Setting aside about 10% in. Not for me, which is a shame because the summary contains whole heaps of things that I love - poison, politics, romantic sSetting aside about 10% in. Not for me, which is a shame because the summary contains whole heaps of things that I love - poison, politics, romantic shenanigans, lady besties causing a ruckus. But it's been rather a braid of action and info-dumps and while it zips things along, it's just not engaging for me....more
Rarely have I felt more like I was reading a completely different book to everyone else. The ratings and reviews for this one are almost uniformly so Rarely have I felt more like I was reading a completely different book to everyone else. The ratings and reviews for this one are almost uniformly so glowing, and I was swinging between unmoved and downright irritated. I had reasons for reading and persisting outside the book itself, but also I kept going partly because surely, surely, the book would soon get itself into gear and deliver all the things that everyone else loved so much, right? For me, it never did. (Though a patch around two-thirds was much more engaging, and the ending gives a big shift to things that honestly just irritated me more, because it's so much more interesting and why couldn't we have been in that earlier?)
An awful lot of my irritation is that it's got (for me) the most annoying parts of YA with the least interesting parts of epic fantasy. It's first-person (and present tense), limiting the exploration of the world and the depth of the plot complexity, but without delivering anything particularly interesting through that first-person narration. I never felt like I was learning more about Vis through what he was telling and how. (Though partly this may have been because Vis was a personality-free zone, but more about that later.) But the story also moved at far too leisurely a pace to hit that YA immediacy and urgency upon which first-person-present builds. There was a lot of space given to description and moving through the world, and particularly the first half of the book just took so long getting to events and reveals - which serves a worldbuilding purpose, but could have been done while other things were happening (and usually is in YA, where pace is king).
I found the emotional pacing particularly glacial. Plenty of things happened, there's quite a bit of action (though still spaced more generously than it could have been), but the number of them that actually meant more to Vis than physical peril (for me, the least interesting sort of tension) was pretty minimal. And partly that was because Vis lacked emotional hooks. Sure, he's an orphan and on the run and in a pinch, but none of that seemed to particularly give him any driving ambitions, or impediments. He's pretty self-sufficient. He's good at everything. He's canny. He's never panicked. His one flaw seems to be that he loses his temper, but only ever when he's the victim of unfairness. (Oh yeah, and he's seventeen.) He does plenty of interesting things, but I did not find him an interesting character. (I have seen a lot of comparisons between this book, and Vis, to Name of the Wind and Kvothe... and in this regard, yeah, I see the similarity. I also didn't enjoy that one, for similar reasons.)
There are some really interesting special-physics-and-consequences worldbuilding elements in here - a literal manifestation of capitalism and the resultant systems of oppression, and the flow-on effects to the elite educational institution - but it was hard, in the circumstances, not to compare this rendition with other, snappier deliveries (like Novik's Scholomance). And then, as I mentioned, the epilogue blows things wide open in a fascinating way, leaving me just outright irritated that I had to wade through 600-odd pages of preparation-and-school-shenanigans when all of this was right there.
So anyway, I am utterly disgruntled, this book was a great big cup of not-for-me, but more power to all of those who love it to bits, I guess....more
I'm almost certain I must have read this in my childhood, because I read every DWJ I could get my hands on, but I remember absolutely nothing about itI'm almost certain I must have read this in my childhood, because I read every DWJ I could get my hands on, but I remember absolutely nothing about it, so effectively this was my first time. It's delightful in the manner of DWJ: that delicate and effective blend of true magic (including whimsy) and skewering sensibleness, and very British. I think I probably would have enjoyed this more when younger, as there were some parts that teetered on too twee for me (the Witch being sometimes a little childish, and Howl's green slime, being two examples that spring readily to mind). But it also has that deftness of emotion and reaction and action that DWJ does just so well....more
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
Very satisfying conclusion to the trilogy; honestly, I wasn't sure how she'd manage that, given the excellent correlation of magical problems to capitVery satisfying conclusion to the trilogy; honestly, I wasn't sure how she'd manage that, given the excellent correlation of magical problems to capitalism and the apparent insolubility of the latter, but the way it all came together was great. This, of course, lacked that Scholomance setting tight focus, but the exploration of the wider world was its own sort of fascinating. A great piece of storytelling all in all....more
Just so outrageously readable, strongly delivered both line-by-line and in big-picture thematics. Not quite as immaculately rendered as the first one,Just so outrageously readable, strongly delivered both line-by-line and in big-picture thematics. Not quite as immaculately rendered as the first one, but still great, and packing some massive emotional thumps. (Insert obligatory scream about the ending.)...more
Setting aside at page 46. There's a lot I like about the setting and the framing, but the style is the sort of short-and-simple-and-telling of a lot oSetting aside at page 46. There's a lot I like about the setting and the framing, but the style is the sort of short-and-simple-and-telling of a lot of YA fantasy that is just not for me. Onwards!...more
Setting this one aside at 90-odd pages as just not for me. But for another reader, this might well be the goods. It's got pacey YA-emotional-happeningSetting this one aside at 90-odd pages as just not for me. But for another reader, this might well be the goods. It's got pacey YA-emotional-happenings movement, strong dark fairytale vibes, twisty worldbuilding, and a heroine with fears and strengths and potential....more
My common complaints with YA - of wanting more depth and exploration in the worldbuilding, of feeling it's too quick and OUCH. :D (Best kind of ouch.)
My common complaints with YA - of wanting more depth and exploration in the worldbuilding, of feeling it's too quick and slick - were balanced out here by Bannen's delicate and deft and twisty character and plot work, giving big emotional pull. Things come together so nicely (by which I mean: painfully and ineluctably) and it's both delicate and immersive in a very satisfying way.
I will note that having read so much stuff about Mongols now, I had a number of moments of, "But that's not right." However, Bannen's author note covers off so much great history-and-deviation, and also the setting here is well post-Genghis, and an ongoing element is how far the Empire has strayed from their roots (which... yes, was a thing)....more
Setting aside about a quarter of the way in, because it's just not happening for me. There's so much about this that should be my thing: flashy magic Setting aside about a quarter of the way in, because it's just not happening for me. There's so much about this that should be my thing: flashy magic in a Venetian-ish urban setting, prohibition and speakeasies and fast young women, politics and religion and romance. But none of it was being delivered in the depth I wanted, and that's on me, not this. It's doing YA fantasy, coming at you fast and pretty, and I want to dig in deeper and richer. So: not for me.
Further reasons for my struggle: I found Armstrong's style a little difficult to flow with; she turns a phrase to the point of artistic statement, and that made them sit static next to each other for me. I was a little dissatisfied at the shallowness of the prohibition/flapper elements, which didn't really engage with the virulent modernity (and societal responses) of the historical counterpart, though possibly that would have developed if I'd stuck around. And I also found myself rolling my eyes at how the whole business of Nightbirds is supposed to be a deadly, vital secret, and yet by a quarter of the way in there had been so many breaches of the secret, it was actually ridiculous....more
This is very built around the character - slow on plot but big on exploring her and her history and world - and I think that was a solid choice becausThis is very built around the character - slow on plot but big on exploring her and her history and world - and I think that was a solid choice because Ropa is absolutely magnificent, so faceted, such a powerhouse of character hooks. Her voice is a great time, and the complex nest of demands on her (at her tender age) is a compelling weight. The world is really intriguing and elegantly shown from within her, and her viewpoint casts a really interesting slant on the big magic elements that might have seem hackneyed or overdone from a more straight-on approach. That said, beyond Ropa's family her relationships with other characters (and those characters themselves) are a bit thin and papery, and I would have liked to see this lean into an adult audience with a little more length and depth. I get that it's one of a series and things might get explored later on, but I think that'd have been better served by more now....more
Noping out at about 16% in (page 67 in my e-copy; after everyone's been introduced and got the offer and are now considering it) because just nothing Noping out at about 16% in (page 67 in my e-copy; after everyone's been introduced and got the offer and are now considering it) because just nothing about this is interesting to me. The characters are bland and their scenarios, dynamics and facets are delivered in slow, belaboured staging and I am basically clawing at the scenery to get moving. I find the entire magical world-behind-the-world simultaneously too awash with every kind of wonder (what powers? all of them and then some!) and too absolutely devoid of wonder (but... everything's basically just like real life?) and the Alexandrian society too nebulous (that's the one place there might be interesting stuff, but it's crowded out by the six POVs and their mundane crap). I don't care about anything or anyone. So: nope....more
I enjoyed this. It's not magnificent literature, but it's solidly fun, quick-moving, with interesting characters, and - somewhat unusually for the recI enjoyed this. It's not magnificent literature, but it's solidly fun, quick-moving, with interesting characters, and - somewhat unusually for the recent spate of YA fantasy - a premise that really suits the YA category. Triplet princesses married off in canny political matches, raised to deliver their mother's ambition, step outside their indoctrinated upbringing for the first time and encounter questions of who they really want to be, and what choices they actually want to make now that they can. If I still wish that it was delivered for a more mature audience with greater depth and nuance, rather than rushing ahead and indulging in some poor character choices, that doesn't change that what it is and does is solid. The world isn't wallowed in, but it's intriguing and runs deeply (and sensibly) through the plot and characters. My only slight sadness is that this is very much the first third of the story; it can't stand alone beside all the setting-up it's doing....more
Setting aside about 30-odd pages in. I nearly cast it aside immediately when it opened on the protagonist working on an elegant dressmaking commissionSetting aside about 30-odd pages in. I nearly cast it aside immediately when it opened on the protagonist working on an elegant dressmaking commission in the fireplace. Copious references to soot, absolutely no mention of how she was keeping the expensive fabric clean. I get that there's some fairytale/Cinderella evocation going on here and I'm supposed to be swept away by the wonder, but unfortunately I'm just too pragmatic. And maybe that's my overall problem: I found the prose worked too hard at being lyrical, and I just didn't feel grounded at all. So: not for me. Onwards!...more
McDonald's debut work was a bit too gritty and action-oriented for my tastes, but with enough style that I came back to see what he could offer here. McDonald's debut work was a bit too gritty and action-oriented for my tastes, but with enough style that I came back to see what he could offer here. And I'm glad I did, because I enjoyed this so much! Still gritty, rather dark, set in a cold and grim Scottish-inspired setting, spattered with mud and blood. But from the very start, our first-person protagonist is a gleaming beacon. Strong and vulnerable, she's already been through a lot, and she's still fighting. Once the book gets out of the grim churn of its blockbuster opening, events languish a little, loosing any sort of real plot drive, but the questions of Raine - who she is, what she can do, what she can be - kept me absolutely hooked. (There are strong aspects of the Anakin Skywalker about her, but for my money made so much more compelling by the strength of her voice and the elements McDonald included in the story.) And everything twists really nicely into a magnificent finale sequence.
Extra shoutout to the author's work in crafting an absolute fedora-wearing hashtag-nice-guy of a supporting character who is believable and annoying and sympathetic and incredibly punchable....more
This started beautifully, with a gentle and thorough introduction to the character and world, but one that immediately set up goals and stakes and chaThis started beautifully, with a gentle and thorough introduction to the character and world, but one that immediately set up goals and stakes and challenges. It remained throughout a magnificently rich world, beautifully rendered, but I found myself somewhat dissatisfied with the pace; it just never quite shifted up the gears to really get moving. I'm left wondering if it's because this is really just half a book.
In any case, I enjoyed this, but I wasn't blown away....more
Setting this aside about 20% in. I think it's actually a very clever and well-done execution of what it's aiming at - less "Bridgerton x Fleabag" (whiSetting this aside about 20% in. I think it's actually a very clever and well-done execution of what it's aiming at - less "Bridgerton x Fleabag" (which is what my ebook loan had as a tagline) and more "Regency Mean Girls"... and therein lies my problem. It's so very YA in the story that's happening here. Main character Georgiana is carrying some trouble from parenting problems and is making all sorts of unwise but understandable young-person-finding-herself choices. It's delivered deftly, with great humour, with heaps of nuance in every element... and I just do not like reading that storyline....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
Noping out at 80-odd pages. This seems like a really interesting story, but the style is just not working for me at all - too visual and too action-heNoping out at 80-odd pages. This seems like a really interesting story, but the style is just not working for me at all - too visual and too action-heavy, not enough emotional weight or good flow to the prose (and the occasional word used uncomfortably or just plain incorrectly). But for someone less persnickety and cranky (I'm in the middle of copy-edits; I'm especially word-cranky right now) this would probably be a rollicking read!...more
Tapping out around 125 pages. There's not really anything wrong, it just wasn't grabbing me. A lot of the most interesting stuff seemed to have happenTapping out around 125 pages. There's not really anything wrong, it just wasn't grabbing me. A lot of the most interesting stuff seemed to have happened in the backstory, partly because there was just so much going on. With four points of view, all of whom had their own big deals going on, there was very little room for overlap and resonance, leaving everything feeling a little thin and underdeveloped. Which is a shame, because the world was absolutely replete with amazing Indian-inspired detail and I really wanted to get into it and experience the story....more