well condensed into a tight space. There's the capable and unreliable narrator--first person, in this case, with an amazing offhand and cutting voice, and every single little snide aside turns out to be brutally relevant. There's the schemes and designs and unflinching turn of the screw, though in this case it feels almost the opposing view of, say, the Engineer trilogy. It made me laugh out loud more times than I can count, and it broke my heart with brusque details, and I loved the entire journey....more