3.5 stars with a bonus for the illustrations, which can be found online here for free, with images and text side by side.
One of my goals this year is 3.5 stars with a bonus for the illustrations, which can be found online here for free, with images and text side by side.
One of my goals this year is to catch up on classics, which hasn't quite been my cup of tea ever since I stopped reading them for school. This was pretty good given my expectations. The language and cadence and rhymes were beautiful. The plot might have taken me a few tries to fully understand, and didn't feel as special, but I have a weak spot for lyrical writing so I enjoyed this overall. Now, this is the first poem I've read in like ... maybe ever? So consider my sample size limited and my rating skewed. I'll very likely be reading more in order to fix that soon....more
Jemisin's books tend to make me feel that numeric ratings are pointless. I gave four stars to The Killing Moon, although it is now one of my personal Jemisin's books tend to make me feel that numeric ratings are pointless. I gave four stars to The Killing Moon, although it is now one of my personal classics. I'm giving the same four stars to this book, although it didn't speak to me nearly as much--in fact, not even as much as The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, which I only rated 3.
Let me try to explain.
Set ten years after the ending of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, The Broken Kingdoms features a mostly new cast of characters, mainly Oree, a blind artist living in a city beneath the World Tree, and Bright Itempas. The two become unexpected allies when a conspiracy against godlings disrupts the order of the city, and a journey of dangerous intrigue ensues. This journey--filled with suspense, action, and plenty of surprises, is the main reason for the four stars. Compared to The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, the plot here is much more engaging and tightly paced, easily keeping me on the edge of my seat for almost the entire read, which is a rare thing as far as fantasy books go for me (I tend to find most of them not suspenseful in that particular way).
The main character, Oree, is also a lot more relatable than Yeine from the first book. As a street artist, her struggles in life are very much like our own. She needs to make money and feed herself; she needs to tread carefully in what little space she is allowed at the bottom of society; she feels lonely and craves friendship and love. Her thought process matches her background--realistic, practical. It's funny that I was just chatting with a couple of friends last week about Jemisin's characters not being easily understandable to me in general, and here I am, finally finding one that feels just like one of us.
However, relatable and understandable don't necessarily mean memorable. Despite being one of the better fleshed-out characters in Jemisin's worlds, Oree didn't capture me in an emotional way. Her personality--lacking the fierce loyalty and faith of the Dreamblood characters, or the stubborn and obsessive desire of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms characters (that's a very YA thing, true, but that's still something)--didn't appeal to me. Her greatest ambition in the entire book was to survive, and she gave up on even that for a good handful of chapters. Yes, I admit that this ambition (or lack thereof) is consistent with her nature, and that it's also perfectly valid and realistic, but characters without something in their heart worth living and dying for just don't shine for me. They are fine and nice and maybe easy to connect to, but I'll forget them as soon as I finish the book.
The romance is another letdown. (view spoiler)[A lot of people liked the slowburn in this book, but for me, the love story between Oree and Itempas didn't feel natural at all. How could a mad god, who had spent thousands of years holding both mortals and love in contempt, fall in love with a mortal in a mere year? That change was too fast, both in terms of the grand scale of time and the amount of plot buildup. Not to mention that the romance between Oree and Madding was so much more touching and well-established, which makes it seem unfair to think that Oree could love another man so soon and so deeply. If she and Itempas had stopped at being friends, and if Itempas had left earlier after the final battle with the demon to continue his journey of redemption, I would've enjoyed the story much more. (hide spoiler)]
Incidentally, Oree's character trajectory appears to run somewhat parallel to that of another major character from The Shadowed Sun. I wonder if that was partly intentional, given Dreamblood was written first but not published till later due to marketing concerns. Had Jemisin reworked part of (vague spoiler for The Shadowed Sun) (view spoiler)[Hanani's arc (hide spoiler)] into Oree for a test drive? Either way, I much preferred the other version. Both emotionally and thematically, The Broken Kingdoms is far less powerful than any of its predecessors from the same author, and it's unfortunately not one of my favorites despite the four stars for the beautiful writing and thrilling plot....more
4 stars for the start and finish, 2 stars for the middle.
Cozy isn't usually my thing. But after a row of serious and somewhat heavy books, I was in th4 stars for the start and finish, 2 stars for the middle.
Cozy isn't usually my thing. But after a row of serious and somewhat heavy books, I was in the perfect mood for something light, so I decided to check this novella off of my "somewhat interested" list.
Turns out that I got quite the opposite feeling of "cozy" out of it.
The beginning of the book was charming. Sibling Dex, a garden monk unsatisfied with their work and life, decided to change career and become a tea monk instead, whose daily job would be to listen to people chat away life troubles over a cup of tea. They got a shiny, beautiful wagon, stuffed it with comfy cushions, brewed all types of sweet-smelling tea, and their service helped every stressed citizen in Panga feel happy and refreshed. Nothing too exciting or eventful about it, but relaxing and cozy indeed. I would've been happy to read a whole book about the daily odds and ends happening at the tea wagon, and despite the "where's the sci-fi in this" feel, I would've given it at least four stars.
The problem is, two chapters later, Chambers apparently changed her mind about what the word "cozy" means. Whereas I expect it to mean "there are few conflicts and not much is at stake, therefore there is little drama and everything is easy and chill", she seems to be suggesting that it means "there are few conflicts and not much is at stake, therefore let's turn every little thing into a problem and make up some drama". As soon as Sibling Dex meets the robot, words like annoyed, frustrated, angry, etc. started showing up way too frequently for a supposedly cozy story. Dex is unhappy over just about everything, and most of the time it's not even relevant to their existential crisis. The robot wants to help them carry something heavy? No no no, that's wrong! It's their business, and no one else should get involved! The robot can't share their dinner because it can't physically eat? No no no, that's wrong! They were taught to share food with guests, and they simply can't fail to follow that etiquette! (Oh, and the solution to that problem? (view spoiler)[ They make the robot hold a plate of food while they eat, and then make the robot say "thank you, I'm full. Now will you eat my food too?" (hide spoiler)] Seriously, if for some reason I can't eat whatever my host is eating, and this is what they decide to do to me just to make themselves feel like a better person, I'm never going back to their house.)
I was so close to giving this hugo winner two stars, if not for the ending that somewhat redeemed it. The chat about life's purpose might feel contrived to some, but I did relate to it deeply and thought the robot's perspective was comforting. This was the "cozy" feeling I was hoping for, and for that I'm willing to raise my rating. But considering the middle part of the book annoyed me more than the ending pleased me, I'm probably not going to continue with the sequels.
(Note on audiobook: the narrator was a bit too dramatic, which probably contributed to my dislike of the middle part of the book. The editing was also very rough: it was obvious where certain sentences were recorded at a different time and patched onto the original soundtrack, since the pitch and tone of the narration shift drastically across those patches. I recommend steering away from the audiobook if you can.)...more
This is a disgusting, disturbing, and distressing book. Not my typical style, but I loved it anyway.
You've heard the old tale of a prince rescuing a dThis is a disgusting, disturbing, and distressing book. Not my typical style, but I loved it anyway.
You've heard the old tale of a prince rescuing a damsel from an evil dragon, and they live happily together forever after. But is that the true story? With no memory of her past, what would the damsel find at a castle where she doesn't know how to fit in, and where no one is what they appear to be?
Let me begin by saying that this review, along with almost all others, will contain very minor spoilers because it's impossible to talk about the main conflict or triggers without giving away how the story goes. Nevertheless, this is not a book that relies on suspense. I picked it up already knowing the big reveal at the end, and I don't think even that took away any pleasure from the reading experience.
So, that said, this is truly a dark fairytale and I'd definitely not recommend it to anyone under 17, even though it is marketed as YA. I'm not even talking about the graphical gore and sex, or mentions of depression and suicide -- they are brief, and maybe some kids can handle those -- but the theme of dominance and submission that sits at the very center of the story. Throughout the book, the prince Emory repeatedly reminds the damsel, who he names Ama, that he is her savior and therefore her owner, and teaches her to obey and accept whatever he expects of her -- through emotional abuse. I actually haven't heard of the cycle of abuse or gaslighting until now, but Arnold depicted these patterns quite accurately. Emory treats Ama with no real affection or respect, but he looks charming, behaves civilized (most of the time), talks sweet, and offers her false hope, which frequently confuses Ama and makes her doubt her own behavior, leading to her submission to his will regardless of how she's treated.
There are a few side plotlines that echo the relationship between Ama and Emory. One of them is the taming of a wild lynx kitten, who Ama brought to the castle after its mother's death. Another is Ama's connection to her handmaid, who Ama wants to befriend but comes to realize that such a wish would be selfish and dangerous to the maid given their different roles. I won't go into the details of animal cruelty and misogyny here, but I love how these subplots serve as brilliant mirror images of what Ama has to go through herself.
Of course, there are also places where the story doesn't hold up as nicely. I personally didn't like the ending, although that appears to be everyone else's favorite part. I feel as if that blurred the focus on feminism: (view spoiler)[Ama only found a way out because she was a dragon. Does that mean there is no power to be found in a human woman, then? (hide spoiler)]
Regardless, this was a worthy read. The prose was great, and the atmosphere was alive. I'm pretty sure there are lots of profound symbolism too, though I often find myself too shallow for literary fiction so I won't pretend to have spotted them all. It's not a book for everyone, but I'm glad that I found this little hidden gem....more
3.5 stars. I wish I loved this book as much as everyone else, but unfortunately it was only the writing and the wintry atmosphere that held up my inte3.5 stars. I wish I loved this book as much as everyone else, but unfortunately it was only the writing and the wintry atmosphere that held up my interest.
Arden has a knack for worldbuilding. Her words paint such vivid pictures of the snow-blanketed village, the eerie forest, the devout men and women at the church, and the mysterious creatures looming in the shadows. And she knows how to handle an emotional scene all too well -- I could feel the overwhelming sorrow when (view spoiler)[Dunya and Pyotr died (hide spoiler)], even though I wasn't that connected or invested in those characters at all. I'm utterly impressed this is a debut and can only imagine what Arden will be capable of in time.
Everything else though ... missed the mark for me. The pacing was the biggest issue. Very little happened in the first two thirds of the book. When things finally picked up around 65% in, I was excited and tensed up and ready for the big showdown to come into shape -- except, at 80%, (view spoiler)[ Vasya was whisked away by the winter king and oops (hide spoiler)] -- another four chapters where nothing happened. It was strange to be reading about the heroine leisurely braiding the mane of a talking horse and convincing it how pretty it looked, 10 pages away from the final battle and all the while the rest of the world burned in hell. It's almost as if the book had two endings, and all the tension buildup was completely gone by the time the real ending occurred.
The plot was also a bit too predictable. Since this book isn't marketed as YA, I wasn't quite expecting it to be a story about a free-spirited girl who defies a conventional life and defeats great evil with love and bravery. I mean, it's a perfectly alright storyline, it's just ... boring.
I'm not sure why people think this book is similar to Uprooted, because I see little in common between the two except the creepy forests. I might recommend it to fans of The Night Circus instead, for the same magical ambiance and slow-burn pacing....more
Well, I thought this was a good book, but also a bit overhyped.
Miller's reinterpretation of Circe is unique and empowering. I always enjoy retellings Well, I thought this was a good book, but also a bit overhyped.
Miller's reinterpretation of Circe is unique and empowering. I always enjoy retellings of classic tales from a villain's perspective: what led them to become who they are, and what do they truly want? Circe answers exactly those questions and meanwhile explores many fundamental topics of humanity: how privilege and glory shape the gods and heroes, how solitude and longing change the paths of people's lives, and how women fight for their own desires in a world that doesn't care about them. I love these messages behind the book and I love all the vivid side characters that shed light on these issues, especially Pasiphaë and Medea. For that, I think Circe is well written and worth reading.
But... I can't help but feel that those messages are forced upon me.
For one, Circe as a character is a little hard to relate to. The lush, lyrical prose has its charms at times, but it also makes Circe's voice too distant and all the scenes too much like vaguely painted vignettes. As a consequence, I find it hard to empathize with Circe, let alone feel any emotional resonance. I have to pull back a lot and think really hard about why she feels this way or that.
And when I do think really hard... I find her character unrealistic. She's not the first god to be plain and low, neglected by family, bullied by peers, so how did her personality turn out completely different from all other gods? Every single one of the rest of them, male or female, old or young, is vain, condescending, and most often downright malicious. Circe's dislike of gods, her respect for Prometheus, and her fascination with mortals aren't very well grounded within that context, and it also seems unfair to have all the other gods demonized just to show how special she is.
Then there's the issue of pacing. There are a few events in Circe's life that had an immense impact on her, such as her relationship with Daedalus, which brought her to realize the burden of solitude, and her encounter with the first group of sailors that she turned into pigs, which let her see the true nature of men against all her fascinations. I would've loved to see her emotional journey and revelations following these events, but Miller didn't spend too much time on such scenes. Instead, we get to read ALL the tiny details of motherhood and husbandry. I understand that the author wants to explore topics that aren't usually included in epics, but I don't really need 20 pages of an infant wailing, especially when it still is written in that lush, lyrical prose -- I'm not too interested in a beautiful hymn about crying babies tearing everything up or smashing everything to pieces.
I think this review might be turning out a bit more negative than I intended... Again, Circe certainly has its merits and I didn't dislike it, but my expectations were high and unfortunately, it just wasn't as impressive as I hoped it would be....more
The writing in this book blew me away. It's not flowery but has a melody to it that rings almost like literary fiction, which is not a style that I'd The writing in this book blew me away. It's not flowery but has a melody to it that rings almost like literary fiction, which is not a style that I'd usually expect for fantasy but somehow works out so well.
The stone of the walls grew translucent, white veins moving like rivers, and when I gazed at them, they told me a story: a strange deep endless story unlike anything human, so much slower and farther away that it felt almost like being stone again myself. The blue fire that danced in its stone cup was in an endless dream, a song circling on itself; I looked into its flickering and saw the temple where that fire had come from, a long way from here and long since fallen into ruin.
I can read this over and over again and it'll never get dull.
The first half of the story reminds me a lot of Master of Crows, with both the master-apprentice and enemy-to-lovers relationship, and especially in the way how magic facilitated the sexual tension. The second half is more focused on court intrigues and war, and has quite a different feel to it than the first half, with a rather slow start that makes me wonder if it was originally planned as a separate book in a duology. Most of the action scenes take place in an evil forest and I loved every single one of them. They are so atmospheric and vivid that it was almost like watching them live. Novik's wild imagination gives things so many unexpected and sometimes hilarious turns as well.
This book would have been a five stars for me, if only the main characters were more likable. I find it hard to appreciate Mary Sues, and the Dragon is just too rude (not like Silhara from Master of Crows at all, unlike some people have claimed. Silhara might be sarcastic, but he's not mean by nature. The Dragon, though, is.) The romance also comes off a bit underdeveloped and actually unnecessary for the overall plot, and the sex scene makes me cringe. Now, this is coming from a reader who usually wants more, not less, romance and always enjoys a good steamy moment... But nonetheless, the fact that I'm still giving this book a solid four stars just says a lot about how well done everything else is....more
I'd be very excited to read a historical romance by Draven someday. Entreat Me, compared to her first book Master of Crows, is much more low-fantasy bI'd be very excited to read a historical romance by Draven someday. Entreat Me, compared to her first book Master of Crows, is much more low-fantasy but I love the way how she depicted the daily lives of Ketach Tor so vividly with her beautiful prose. The castle, the flax spinning, the baths, the festivals, and the flashbacks from 400 years ago, all filled with a heavy sense of history but at the same time seemed so real and tangible.
My feelings towards the chemistry in Draven's books, however, are complicated. Both Entreat Me and Master of Crows feature very strong emotions and bittersweet moments between star-crossed lovers towards the end, which is totally my type of poison. But in both cases, I feel like something is missing -- as if the couples weren't quite ready yet, but got dragged into those situations a little too fast.
A lot of comments mentioned that Entreat Me is a slow-burn, but I personally don't think it counts as a slow-burn if the MCs simply just haven't met each other until 20% into the story, and then two chapters later (view spoiler)[they were already "burning for each other in hell" (hide spoiler)]. The lust came too easily, and although there was some build-up later for the slower-paced love, it didn't seem sufficient to me and made the strong emotions towards the end feel somewhat unnatural. (I did still enjoy that part of the book, though. Grief and despair filled every line of Chapter 16 and I felt it. I just wish the earlier chapters built up the emotions better so I could feel the sadness naturally myself, instead of being forced into it.)
Regardless, Draven's command of language always saves any stories from whatever grudges I hold. Highly recommend if you aren't looking specifically for slow-burns :)...more