What do you think?
Rate this book
Fireheart Tiger
Award-winning author Aliette de Bodard returns with a powerful romantic fantasy that reads like The Goblin Emperor meets Howl’s Moving Castle in a pre-colonial Vietnamese-esque world.
Fire burns bright and has a long memory….
Quiet, thoughtful princess Thanh was sent away as a hostage to the powerful faraway country of Ephteria as a child. Now she’s returned to her mother’s imperial court, haunted not only by memories of her first romance, but by worrying magical echoes of a fire that devastated Ephteria’s royal palace.
Thanh’s new role as a diplomat places her once again in the path of her first love, the powerful and magnetic Eldris of Ephteria, who knows exactly what she wants: romance from Thanh and much more from Thanh’s home. Eldris won’t take no for an answer, on either front. But the fire that burned down one palace is tempting Thanh with the possibility of making her own dangerous decisions.
Can Thanh find the freedom to shape her country’s fate—and her own?
Fire burns bright and has a long memory….
Quiet, thoughtful princess Thanh was sent away as a hostage to the powerful faraway country of Ephteria as a child. Now she’s returned to her mother’s imperial court, haunted not only by memories of her first romance, but by worrying magical echoes of a fire that devastated Ephteria’s royal palace.
Thanh’s new role as a diplomat places her once again in the path of her first love, the powerful and magnetic Eldris of Ephteria, who knows exactly what she wants: romance from Thanh and much more from Thanh’s home. Eldris won’t take no for an answer, on either front. But the fire that burned down one palace is tempting Thanh with the possibility of making her own dangerous decisions.
Can Thanh find the freedom to shape her country’s fate—and her own?
103 pages, Paperback
First published February 9, 2021
About the author
Aliette de Bodard
257 books2,183 followersAliette de Bodard lives and works in Paris. She has won three Nebula Awards, an Ignyte Award, a Locus Award, a British Fantasy Award and four British Science Fiction Association Awards, and was a double Hugo finalist for 2019 (Best Series and Best Novella).
Her most recent book is Fireheart Tiger (Tor.com), a sapphic romantic fantasy inspired by pre colonial Vietnam, where a diplomat princess must decide the fate of her country, and her own. She also wrote Seven of Infinities (Subterranean Press), a space opera where a sentient spaceship and an upright scholar join forces to investigate a murder, and find themselves falling for each other. Other books include Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders and its standalone sequel Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances, (JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.), fantasy books of manners and murders set in an alternate 19th Century Vietnamese court. She lives in Paris.
Her most recent book is Fireheart Tiger (Tor.com), a sapphic romantic fantasy inspired by pre colonial Vietnam, where a diplomat princess must decide the fate of her country, and her own. She also wrote Seven of Infinities (Subterranean Press), a space opera where a sentient spaceship and an upright scholar join forces to investigate a murder, and find themselves falling for each other. Other books include Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders and its standalone sequel Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances, (JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.), fantasy books of manners and murders set in an alternate 19th Century Vietnamese court. She lives in Paris.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,151 reviews
August 11, 2022
Fireheart Tiger is fierce and fragile spill of a story that mingles subtly cutting court politics with tangled lesbian relationships and renders both with breathless heat, intense intrigue, and deep pangs of yearning.
**
Memories of the time Princess Thanh of Bin Hai had spent as a royal hostage in Ephteria sat heavy and uncomfortable in her chest, a gnawing weight that threatened to eat at her unchecked for the rest of her life: the shock-bright clarity of unbelonging and a palace set afire, the blaze carrying with it all the certainty of death. Thanh had since been sent home, the fire had died away, and the dust clouds had settled on the rubble, but in Thanh’s mind, she was always in exile, and it was always burning.
Fireheart Tiger opens with a “friendly” visit from Princess Eldris—heiress to Ephteria, Bình Hải neighboring predator empire—and the visit not only brings with it the threat of Ephterian expansionist agenda but also shocks Thanh into a terrible kind of longing, a pang of unfinished business. Thanh held her past affair with Eldris quiet and close, another secret to go along with her enormous other one: memories of another girl, garnished in fire and fight.
**
In the small space a novella allows, de Bodard tells a sprawling story about potent forces that we know all too well in the real world, perfectly bound within the prism of a profoundly personal and intimate story. Fireheart Tiger is an examination of the all-conquering, all-devouring beast of empire, and about the fierce indomitable women keeping it from setting its jaws upon their homes through diplomacy and negotiation and acid under the bitingly polite manners. It's also a story about love and abuse: love that builds and baits for you a gold and velvet-soft trap, strips you down to a blind and hopeless longing, and leaves you splayed out on the floor like the plucked petals of a ruined rose—all the tainted bits of broken comfort that we can’t grab hold of without getting cut first. And another kind of love: love that comes softly, like a dawning sun, and warms like fire in the teeth of winter, love fashioned not in blistering bitterness or a vicious desire to own, but in companionship, compassion, and understanding. But it is, above all, a story about learning to stand straight and steady and tall, and feeling whole again, all your fragments coming back to you, meshing back together into someone who can orbit their own purpose and be answerable for themself.
All in all, Fireheart Tiger was such a delight to read. I wanted to be taken somewhere else by a story, and I was—I just didn’t expect to feel utterly and tenderly stripped to the bone by the gentle blade of the author’s voice.
**
Memories of the time Princess Thanh of Bin Hai had spent as a royal hostage in Ephteria sat heavy and uncomfortable in her chest, a gnawing weight that threatened to eat at her unchecked for the rest of her life: the shock-bright clarity of unbelonging and a palace set afire, the blaze carrying with it all the certainty of death. Thanh had since been sent home, the fire had died away, and the dust clouds had settled on the rubble, but in Thanh’s mind, she was always in exile, and it was always burning.
Fireheart Tiger opens with a “friendly” visit from Princess Eldris—heiress to Ephteria, Bình Hải neighboring predator empire—and the visit not only brings with it the threat of Ephterian expansionist agenda but also shocks Thanh into a terrible kind of longing, a pang of unfinished business. Thanh held her past affair with Eldris quiet and close, another secret to go along with her enormous other one: memories of another girl, garnished in fire and fight.
**
In the small space a novella allows, de Bodard tells a sprawling story about potent forces that we know all too well in the real world, perfectly bound within the prism of a profoundly personal and intimate story. Fireheart Tiger is an examination of the all-conquering, all-devouring beast of empire, and about the fierce indomitable women keeping it from setting its jaws upon their homes through diplomacy and negotiation and acid under the bitingly polite manners. It's also a story about love and abuse: love that builds and baits for you a gold and velvet-soft trap, strips you down to a blind and hopeless longing, and leaves you splayed out on the floor like the plucked petals of a ruined rose—all the tainted bits of broken comfort that we can’t grab hold of without getting cut first. And another kind of love: love that comes softly, like a dawning sun, and warms like fire in the teeth of winter, love fashioned not in blistering bitterness or a vicious desire to own, but in companionship, compassion, and understanding. But it is, above all, a story about learning to stand straight and steady and tall, and feeling whole again, all your fragments coming back to you, meshing back together into someone who can orbit their own purpose and be answerable for themself.
All in all, Fireheart Tiger was such a delight to read. I wanted to be taken somewhere else by a story, and I was—I just didn’t expect to feel utterly and tenderly stripped to the bone by the gentle blade of the author’s voice.
September 4, 2022
Well, this was a bland disappointment, especially given its award-nominated status.
It’s quite a shallow story, especially considering the deep topics the author appears to want to tackle - colonialism and abusive relationships, one paralleling the other. But intent is one thing and managing to channel it into a good story is something else entirely, something that this novella does not achieve.
To condense all this into one word - bland.
The blackmail part of the plot was unnecessary (unless the point was to show how stupid our protagonist actually is, endangering her country for fear of mom’s disapproval) and was resolved ridiculously easily — and in novellas where every word counts wasting page space on silly side plots that lead nowhere is just wasteful, as those pages would have better spent on developing characters. And that was sorely needed as the characterization was weak and inconsistent. One moment Thanh is timid and indecisive, the next moment she’s engaged in public sex and huge foreign policy decision behind her mother’s - the Empress - back, and then we flip to timidity again. Her mopey nature and poor judgment explains to me why her mother is not eager to put her in charge of anything.
And there is zero page space left to develop Giang’s character in any meaningful way, making her more of a deus-ex-machina rather than anyone to actually care about. There’s zero indication why either she or Thanh would ever care for each other (unless, of course, a brief scene wondering about the composition of steamed buns counts as a potential love connection). And Thanh and Eldris were equally not believable either, blue eyes not quite working as a character trait.
For a story giving such a chunk of its limited pages to romance, it was also concerning how little chemistry there was between any of the sides of this supposed love triangle.
And the soft fantasy part is completely undeveloped. The worldbuilding is perfunctory (and why are there eunuchs in this very matriarchical setting?) Mentioning that a character is a fire elemental is not enough; any effort put into development of the place and setting would have been great. The politics are beyond juvenile and painfully simplistic. And no, just vaguely referring to events in the past does not substitute development of actual connections and relationships.
Shallow story and flat characters waffling in teen-like instalove and self-pity leave me not invested and in the end simply bored and irritated. Not to mention that the conflict in the end could have easily fit the format and message and the utter luck of subtlety of the After School Special, with simplistically rendered self-empowerment message and shallow anti-colonial sentiment at the middle school level.
It all felt undeveloped, rushed and very flat. Not quite terrible, no, but barely adequate. Too much superficial melodrama, not enough anything else. I’m baffled at the Hugo and Nebula nominations for this one.
Lackluster 1.5 stars.
——————
My Hugo and Nebula Awards Reading Project 2022
It’s quite a shallow story, especially considering the deep topics the author appears to want to tackle - colonialism and abusive relationships, one paralleling the other. But intent is one thing and managing to channel it into a good story is something else entirely, something that this novella does not achieve.
To condense all this into one word - bland.
The blackmail part of the plot was unnecessary (unless the point was to show how stupid our protagonist actually is, endangering her country for fear of mom’s disapproval) and was resolved ridiculously easily — and in novellas where every word counts wasting page space on silly side plots that lead nowhere is just wasteful, as those pages would have better spent on developing characters. And that was sorely needed as the characterization was weak and inconsistent. One moment Thanh is timid and indecisive, the next moment she’s engaged in public sex and huge foreign policy decision behind her mother’s - the Empress - back, and then we flip to timidity again. Her mopey nature and poor judgment explains to me why her mother is not eager to put her in charge of anything.
And there is zero page space left to develop Giang’s character in any meaningful way, making her more of a deus-ex-machina rather than anyone to actually care about. There’s zero indication why either she or Thanh would ever care for each other (unless, of course, a brief scene wondering about the composition of steamed buns counts as a potential love connection). And Thanh and Eldris were equally not believable either, blue eyes not quite working as a character trait.
For a story giving such a chunk of its limited pages to romance, it was also concerning how little chemistry there was between any of the sides of this supposed love triangle.
And the soft fantasy part is completely undeveloped. The worldbuilding is perfunctory (and why are there eunuchs in this very matriarchical setting?) Mentioning that a character is a fire elemental is not enough; any effort put into development of the place and setting would have been great. The politics are beyond juvenile and painfully simplistic. And no, just vaguely referring to events in the past does not substitute development of actual connections and relationships.
Shallow story and flat characters waffling in teen-like instalove and self-pity leave me not invested and in the end simply bored and irritated. Not to mention that the conflict in the end could have easily fit the format and message and the utter luck of subtlety of the After School Special, with simplistically rendered self-empowerment message and shallow anti-colonial sentiment at the middle school level.
“You don’t walk away. You don’t get to take what you want, what you think you’re due simply because no one has ever refused you.”
It all felt undeveloped, rushed and very flat. Not quite terrible, no, but barely adequate. Too much superficial melodrama, not enough anything else. I’m baffled at the Hugo and Nebula nominations for this one.
Lackluster 1.5 stars.
——————
My Hugo and Nebula Awards Reading Project 2022
Read
March 5, 2021Gorgeously written novella set in a Viet-like queendom (loving the matriarchy, there's barely a man in the entire book and they aren't missed). Thanh is the youngest princess who's returned after a stint as a hostage to the big neighbouring power with colonial takeover ambitions, and as lover to the heir of their throne. When that princess comes to get her as part of a delegation Thanh could go from discarded and unimportant to precious queen's wife. Fairytale. Only that isn't the story.
This is a story of abuse and the relentless battering of low self esteem and the fear that can exist in a relationship even when nothing physically abusive has happened yet. And it's also a glorious story of learning to stand for yourself, and caring, and love, and the fiery joy of someone fighting for you. A gorgeous romance and a gorgeous fantasy. Aliette de Bodard is going from strength to strength.
This is a story of abuse and the relentless battering of low self esteem and the fear that can exist in a relationship even when nothing physically abusive has happened yet. And it's also a glorious story of learning to stand for yourself, and caring, and love, and the fiery joy of someone fighting for you. A gorgeous romance and a gorgeous fantasy. Aliette de Bodard is going from strength to strength.
May 8, 2022
I find tor.com as a publisher ridiculously consistent. They publish some of the best science fiction, fantasy and horror on the market right now and certainly some of my favorite books in recent years. I can honestly could the number of their books I've read and disliked on one hand. As a whole I trust them to find good authors, interesting stories and something worth my time.
Thus is great disappointment to report back that I didn't care for this one much. I was taken in by the unique setting (fantasy Vietnam? Awesome! Need immediately) but the story simply feels unfinished. It's a book that at its heart is our lead's relationship with two characters. Eldris, a princess of a foreign nation that she was held captive in for years and Giang who I won't say much about as it is potentially a spoiler. The Eldris relationship makes sense for the most part… the Giang relationship seems very underdeveloped for the path the story goes.
Here's the problem with both relationships; they are simply told to you and never properly shown. The dynamic with Eldris works better because there are at least hints of her full personality throughout, but so much of it is essentially the narrator saying "this must be the case" while explaining actions rather than letting us process the actions and I don't feel like the relationships were ever genuine.
Honestly I think there was a good book in here. Had it been a novel rather than a novella, had the relationships been given more time and the world expanded upon with more details of the stakes not just for the main country but its neighbors, I think this could have been excellent. Now though it feels like an unfinished rough draft that was sold instead of shelved. Overall its okay, but very disappointing. 2/5 stars
Thus is great disappointment to report back that I didn't care for this one much. I was taken in by the unique setting (fantasy Vietnam? Awesome! Need immediately) but the story simply feels unfinished. It's a book that at its heart is our lead's relationship with two characters. Eldris, a princess of a foreign nation that she was held captive in for years and Giang who I won't say much about as it is potentially a spoiler. The Eldris relationship makes sense for the most part… the Giang relationship seems very underdeveloped for the path the story goes.
Here's the problem with both relationships; they are simply told to you and never properly shown. The dynamic with Eldris works better because there are at least hints of her full personality throughout, but so much of it is essentially the narrator saying "this must be the case" while explaining actions rather than letting us process the actions and I don't feel like the relationships were ever genuine.
Honestly I think there was a good book in here. Had it been a novel rather than a novella, had the relationships been given more time and the world expanded upon with more details of the stakes not just for the main country but its neighbors, I think this could have been excellent. Now though it feels like an unfinished rough draft that was sold instead of shelved. Overall its okay, but very disappointing. 2/5 stars
February 11, 2021
3.5 stars. This fantasy novella is a lushly-told tale set in an ancient Vietnamese type of kingdom that's under the colonizing eye of a northern kingdom. Final review, first posted on FantasyLiterature.com:
Princess Thanh was a royal hostage for many years in the northern country of Ephteria before being sent back to her home country of Bình Hải. Two years after her return, she’s a disappointment to her mother, the empress, who hoped that Thanh’s time in Ephteria would give her insights into that country’s government and culture, making her more useful as a diplomat. It’s especially important now that an Ephterian delegation is arriving, certain to make demands and threats that will encroach on Bình Hải’s independence. But Thanh is a quiet, somewhat uncertain person — too thoughtful and discreet, according to her mother — rather than a power player. Thanh is also hiding a secret: since a disastrous fire in the Ephterian palace, small items in her vicinity have a mysterious habit of catching on fire. And the only real relationship she had in Ephteria was a clandestine love affair with Princess Eldris, the heir to the throne.
So Thanh is startled, and not entirely sure whether to be pleased, when Eldris shows up in the throne room as part of the Ephterian delegation. Eldris is confident and proud, the kind of princess who rescues herself rather than needing to be rescued. Her blue eyes still make Thanh’s heart skip a beat, and when Eldris follows Thanh out of the throne room, it’s clear that she still wants a relationship with Thanh. But political pressures, along with a blackmailing third party, threaten this sapphic connection between the princesses as well as Thanh’s position in her mother’s court. When the magical cause of the fires reveals itself to Thanh, it complicates her life even more, but offers Thanh some new choices and options when walls close in around her.
In Fireheart Tiger, Aliette de Bodard spins a lushly-told tale set in an ancient Vietnamese type of kingdom, where a more powerful northern country of white people send their youth on Grand Tours to southern countries and have aims of colonizing those countries, extending their influence and power to other parts of the world. The power of Ephteria is echoed in the character of Princess Eldris, who sees what she wants and pushes to obtain it. Eldris makes a tempting offer to Thanh, but Thanh has some hesitations. While Thanh “knows” her mother won’t approve, the problems with their romance aren’t due to prejudice —homophobia seems to be completely absent from this world, unlike colonialism. So it’s never entirely clear why the Bình Hải empress wouldn’t jump at the chance to have one of her younger daughters married to the future ruler of Ephteria.
Eldris is a potent symbol of a colonizing power, but it struck me that she could have just as easily have been a male character by simply swapping out the pronouns, and the paternalistic aspects of the story and her character would have even made more sense if that had been been the case. I almost wonder if she was a man in an early draft of this novella, because there’s so very little about Eldris’s character that seems innately female. It left me a little dissatisfied with Eldris as a character. The third part of the love triangle was intriguing, but not convincing to me as a love interest for Thanh, because her actual character — equal parts vulnerable child and threatening monster — simply didn’t strike me at all as one to inspire romantic feelings.
So in the end, the political negotiations and conspiring were much more interesting to me than the romance(s) in Fireheart Tiger. If you're excited about the lesbian love triangle, it's pretty tame from a heat point of view. If you're not excited about it, well, it's a pretty minor part of the plot in one sense, but it does echo the larger themes of this novella in a very interesting way. In either case, there’s much to recommend about Fireheart Tiger, between the lovely, evocative writing and the layered description of a more vulnerable country (and person) being simultaneously seduced and threatened by a more powerful one.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!
Initial post: “A post-colonial Goblin Emperor meets Howl's Moving Castle” — SOLD. I am reading this as soon as I can get my hands on a copy.
Princess Thanh was a royal hostage for many years in the northern country of Ephteria before being sent back to her home country of Bình Hải. Two years after her return, she’s a disappointment to her mother, the empress, who hoped that Thanh’s time in Ephteria would give her insights into that country’s government and culture, making her more useful as a diplomat. It’s especially important now that an Ephterian delegation is arriving, certain to make demands and threats that will encroach on Bình Hải’s independence. But Thanh is a quiet, somewhat uncertain person — too thoughtful and discreet, according to her mother — rather than a power player. Thanh is also hiding a secret: since a disastrous fire in the Ephterian palace, small items in her vicinity have a mysterious habit of catching on fire. And the only real relationship she had in Ephteria was a clandestine love affair with Princess Eldris, the heir to the throne.
So Thanh is startled, and not entirely sure whether to be pleased, when Eldris shows up in the throne room as part of the Ephterian delegation. Eldris is confident and proud, the kind of princess who rescues herself rather than needing to be rescued. Her blue eyes still make Thanh’s heart skip a beat, and when Eldris follows Thanh out of the throne room, it’s clear that she still wants a relationship with Thanh. But political pressures, along with a blackmailing third party, threaten this sapphic connection between the princesses as well as Thanh’s position in her mother’s court. When the magical cause of the fires reveals itself to Thanh, it complicates her life even more, but offers Thanh some new choices and options when walls close in around her.
In Fireheart Tiger, Aliette de Bodard spins a lushly-told tale set in an ancient Vietnamese type of kingdom, where a more powerful northern country of white people send their youth on Grand Tours to southern countries and have aims of colonizing those countries, extending their influence and power to other parts of the world. The power of Ephteria is echoed in the character of Princess Eldris, who sees what she wants and pushes to obtain it. Eldris makes a tempting offer to Thanh, but Thanh has some hesitations. While Thanh “knows” her mother won’t approve, the problems with their romance aren’t due to prejudice —homophobia seems to be completely absent from this world, unlike colonialism. So it’s never entirely clear why the Bình Hải empress wouldn’t jump at the chance to have one of her younger daughters married to the future ruler of Ephteria.
Eldris is a potent symbol of a colonizing power, but it struck me that she could have just as easily have been a male character by simply swapping out the pronouns, and the paternalistic aspects of the story and her character would have even made more sense if that had been been the case. I almost wonder if she was a man in an early draft of this novella, because there’s so very little about Eldris’s character that seems innately female. It left me a little dissatisfied with Eldris as a character. The third part of the love triangle was intriguing, but not convincing to me as a love interest for Thanh, because her actual character — equal parts vulnerable child and threatening monster — simply didn’t strike me at all as one to inspire romantic feelings.
So in the end, the political negotiations and conspiring were much more interesting to me than the romance(s) in Fireheart Tiger. If you're excited about the lesbian love triangle, it's pretty tame from a heat point of view. If you're not excited about it, well, it's a pretty minor part of the plot in one sense, but it does echo the larger themes of this novella in a very interesting way. In either case, there’s much to recommend about Fireheart Tiger, between the lovely, evocative writing and the layered description of a more vulnerable country (and person) being simultaneously seduced and threatened by a more powerful one.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!
Initial post: “A post-colonial Goblin Emperor meets Howl's Moving Castle” — SOLD. I am reading this as soon as I can get my hands on a copy.
December 29, 2021
4.25 Stars. A very good fantasy novella! The story grabbed me instantly and it flew by so fast that I could not believe when it finished. This is a story about a young woman finding her own strength and power, even if it could hurt her relationships with the people around her. The story is clever, the writing is well done, and there are bits of magic and a little sapphic romance to round things out. While the story felt nice and complete, I would love to read more about the main character or just this fantasy world in general. This may have been the first story I have read by Aliette de Bodard, but it sure won’t be my last.
January 8, 2021
The prose in this novella is beautiful (not to mention that cover!!), buuuut the stakes just weren’t there for me.
I couldn’t quite connect to Thanh. I didn’t feel invested in her relationships or frustrations—which is SUCH a shame, because this is an incredibly gorgeous world that de Bodard has woven, featuring sapphic characters and a pre-colonial fantasy drawing Vietnamese inspiration.
What really took away from my experience with this book was the romance, which overshadowed the lush world-building I would’ve liked to explore far more.
I thought I could deal with a love triangle in a novella, but I realized partway through Fireheart Tiger that I’d misjudged myself. Part of this is a function of the form; it’s hard to flesh out relationships in 90-odd pages, and particularly when you’ve got interesting magic and political intrigue playing out, too. But another part of my dismay comes from the insta-love, and the fact that I can’t fathom the chemistry between any of the characters. I wish we hadn’t been thrust into the romance between Thanh and Eldris (or , for that matter); perhaps if this had been a full-fledged novel, we could’ve seen more of the build-up and better understood the depth of their feelings for each other.
Bottom line: High expectations and a not-quite-fulfilling execution have left me wanting. :(
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I couldn’t quite connect to Thanh. I didn’t feel invested in her relationships or frustrations—which is SUCH a shame, because this is an incredibly gorgeous world that de Bodard has woven, featuring sapphic characters and a pre-colonial fantasy drawing Vietnamese inspiration.
What really took away from my experience with this book was the romance, which overshadowed the lush world-building I would’ve liked to explore far more.
I thought I could deal with a love triangle in a novella, but I realized partway through Fireheart Tiger that I’d misjudged myself. Part of this is a function of the form; it’s hard to flesh out relationships in 90-odd pages, and particularly when you’ve got interesting magic and political intrigue playing out, too. But another part of my dismay comes from the insta-love, and the fact that I can’t fathom the chemistry between any of the characters. I wish we hadn’t been thrust into the romance between Thanh and Eldris (or , for that matter); perhaps if this had been a full-fledged novel, we could’ve seen more of the build-up and better understood the depth of their feelings for each other.
Bottom line: High expectations and a not-quite-fulfilling execution have left me wanting. :(
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 20, 2021
1.5 stars
A simplistic self-empowerment, anti-colonialist fantasy novella, featuring a bland, incompetent princess who wants recognition without responsibility: I didn’t think much of this book at all.
There will be SPOILERS below!
The premise: Thanh, a princess of a quasi-Southeast Asian country, hopes to prove herself to her empress mother in negotiations with an expansionist power, where she spent her adolescence as a negotiated hostage. Things go sideways when her old flame, a princess of said expansionist power, shows up with the negotiators, and Thanh must decide between that relationship and a new one with an elemental fire spirit.
On the positive side, I enjoyed the quasi-Vietnamese historical fantasy setting, which is well-drawn. The prose style also isn’t bad.
On the negative side, Thanh is a trainwreck. She mopes about being her mother’s least favorite daughter and wanting to feel “seen,” but her poor judgment and irresponsibility make abundantly clear why an empress would be unimpressed with her (I think her mother sees her pretty clearly and is generous to give her any public role at all). In only 93 pages of text, Thanh manages to 1) behave indiscreetly in a public place the minute the foreign delegation shows up, 2) proceed to be blackmailed about her behavior by a member of said delegation rather than just come clean to her mother, though this is a crucial moment with her country’s future at stake, 3) offer alliances to traditional enemies behind her mother’s back, 4) justify this as acceptable because her mother has the ultimate veto power (as if their country wouldn’t be seen as an incompetent laughingstock for having one member of the royal family propose alliances another one promptly rejects), 5) insist she should marry for love alone and any benefits her marriage might bring to the country are an irrelevant side issue, and finally 6) personally anger and humiliate the future queen of the expansionist colonial power, which is currently supplying the weapons her mother’s regime needs to keep itself alive. Damn. Though we never meet Thanh’s sisters, I can see why her mom prefers them.
Meanwhile, Thanh talks about filial piety, but behaves like a modern western/westernized teenager, without any signs of a possessing a value system that puts her parents or country before herself. It’s particularly striking to me right after finishing a book about George III of England and his family—his daughters felt infinitely more responsibility to their roles and their parents than Thanh ever does, which made her snide remarks about quasi-Europeans’ lack of filial piety land particularly poorly with me.
Likewise, the novella’s worldbuilding and ideas come across as simplistic and unfortunate. I’m enjoying the trend toward more female-dominated fantasy worlds, with lots of female characters and countries ruled by queens, but this one seems over-the-top in not even mentioning the existence of a single male besides the empress’s eunuch advisor (I thought filial piety included both parents?)—and wait a minute, why is there a eunuch? Women’s worth in this world isn’t defined by childbearing or honor-maintaining, so why are men around the royal women still being castrated? What?
I also like the premise of telling a fantasy story from the perspective of a quasi-Asian country facing colonial encroachment, which jives nicely with fantasy’s traditional focus on repelling invaders. But again, it’s dealt with simplistically, raising the divisions among the countries in the region only to seemingly sweep them under the rug, and turning every single character from the colonial country into a villain. This particularly disappointed me since I found Eldris the book’s most dynamic and interesting character, with a potential for nuance that’s ultimately tossed aside in favor of black-and-white affiliation-based morality. It would be great to see some books that manage to both 1) acknowledge the problems with colonialism and 2) still treat people from the imperial country as complex individuals, but most books seem to choose only one.
Ultimately, this feels like a teen love triangle story claiming to be more complicated or meaningful than it is. Thanh isn’t in fact a teenager (she’s 24), but she behaves like one and I suspect was originally conceived that way. (Otherwise, it makes no sense that she and Eldris had a 6-month affair 5 years before Thanh left the country, continued to live in the same place for those 5 years, and two years after that Eldris shows up to propose, and Thanh never even questions why Eldris is suddenly interested again when they had ample time to rekindle the romance but never did.) And the larger story is simplistic, putting me in mind of YA. I would not recommend.
A simplistic self-empowerment, anti-colonialist fantasy novella, featuring a bland, incompetent princess who wants recognition without responsibility: I didn’t think much of this book at all.
There will be SPOILERS below!
The premise: Thanh, a princess of a quasi-Southeast Asian country, hopes to prove herself to her empress mother in negotiations with an expansionist power, where she spent her adolescence as a negotiated hostage. Things go sideways when her old flame, a princess of said expansionist power, shows up with the negotiators, and Thanh must decide between that relationship and a new one with an elemental fire spirit.
On the positive side, I enjoyed the quasi-Vietnamese historical fantasy setting, which is well-drawn. The prose style also isn’t bad.
On the negative side, Thanh is a trainwreck. She mopes about being her mother’s least favorite daughter and wanting to feel “seen,” but her poor judgment and irresponsibility make abundantly clear why an empress would be unimpressed with her (I think her mother sees her pretty clearly and is generous to give her any public role at all). In only 93 pages of text, Thanh manages to 1) behave indiscreetly in a public place the minute the foreign delegation shows up, 2) proceed to be blackmailed about her behavior by a member of said delegation rather than just come clean to her mother, though this is a crucial moment with her country’s future at stake, 3) offer alliances to traditional enemies behind her mother’s back, 4) justify this as acceptable because her mother has the ultimate veto power (as if their country wouldn’t be seen as an incompetent laughingstock for having one member of the royal family propose alliances another one promptly rejects), 5) insist she should marry for love alone and any benefits her marriage might bring to the country are an irrelevant side issue, and finally 6) personally anger and humiliate the future queen of the expansionist colonial power, which is currently supplying the weapons her mother’s regime needs to keep itself alive. Damn. Though we never meet Thanh’s sisters, I can see why her mom prefers them.
Meanwhile, Thanh talks about filial piety, but behaves like a modern western/westernized teenager, without any signs of a possessing a value system that puts her parents or country before herself. It’s particularly striking to me right after finishing a book about George III of England and his family—his daughters felt infinitely more responsibility to their roles and their parents than Thanh ever does, which made her snide remarks about quasi-Europeans’ lack of filial piety land particularly poorly with me.
Likewise, the novella’s worldbuilding and ideas come across as simplistic and unfortunate. I’m enjoying the trend toward more female-dominated fantasy worlds, with lots of female characters and countries ruled by queens, but this one seems over-the-top in not even mentioning the existence of a single male besides the empress’s eunuch advisor (I thought filial piety included both parents?)—and wait a minute, why is there a eunuch? Women’s worth in this world isn’t defined by childbearing or honor-maintaining, so why are men around the royal women still being castrated? What?
I also like the premise of telling a fantasy story from the perspective of a quasi-Asian country facing colonial encroachment, which jives nicely with fantasy’s traditional focus on repelling invaders. But again, it’s dealt with simplistically, raising the divisions among the countries in the region only to seemingly sweep them under the rug, and turning every single character from the colonial country into a villain. This particularly disappointed me since I found Eldris the book’s most dynamic and interesting character, with a potential for nuance that’s ultimately tossed aside in favor of black-and-white affiliation-based morality. It would be great to see some books that manage to both 1) acknowledge the problems with colonialism and 2) still treat people from the imperial country as complex individuals, but most books seem to choose only one.
Ultimately, this feels like a teen love triangle story claiming to be more complicated or meaningful than it is. Thanh isn’t in fact a teenager (she’s 24), but she behaves like one and I suspect was originally conceived that way. (Otherwise, it makes no sense that she and Eldris had a 6-month affair 5 years before Thanh left the country, continued to live in the same place for those 5 years, and two years after that Eldris shows up to propose, and Thanh never even questions why Eldris is suddenly interested again when they had ample time to rekindle the romance but never did.) And the larger story is simplistic, putting me in mind of YA. I would not recommend.
August 27, 2021
| | blog | tumblr | ko-fi | |
2 ½ stars
I was intrigued by this novella's premise—The Goblin Emperor meets Howl’s Moving Castle in a Vietnamese inspired setting—by its cover and of course by the promise of sapphic love story. Sadly, I can't say that Fireheart Tiger was a particularly good read.
As per usual, if you are thinking of reading this I recommend you read some more positive reviews as my one is not a particularly enthusiastic one.
Fireheart Tiger would have probably worked a lot better if it had been told in a larger format as under its thinly rendered characters and world lies a potentially interesting story. Sadly, this is not a fully fledged novel. The first few pages deliver some exposition: our main character is Thanh a princess who was sent off to Ephteria as a political pawn (ie hostage). Now she's back to her mother’s court (a place which is hardly described) where she chafes against her mother's rule. Thanh's self-pitying is interjected by various memories, mainly, one of a fire, and another one of a kiss she shared with the blue-eyed Eldris (her blue eyes are her major character trait) who is from Ephteria. With 0 preamble she finds herself reigniting her relationship with Eldris...it isn't clear why as Eldris is as 'magnetic' as a slice of stale bread. Thanh too is the classic supposedly quiet and smart yet totally hapless heroine who really grinds me nerves. She claims to care for her country but spends the majority of her time passively thinking about Eldris and of how her mother is evil and uncaring. Thanh's mother, however one-dimensional, made for a much more compelling character.
There is also another girl who after one brief meeting Thanh begins to call 'little sister' (or something along those lines) even saying that she misses her when this girl isn't around (after one day?).
Eldris is clearly bad news, she is creepy but fails to be a truly manipulative or charismatic villain. The other 'bad guy' is portrayed in a very cartoonish manner (“We're going to have such a lovely time together”) .
Perhaps I approached this with the wrong expectations. I hoped for something more mature and complex. The dialogues were clunky, the descriptions clichéd, the love story was unconvincing and undeveloped, the main protagonist was a boring Mary Sue, and the setting was barely rendered.
2 ½ stars
I was intrigued by this novella's premise—The Goblin Emperor meets Howl’s Moving Castle in a Vietnamese inspired setting—by its cover and of course by the promise of sapphic love story. Sadly, I can't say that Fireheart Tiger was a particularly good read.
As per usual, if you are thinking of reading this I recommend you read some more positive reviews as my one is not a particularly enthusiastic one.
Fireheart Tiger would have probably worked a lot better if it had been told in a larger format as under its thinly rendered characters and world lies a potentially interesting story. Sadly, this is not a fully fledged novel. The first few pages deliver some exposition: our main character is Thanh a princess who was sent off to Ephteria as a political pawn (ie hostage). Now she's back to her mother’s court (a place which is hardly described) where she chafes against her mother's rule. Thanh's self-pitying is interjected by various memories, mainly, one of a fire, and another one of a kiss she shared with the blue-eyed Eldris (her blue eyes are her major character trait) who is from Ephteria. With 0 preamble she finds herself reigniting her relationship with Eldris...it isn't clear why as Eldris is as 'magnetic' as a slice of stale bread. Thanh too is the classic supposedly quiet and smart yet totally hapless heroine who really grinds me nerves. She claims to care for her country but spends the majority of her time passively thinking about Eldris and of how her mother is evil and uncaring. Thanh's mother, however one-dimensional, made for a much more compelling character.
There is also another girl who after one brief meeting Thanh begins to call 'little sister' (or something along those lines) even saying that she misses her when this girl isn't around (after one day?).
Eldris is clearly bad news, she is creepy but fails to be a truly manipulative or charismatic villain. The other 'bad guy' is portrayed in a very cartoonish manner (“We're going to have such a lovely time together”) .
Perhaps I approached this with the wrong expectations. I hoped for something more mature and complex. The dialogues were clunky, the descriptions clichéd, the love story was unconvincing and undeveloped, the main protagonist was a boring Mary Sue, and the setting was barely rendered.
Read
January 18, 2021I had a galaxy brain moment of the1st of January and decided to start the year with this book, not only because I was almost sure I'd enjoy it but also because it's short, I'd be able to read it in an hour or two, feel accomplished and start the year with a bang. And I'm happy to report I was right about all of the above.
I'm always way of novellas as they tend to be hit or miss for me, I'm either absolutely won over or I'm left wanting a lot more than what was delivered. Luckily FIREHEART TIGER is one of the former, it did everything it set out to do and more. It even managed to have a couple twists and turns that managed to surprise me, especially for such a short read.
There are so many things to love about this book but here are some of mine:
- The worldbuilding: which I think might be divisive for people. If you like detailed worldbuilding that explains every single part of it, this might not work for you, but I loved it. Considering the fact that this novella is around 100 pages, anything more than what was given would have taken up too much page space. And we were given just enough to understand the world, the stakes and fill in the gaps as the story progressed.
- The discussion around imperialism and colonialism. This book is set in a pre-colonial Vietnam-esque world where our main character's country is surrounded on all sides by people and countries who want to bleed it dry and control it. Using the age old colonial excuse of the people being "savages" who surely can't rule themselves. Thanh, the main character, being the princess is trying her best to stave off the colonizers. There were also many more themes explored that pack a punch in a very short amount of pages.
- Thanh as a character. I usually don't connect much to characters in novellas, it's done and over before I can grow attached to them. But here, I surprisingly found myself caring about Thanh and whatever will happen to her next from the get-go. She draws the reader's sympathy pretty quickly. She starts off as this diplomate who's really good at politics and finessing the enemy, but she's also shy, quiet and unsure of her place in the court, especially having grown up outside of the country for so many years, so the legitimacy of her presence and knowledge are often tested and questioned. But she doesn't let up, she perseveres and grows into herself.
- The exploration of abuse. This isn't really something that I expected to find in the book and I won't be going into the what and how of it because of spoilers and because I found that part to be even more impactful because I didn't expect it, but let's just say that we see Thanh being manipulated, gaslit and abused by someone she thought she loved and her only wish was to be worthy of them. But then things go awry and this person's real face surfaces.
I'm always way of novellas as they tend to be hit or miss for me, I'm either absolutely won over or I'm left wanting a lot more than what was delivered. Luckily FIREHEART TIGER is one of the former, it did everything it set out to do and more. It even managed to have a couple twists and turns that managed to surprise me, especially for such a short read.
There are so many things to love about this book but here are some of mine:
- The worldbuilding: which I think might be divisive for people. If you like detailed worldbuilding that explains every single part of it, this might not work for you, but I loved it. Considering the fact that this novella is around 100 pages, anything more than what was given would have taken up too much page space. And we were given just enough to understand the world, the stakes and fill in the gaps as the story progressed.
- The discussion around imperialism and colonialism. This book is set in a pre-colonial Vietnam-esque world where our main character's country is surrounded on all sides by people and countries who want to bleed it dry and control it. Using the age old colonial excuse of the people being "savages" who surely can't rule themselves. Thanh, the main character, being the princess is trying her best to stave off the colonizers. There were also many more themes explored that pack a punch in a very short amount of pages.
- Thanh as a character. I usually don't connect much to characters in novellas, it's done and over before I can grow attached to them. But here, I surprisingly found myself caring about Thanh and whatever will happen to her next from the get-go. She draws the reader's sympathy pretty quickly. She starts off as this diplomate who's really good at politics and finessing the enemy, but she's also shy, quiet and unsure of her place in the court, especially having grown up outside of the country for so many years, so the legitimacy of her presence and knowledge are often tested and questioned. But she doesn't let up, she perseveres and grows into herself.
- The exploration of abuse. This isn't really something that I expected to find in the book and I won't be going into the what and how of it because of spoilers and because I found that part to be even more impactful because I didn't expect it, but let's just say that we see Thanh being manipulated, gaslit and abused by someone she thought she loved and her only wish was to be worthy of them. But then things go awry and this person's real face surfaces.
December 13, 2020
This novella has it all - from magic, betrayal, queer romance to political intrigue. I really enjoyed it!
rtc
Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
rtc
Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 7, 2022
So many great things happening in this story, I just wish it were longer (this is a novella) and more fleshed out.
May 2, 2021
3.29 on CAWPILE
May 8, 2023
so much worldbuilding and politics for a 100 page book.
also calling someone “big sis” then saying you’re in love with them is undeniably weird
also calling someone “big sis” then saying you’re in love with them is undeniably weird
Want to read
November 28, 2020something-something meets
HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE
??????
*clicks want to read*
*passes out*
*clicks want to read*
*passes out*
Read
May 6, 2023this book hurt my soul, but also soothed it
February 27, 2022
“Life is too short to be ringed by other people’s expectations of proper behavior.”
Starting off by saying that the premise of this is absolutely exquisite from the vietnamese-inspired world to the politics and the sapphic romance. I could like in that premise alone but the execution just didn’t hit for me.
My favorite aspect was definitely the fact that this was set in a world where the norm is for women to be political, brash, and confident. Which is already different from the usual fantasy world where women are expected to be quite and soft spoken, so that was really interesting to me. The discussion on gaslighting and toxic relationships was also something that I liked and didn't expect going into this.
I loved that the story began as if in the middle of a scene and I liked learning more about the world as we carried on with the plot. But I really wished Aliette de Bodard leaned a little bit more on the fantasy political route. It started off strong in that regard but then I think there were decisions made in the end that I feel like didn't fit the narrative it was initially translating. I'm really trying so hard not to spoil anything because this book is so short.
“Just because it makes sense doesn’t mean it needs to happen that way.”
However, this fell in the novella curse for me with the romance and the plot. I feel like I just wasn’t emotionally attached to the characters enough. It didn’t feel like they were flushed out and it was a little difficult to understand their motivations. It doesn’t help that I thought one of the people in the love triangle was platonic so I was really surprised with some of the things that went down because it didn’t feel like there was much of a connection there. Even though the story is so short, I feel like there would still be a way to do that, like how I feel with Nghi Vo’s short stories. There was a lot of assuming on my end on why they wanted to do this and that, which wasn’t really enjoyable for me. I like getting to know each character in depth.
“If love is what it takes to make her remember a girl in the midst of a fire, then how much can you trust her? How much can you trust that love?”
At the end of the day, it was really difficult for me to figure out what the message of the story was and how it translated into the story but I do like the themes on societal views on women. I’m still curious about more books from this author though because i liked the commentary and (going against the norm)
↣ A relatively short and fast adult fantasy read with politics and sapphics. I do love a lot of the themes that it wanted to discuss so it wasn't entirely disappointing. It felt a little like too many things came out of nowhere but if you can look past that… you can try it and hopefully this is more for you. ↢
— 2.5 —
⇢ content warnings// Abusive relationship (emotional/physical), Arson, Attempted rape, Blackmailing, Gaslighting, Grooming (discussed), Trauma
February 10, 2021
Very sweet and lovely...dare I say heartwarming? With so much of the flare for language and world I’ve come to expect from Aliette de Bodard.
October 10, 2021
3,5/5
Una novela corta ambientada en una especie de reino antiguo similar a Vietnam que mantiene una relación complicada con un reino vecino y colonizador.
La historia sigue a la hija de la emperatriz del reino, una joven tímida y poco decidida para gran decepción de su madre... aún así comenzará a tomar un papel más importante en el gobierno de su pueblo al ser nombrada una especie de diplomática que debe lidiar con el país vecino. El problema es que nuestra protagonista esconde un secreto.
Este relato me gustó muchísimo por su ambientación, el apartado más político y especialmente por tratar de una manera muy sutil las relaciones abusivas, la parte mágica también me pareció muy chula, la pega que le pongo realmente es que es demasiado breve y me hubiera gustado muchísimo ver más desarrollada la ambientación o la relación entre las dos protagonistas. Aún así es una historia corta original y muy recomendable ^^
Una novela corta ambientada en una especie de reino antiguo similar a Vietnam que mantiene una relación complicada con un reino vecino y colonizador.
La historia sigue a la hija de la emperatriz del reino, una joven tímida y poco decidida para gran decepción de su madre... aún así comenzará a tomar un papel más importante en el gobierno de su pueblo al ser nombrada una especie de diplomática que debe lidiar con el país vecino. El problema es que nuestra protagonista esconde un secreto.
Este relato me gustó muchísimo por su ambientación, el apartado más político y especialmente por tratar de una manera muy sutil las relaciones abusivas, la parte mágica también me pareció muy chula, la pega que le pongo realmente es que es demasiado breve y me hubiera gustado muchísimo ver más desarrollada la ambientación o la relación entre las dos protagonistas. Aún así es una historia corta original y muy recomendable ^^
Read
February 7, 2022“You would have given me so much, in exchange for me giving up everything.”
So What’s It About?
Quiet, thoughtful princess Thanh was sent away as a hostage to the powerful faraway country of Ephteria as a child. Now she’s returned to her mother’s imperial court, haunted not only by memories of her first romance, but by worrying magical echoes of a fire that devastated Ephteria’s royal palace.
Thanh’s new role as a diplomat places her once again in the path of her first love, the powerful and magnetic Eldris of Ephteria, who knows exactly what she wants: romance from Thanh and much more from Thanh’s home. Eldris won’t take no for an answer, on either front. But the fire that burned down one palace is tempting Thanh with the possibility of making her own dangerous decisions.
Can Thanh find the freedom to shape her country’s fate—and her own?
What I Thought
I believe there is a lot to be said in a story that explores abuse and colonialism at the same time - I think you could make the argument that both are fundamentally about unjust power and how it excuses itself and works through coercion, manipulation and violence. I was excited to read this book for that reason, but my main takeaway is that this story is just too short to dig deep into anything. The central idea conveyed with Eldris as the representation of an abuser and a colonizer is that Thanh is/has something that she wants; Eldris thinks she’s entitled to have things she doesn’t actually have the right to and she is willing to hurt people to get what she wants. That’s...kind of it (at least as far as I understood it) and I ended the book feeling like the author had just scratched the surface of the topic.
In principle, I also like the idea that Thanh is a very insecure character who grows in confidence over the course of the story, but I was also rather dissatisfied with the execution of this aspect too. The conflict is mainly with her mother; Thanh thinks that her mother doesn’t respect because she’s too quiet and timid, but over the course of the book she ends a meeting she’s heading to immediately go have public sex with the leader of the enemy contingent, gets blackmailed about it, makes huge diplomacy decisions behind her mother’s back and doesn’t consult her about deciding to threaten to burn Eldris and her contingent alive. So...is the problem really that she’s too quiet and timid? The entirety of the blackmail plot also never really made sense to me - when she approaches her mother about a possible marriage with Eldris, her mom is easily convinced that it’s a good idea and there is not really a reason to assume that anything else would have been the case instead.
The other main thread of the story is the romance between Thanh and the magical being Giang. Giang is an interesting character because she’s part complete naivety and innocence and part monster. However, I don’t feel like she works as a love interest because the length of the story allows for virtually no meaningful interaction between the two characters. She declares her love at the end of the story, and my only possible conclusion is that fire spirits have different attachment styles than humans do in this world! As a final point, I’m kind of miffed by the comparisons to The Goblin Emperor and Howl’s Moving Castle. There’s an insecure person at court and a fire elemental in Fireheart Tiger, but those are really the only points of overlap and the comparisons left me thinking that this story’s contents and tone were going to be very different from what they actually were.
I give this 2 stars for nice writing and a great premise.
So What’s It About?
Quiet, thoughtful princess Thanh was sent away as a hostage to the powerful faraway country of Ephteria as a child. Now she’s returned to her mother’s imperial court, haunted not only by memories of her first romance, but by worrying magical echoes of a fire that devastated Ephteria’s royal palace.
Thanh’s new role as a diplomat places her once again in the path of her first love, the powerful and magnetic Eldris of Ephteria, who knows exactly what she wants: romance from Thanh and much more from Thanh’s home. Eldris won’t take no for an answer, on either front. But the fire that burned down one palace is tempting Thanh with the possibility of making her own dangerous decisions.
Can Thanh find the freedom to shape her country’s fate—and her own?
What I Thought
I believe there is a lot to be said in a story that explores abuse and colonialism at the same time - I think you could make the argument that both are fundamentally about unjust power and how it excuses itself and works through coercion, manipulation and violence. I was excited to read this book for that reason, but my main takeaway is that this story is just too short to dig deep into anything. The central idea conveyed with Eldris as the representation of an abuser and a colonizer is that Thanh is/has something that she wants; Eldris thinks she’s entitled to have things she doesn’t actually have the right to and she is willing to hurt people to get what she wants. That’s...kind of it (at least as far as I understood it) and I ended the book feeling like the author had just scratched the surface of the topic.
In principle, I also like the idea that Thanh is a very insecure character who grows in confidence over the course of the story, but I was also rather dissatisfied with the execution of this aspect too. The conflict is mainly with her mother; Thanh thinks that her mother doesn’t respect because she’s too quiet and timid, but over the course of the book she ends a meeting she’s heading to immediately go have public sex with the leader of the enemy contingent, gets blackmailed about it, makes huge diplomacy decisions behind her mother’s back and doesn’t consult her about deciding to threaten to burn Eldris and her contingent alive. So...is the problem really that she’s too quiet and timid? The entirety of the blackmail plot also never really made sense to me - when she approaches her mother about a possible marriage with Eldris, her mom is easily convinced that it’s a good idea and there is not really a reason to assume that anything else would have been the case instead.
The other main thread of the story is the romance between Thanh and the magical being Giang. Giang is an interesting character because she’s part complete naivety and innocence and part monster. However, I don’t feel like she works as a love interest because the length of the story allows for virtually no meaningful interaction between the two characters. She declares her love at the end of the story, and my only possible conclusion is that fire spirits have different attachment styles than humans do in this world! As a final point, I’m kind of miffed by the comparisons to The Goblin Emperor and Howl’s Moving Castle. There’s an insecure person at court and a fire elemental in Fireheart Tiger, but those are really the only points of overlap and the comparisons left me thinking that this story’s contents and tone were going to be very different from what they actually were.
I give this 2 stars for nice writing and a great premise.
July 24, 2021
☆ 3.5 / 5 ☆
“She’ll come back. To conquer you. To reduce you to a different sort of ashes.”
This short story was a wonderful look at imperialism through the lens of a pre-colonial Vietnamese inspired world.
Thanh is a princess of Bình Hải, appointed diplomat and returned from Ephteria for a couple of years after she spent most of her life there as a hostage. She was meant to come back an asset, assertive and with political connections, but her quiet demeanor keeps disappointing her mother. However when an Ephterian delegation visits them, Thanh might be the only one able to fight for her country’s independence.
"You would have given me so much, in exchange for me giving up everything.”
Princess Eldris, part of this delegation, wants to make Thanh her wife, coming back to reclaim what she thinks is love. However, things have changed since the two were last together and the power dynamics between the two women are more than ever jarring, Eldris being one step away from conquering Thanh’s country. This story definitely highlights why a lot of conquered / conqueror romances often just don’t work and are not cute. Eldris might think herself in love with Thanh but she can not bring herself to respect her country and her people.
As a backdrop for this book are the recurring memories of a fire that caught in Ephteria's Royal Palace years ago and the mysterious flames that seem to follow Thanh everywhere. But that destruction might bring unexpected healing to the princess and her country.
“You don’t walk away. You don’t get to take what you want, what you think you’re due simply because no one has ever refused you.”
I felt like the end could’ve done with a little more space to breathe but this was overall a powerful and very unique story.
Youtube ☆ Twitter
“She’ll come back. To conquer you. To reduce you to a different sort of ashes.”
This short story was a wonderful look at imperialism through the lens of a pre-colonial Vietnamese inspired world.
Thanh is a princess of Bình Hải, appointed diplomat and returned from Ephteria for a couple of years after she spent most of her life there as a hostage. She was meant to come back an asset, assertive and with political connections, but her quiet demeanor keeps disappointing her mother. However when an Ephterian delegation visits them, Thanh might be the only one able to fight for her country’s independence.
"You would have given me so much, in exchange for me giving up everything.”
Princess Eldris, part of this delegation, wants to make Thanh her wife, coming back to reclaim what she thinks is love. However, things have changed since the two were last together and the power dynamics between the two women are more than ever jarring, Eldris being one step away from conquering Thanh’s country. This story definitely highlights why a lot of conquered / conqueror romances often just don’t work and are not cute. Eldris might think herself in love with Thanh but she can not bring herself to respect her country and her people.
As a backdrop for this book are the recurring memories of a fire that caught in Ephteria's Royal Palace years ago and the mysterious flames that seem to follow Thanh everywhere. But that destruction might bring unexpected healing to the princess and her country.
“You don’t walk away. You don’t get to take what you want, what you think you’re due simply because no one has ever refused you.”
I felt like the end could’ve done with a little more space to breathe but this was overall a powerful and very unique story.
Youtube ☆ Twitter
March 25, 2021
Simply put: Fireheart Tiger was gorgeous. I don't believe I've ever read such a wonderfully contained and satisfying novella before this one. And while the world can leave one wanting for more (*raises hand*), it would not be for lack of resolution of the story told here.
At its core, Fireheart is a romance, but the main story is one of self-growth, of breaking out of toxic relationships and realizing your worth, one small step at a time. Codependency is a major theme and is something the protagonist, Thanh, struggles with throughout the book. I felt it was a very thoughtful examination of unhealthy relationships, with a character who is craving love and the approval of others because of her own insecurities. With that said, the story never gets too heavy or dark with its theme(s) and the flame of hope is a beacon throughout.
I could honestly go on at length about so many aspects of this book—the lovely Vietnamese-inspired worldbuilding; the gentle and healing romance; the lush, evocative writing; de Bodard's skilled hand at keeping so many layers perfectly balanced—but I think it's better for a reader to experience this book for themself.
Needless to say, I highly recommend Fireheart Tiger, and while I have a few small complaints about a couple things, I could honestly give it a flat five stars...or flames 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
At its core, Fireheart is a romance, but the main story is one of self-growth, of breaking out of toxic relationships and realizing your worth, one small step at a time. Codependency is a major theme and is something the protagonist, Thanh, struggles with throughout the book. I felt it was a very thoughtful examination of unhealthy relationships, with a character who is craving love and the approval of others because of her own insecurities. With that said, the story never gets too heavy or dark with its theme(s) and the flame of hope is a beacon throughout.
I could honestly go on at length about so many aspects of this book—the lovely Vietnamese-inspired worldbuilding; the gentle and healing romance; the lush, evocative writing; de Bodard's skilled hand at keeping so many layers perfectly balanced—but I think it's better for a reader to experience this book for themself.
Needless to say, I highly recommend Fireheart Tiger, and while I have a few small complaints about a couple things, I could honestly give it a flat five stars...or flames 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
January 18, 2021
When I first saw the announcement of this novella, I didn’t even need to know the premise before adding it to my tbr. And when I saw that stunning cover, my excitement only doubled. I had so much confidence that the author would wow me in just a few pages, and I’m so happy to report that I was right.
I find the novella format very fascinating - the less number of pages should realistically not give us enough time to feel invested in the characters or the stakes, but what I’ve realized through reading quite a bit of short fiction in 2020 is that the authors who frequently write in this format are masters at their craft, skillfully able to make us emotionally engaged in the story right from the get go. And that’s exactly what happened here.
Thanh is a very sympathetic character and I instantly liked her, started worrying for her and just wanted her to be safe. I can’t go into details about the other characters without revealing spoilers but every one of them was fully realized, and it was fascinating to me that I was able to glean most of their motivations despite everything being so subtle. The world building is also seamlessly integrated without any infodumps, giving us the right amount of information so that we can follow along with the political intrigue and the diplomatic negotiations. The pacing is perfect, never feeling rushed but also fast enough that’s it’s easy to forget everything else while reading it. And I just can’t say enough about the prose - it was absolutely beautiful and poetic and so very full of feeling.
But the most surprising part of the book was how delicately the author handled some of the themes. The primary one is a critique of colonialism, showing us how arrogant the imperial powers are about their inherent righteousness, calling the others “savages” and subtly threatening to occupy them. We also see how this arrogance manifests in personal relationships, a sense of entitlement that makes them feel that they have the right to love and can’t be denied, manipulating and gaslighting to get their way. The author never tells us any of this though, she makes us feel and understand all of it just through normal seeming character interactions, and I thought it was brilliantly executed.
In the end, all I can say is that if you love short fiction, you can’t miss this. If you love Asian sapphic fantasy stories like I do, then this is absolutely perfect for you. And I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a flawless blend of cutthroat politics, diplomatic maneuvering and a pining romance, set in a lush and beautiful fantasy world.
I find the novella format very fascinating - the less number of pages should realistically not give us enough time to feel invested in the characters or the stakes, but what I’ve realized through reading quite a bit of short fiction in 2020 is that the authors who frequently write in this format are masters at their craft, skillfully able to make us emotionally engaged in the story right from the get go. And that’s exactly what happened here.
Thanh is a very sympathetic character and I instantly liked her, started worrying for her and just wanted her to be safe. I can’t go into details about the other characters without revealing spoilers but every one of them was fully realized, and it was fascinating to me that I was able to glean most of their motivations despite everything being so subtle. The world building is also seamlessly integrated without any infodumps, giving us the right amount of information so that we can follow along with the political intrigue and the diplomatic negotiations. The pacing is perfect, never feeling rushed but also fast enough that’s it’s easy to forget everything else while reading it. And I just can’t say enough about the prose - it was absolutely beautiful and poetic and so very full of feeling.
But the most surprising part of the book was how delicately the author handled some of the themes. The primary one is a critique of colonialism, showing us how arrogant the imperial powers are about their inherent righteousness, calling the others “savages” and subtly threatening to occupy them. We also see how this arrogance manifests in personal relationships, a sense of entitlement that makes them feel that they have the right to love and can’t be denied, manipulating and gaslighting to get their way. The author never tells us any of this though, she makes us feel and understand all of it just through normal seeming character interactions, and I thought it was brilliantly executed.
In the end, all I can say is that if you love short fiction, you can’t miss this. If you love Asian sapphic fantasy stories like I do, then this is absolutely perfect for you. And I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a flawless blend of cutthroat politics, diplomatic maneuvering and a pining romance, set in a lush and beautiful fantasy world.
April 16, 2021
On my blog.
Rep: Vietnamese coded characters & setting, lesbian mc & lis
CWs: implied domestic abuse, sexual assault
Galley provided by publisher
I’ve read 5 or 6 books by Aliette de Bodard this year and consistently loved them all, so it was no surprise that I enjoyed Fireheart Tiger as much as I did. It’s on the shorter side for a novella and it so effectively tells the story that it sets out to, you feel at once satisfied with what you have and desperately craving more of the world and characters.
The story follows Thanh, who has returned to her mother’s court, after years away in Ephteria and following a mysterious fire in the royal palace. Now she is a diplomat, but this places her directly in the path of her first love, Eldris, a princess of Ephteria. Eldris wants Thanh for a wife, and her country in the bargain too wouldn’t go amiss, and Thanh has to choose between this or fighting for something more.
One thing I love about Aliette de Bodard’s writing is how easily it builds a world for you to immerse yourself in. It’s like, there aren’t any excess words used (if that makes sense). There are no long passages of exposition, it’s all built seamlessly into what’s happening. As someone who periodically skims over exposition, I really enjoyed that about this book.
At the centre of the book is a love triangle. I’m not someone who really likes love triangles as a trope, but here, both of the love interests were women and it was so refreshing. Of course, it isn’t the type of love triangle where you’re actually conflicted over who the mc ends up with, so I suppose that also helped. But my point is, the book was overwhelmingly sapphic in the best possible way. I never want to read a love triangle that’s not between three women ever again.
So if you were at all on the fence about reading this book, let this be a sign to come down off the fence and do so. And all the rest of Aliette de Bodard’s works while you’re at it.
Rep: Vietnamese coded characters & setting, lesbian mc & lis
CWs: implied domestic abuse, sexual assault
Galley provided by publisher
I’ve read 5 or 6 books by Aliette de Bodard this year and consistently loved them all, so it was no surprise that I enjoyed Fireheart Tiger as much as I did. It’s on the shorter side for a novella and it so effectively tells the story that it sets out to, you feel at once satisfied with what you have and desperately craving more of the world and characters.
The story follows Thanh, who has returned to her mother’s court, after years away in Ephteria and following a mysterious fire in the royal palace. Now she is a diplomat, but this places her directly in the path of her first love, Eldris, a princess of Ephteria. Eldris wants Thanh for a wife, and her country in the bargain too wouldn’t go amiss, and Thanh has to choose between this or fighting for something more.
One thing I love about Aliette de Bodard’s writing is how easily it builds a world for you to immerse yourself in. It’s like, there aren’t any excess words used (if that makes sense). There are no long passages of exposition, it’s all built seamlessly into what’s happening. As someone who periodically skims over exposition, I really enjoyed that about this book.
At the centre of the book is a love triangle. I’m not someone who really likes love triangles as a trope, but here, both of the love interests were women and it was so refreshing. Of course, it isn’t the type of love triangle where you’re actually conflicted over who the mc ends up with, so I suppose that also helped. But my point is, the book was overwhelmingly sapphic in the best possible way. I never want to read a love triangle that’s not between three women ever again.
So if you were at all on the fence about reading this book, let this be a sign to come down off the fence and do so. And all the rest of Aliette de Bodard’s works while you’re at it.
June 2, 2021
This is such a fun adult fantasy Novella! And i just want more from these characters and also worldbuilding and magic system.. too “bad” this is just around 90 pages long :( so the characters and romance development didn’t get enough room for me to feel attached to them
Inspired by Vietnamese-esque world and Howl Moving Castle we follow Thanh a princess that once sent by her kindom to be “hostage” as part of the political agreement between her kingdom (rule by her mother) and Ephteria, there she met another princess and fell in love to her (yes this is F/F romance) but because of terrible event she need to go back to her own kingdom
This is a story about self acceptence and how to overcome fear and stand for what you believe, although this book is short but it’s also written with really fast pace plot and easy to read writing style! I personally really love the magic system in this book about the fire spirit, it’s so freaking cool and wish to see more on adult fantasy story in the future and possibly from this author
Inspired by Vietnamese-esque world and Howl Moving Castle we follow Thanh a princess that once sent by her kindom to be “hostage” as part of the political agreement between her kingdom (rule by her mother) and Ephteria, there she met another princess and fell in love to her (yes this is F/F romance) but because of terrible event she need to go back to her own kingdom
This is a story about self acceptence and how to overcome fear and stand for what you believe, although this book is short but it’s also written with really fast pace plot and easy to read writing style! I personally really love the magic system in this book about the fire spirit, it’s so freaking cool and wish to see more on adult fantasy story in the future and possibly from this author
February 9, 2021
This novella is so powerful and resonant (on themes of colonialism, domestic abuse, and more), so gorgeously written, and it has such an empowering and cathartic ending - and ohhh is the final romantic thread lovely as well! I was lucky enough to read a draft and was absolutely blown away by it. I'm so glad lots and lots of people get to read it now!
February 13, 2021
i am sad that this didn’t work for me :// 100 pages of thanh waffling between being pathetic about eldris and feeling incredibly sorry for herself + halfheartedly rendered characters that don’t deliver their potential
December 18, 2020
Thank you to Netgalley and Tordotcom for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
This is an absolutely stunning novella. I think with novellas, it can often be hard to convey your message and themes in such a short number of pages, but I think Aliette de Bodard did a fantastic job.
Fireheart Tiger is a quiet, but fierce tale of a princess named Thanh who was traded to a foreign kingdom as a teenager, and has now returned to her Mother's empire and has to play the role of a diplomat. This novella takes place in a world that is inspired by pre-colonial Vietnam, and tells the story of a princess who is trying to do the best for her country that is on the cusp of being colonized, while balancing her own personal interests and a past that haunts her.
I loved this story. I thought the worldbuilding was exquisite, though if you are someone who likes a bit more hand-holding in your worldbuilding, this might not be your cup of tea, but for me personally, especially with novellas, I love this style of worldbuilding where you have to read between the lines and figure things out on your own. Our main character, Thanh, is so compelling and nuanced, which is incredible for such a short number of pages. Her relationship with her mother is so complex and I loved seeing it develop throughout the story.
Where this novella shines for me is in the way it explores its themes - colonialism, imperialism, and individualism vs collectivism, and self-worth. For such a short book, it really packs a punch in terms of delivering themes that are very thought-provoking and impactful. I loved the way Bodard compared Eastern vs Western sensibilities in this story, and incorporated Vietnamese culture and language so unapologetically. While I am not Vietnamese myself so am not an ownvoices reviewer, I definitely saw some connections to Vietnamese folklore, especially in Giang's character, and her relationship with Thanh.
The writing is also stunning, and I honestly cannot recommend it enough if you are looking for a short but impactful story.
This is an absolutely stunning novella. I think with novellas, it can often be hard to convey your message and themes in such a short number of pages, but I think Aliette de Bodard did a fantastic job.
Fireheart Tiger is a quiet, but fierce tale of a princess named Thanh who was traded to a foreign kingdom as a teenager, and has now returned to her Mother's empire and has to play the role of a diplomat. This novella takes place in a world that is inspired by pre-colonial Vietnam, and tells the story of a princess who is trying to do the best for her country that is on the cusp of being colonized, while balancing her own personal interests and a past that haunts her.
I loved this story. I thought the worldbuilding was exquisite, though if you are someone who likes a bit more hand-holding in your worldbuilding, this might not be your cup of tea, but for me personally, especially with novellas, I love this style of worldbuilding where you have to read between the lines and figure things out on your own. Our main character, Thanh, is so compelling and nuanced, which is incredible for such a short number of pages. Her relationship with her mother is so complex and I loved seeing it develop throughout the story.
Where this novella shines for me is in the way it explores its themes - colonialism, imperialism, and individualism vs collectivism, and self-worth. For such a short book, it really packs a punch in terms of delivering themes that are very thought-provoking and impactful. I loved the way Bodard compared Eastern vs Western sensibilities in this story, and incorporated Vietnamese culture and language so unapologetically. While I am not Vietnamese myself so am not an ownvoices reviewer, I definitely saw some connections to Vietnamese folklore, especially in Giang's character, and her relationship with Thanh.
The writing is also stunning, and I honestly cannot recommend it enough if you are looking for a short but impactful story.
February 9, 2021
Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy novella eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
I really do enjoy Aliette de Bodard's writing and was excited to read this novella. It was a quick read at around 100 pages but the length is its greatest flaw. The basic story is easy to follow and was compelling but I felt that too much background and emotion happened off the page. This was particularly true with Giang. Giang was the most interesting character in the story by far and yet doesn't appear often, wasn't really explored, and thus made the ending rather unbelievable and confusing. The world building also felt kinda flat.
What I did enjoy was the main character, Thanh. Her history of having been a hostage to a foreign nation, her forbidden love affair, and her relationship with her mother were very intriguing. I just think that this novella would have been better off expanded in length so that all of the fascinating elements could have been explored satisfactorily. Arrrr!
So lastly . . .
Thank you Tor.com!
I really do enjoy Aliette de Bodard's writing and was excited to read this novella. It was a quick read at around 100 pages but the length is its greatest flaw. The basic story is easy to follow and was compelling but I felt that too much background and emotion happened off the page. This was particularly true with Giang. Giang was the most interesting character in the story by far and yet doesn't appear often, wasn't really explored, and thus made the ending rather unbelievable and confusing. The world building also felt kinda flat.
What I did enjoy was the main character, Thanh. Her history of having been a hostage to a foreign nation, her forbidden love affair, and her relationship with her mother were very intriguing. I just think that this novella would have been better off expanded in length so that all of the fascinating elements could have been explored satisfactorily. Arrrr!
So lastly . . .
Thank you Tor.com!
June 30, 2021
This is too short/underdeveloped for the ship to be satisfying. If a sort-of-love-triangle is at the center of the story, it better be good (it was not). It’s a shame because the worldbuilding and anti-colonialist themes are decent; the flaws overshadowed what I liked about FIREHEART TIGER. I’m super disappointed because I expected to love this.
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,151 reviews