It's a bleak world that Patience Gideon, a witch in her 50s, inhabits, overflowing with the violence that men do to women. Every woman must figure outIt's a bleak world that Patience Gideon, a witch in her 50s, inhabits, overflowing with the violence that men do to women. Every woman must figure out for herself how to cope with this: a façade of bland docility, canny lies, seething despair, a hard core of selfishness.
If keeping you and yours safe comes down to murder, (view spoiler)[or even mass murder, (hide spoiler)] well, so be it. If you can't save someone else without risking yourself, the other must be left behind. Patience's brutal pragmatism is offset by tenderness toward her "familiar" and by her having impulsively adopted an abandoned girl, who is now sixteen and very inclined to have her way.
There are decent men out there, and Slatter recognizes that they can't be as central to the story as the awful ones. Their support is quiet and comes at crucial moments in the story.
I liked the herbology in Of Sorrow and Such, and the magic, especially the flesh-shaping magic. I'm glad that the women (view spoiler)[ended up being loyal to each other, while also going their own way (hide spoiler)].
I'm not sure if telling this story in first-person present tense was necessary, though it did its job of adding immediacy to many of the scenes. A bit harsher than my usual fare, but it's okay to occasionally have a reminder of what those cozy stories are spackling over....more
**spoiler alert** Kill all men! Unless they're decent people. And sometimes even then, if they get in your way.
Everyone's family fucks them up somehow**spoiler alert** Kill all men! Unless they're decent people. And sometimes even then, if they get in your way.
Everyone's family fucks them up somehow. Some more than others.
Fairy tales, herbal medicine, wolf-people, murder, strangulation, fire. Children at risk. Souls being put in different people's bodies. Women supporting each other in a man's world even when they really, really don't like each other.
I was surprised at how much the ending got to me, since some amount of the book along the way felt over-planned.
I read this for the SFFBC online discussion group, and that always makes me write briefer reviews. I'm sure I'll be frustrated to see less than one hundred words here after some time has passed! :D...more
I can't. Even audio couldn't make it halfway entertaining, and that is depressing as hell. I think if it had leaned into being trash, rather than takiI can't. Even audio couldn't make it halfway entertaining, and that is depressing as hell. I think if it had leaned into being trash, rather than taking itself way too seriously, it would have been fun. As is, every paragraph drained my energy meter.
(full review below.)
***
When I buy a book, I expect to like it. So when a book I expect to like is a flop, a dud, a turkey, a stinker, some other slang from well over a century ago, I feel sad.
Let's shake off those blues and smile! My light novel title for this book will be:
The Incompetent Assassin and the Pushover Prince
Lara from Maridrina is one of a dozen princesses who were trained from a very young age to be spies and assassins in service to their father. A chosen girl will infiltrate Ithicana--the titular Bridge Kingdom--under the guise of a political marriage to Aren, its ruler. Lara proves her worth as the chosen fiancée by poisoning her sisters at a dinner, making her the only remaining viable candidate, even though she isn't the most beautiful* or intelligent** one.
* she's a perfect Aryan specimen ** she's a total doofus
Some elements of the worldbuilding were quite cool. I signed up for Danielle Jensen's read-along emails for this book, and learning about the "sea of stars" phenomenon, and the beautiful areas of the Philippines that she based much of Ithicana on through those mails was quite cool. The descriptions of jungle and cove were the most vivid in the book.
Unfortunately, the Bridge itself made no sense to me. It's basically a 200-mile-long tunnel made of concrete, supported by natural pillars of rock, with only one major egress on either side. Although it's 10 days' walk from end to end, it seems like anyone can get anywhere along its length in a matter of hours depending on plot exigency. It's both a major thoroughfare for trade, and a passageway for Ithicanian soldiers to quickly make their way between various secret entries/exits along the route.
Putting commercial traffic and super-secret traffic along the same thoroughfare seems like a Bad Idea. There's at least one scene where the Ithacanians need to get where they're going by sea because there's a group of merchants camping right next to one of the secret exits. I'm honestly surprised that these exits have been kept secrets for however long. Surely Lara wouldn't be the first spy that the place ever saw? Considering how beleaguered it is by the various countries who want to conquer it, that seems absolutely impossible. Not to mention that all of Aren's guards know these secrets. No need to seduce the ruler when there are a dozen immediate retainers to hand who have the same information.
Let's get into our light novel title now:
First, there's Lara, whose appearance is fairly standard blond-haired, blue-eyed, curves in all the right places, zzz. That first scene where she gains her place as Ithicana's princess-bride is quite striking, but it's all downhill from there. She has to be the most incompetent spy ever created. She's constantly just doing whatever and nearly getting caught, and is often hauled out of the fire by coincidence, most often by Aren's being called on to deal with an attack on the islands.
She's supposedly been brainwashed to prioritize "her people" above all, and to be completely ruthless when it comes to her mission. (As a side note, I got so tired of "her people" or "his people" coming up again and again, like the reader wouldn't believe it as a motivation for either Lara or Aren if it wasn't hammered home at least a couple times per page.) But it takes about forty seconds for her to be all hot and bothered over Aren, who supposedly is Maridrina's greatest threat. Maybe a little fear and terror on her part would have made her arc more convincing, or something other than horniness and the worst spycraft ever seen in fiction.
I'd have been more convinced of Lara's ruthlessness if Aren himself weren't the squishiest marshmallow that ever marshmallowed, making ruthlessness completely unnecessary. He's been king of Ithicana for a year, and aside from showing not the slightest reluctance to murder Ithicana's attackers by the hundreds, I really do wonder how he's kept his place as king, or that the Bridge hasn't been infiltrated and overrun well before now.
Here's one example of Aren as a pushover: Aren and a few of his guards are taking Lara to meet (and be intimidated by) Aren's grandmother a few Bridge stops away from Midguard, Aren's HQ. They've blindfolded Lara so she can't trace their route or learn more about the Bridge's workings. Horns sound, signaling an attack on one of Ithicana's towns. Aren and co. need to drop Lara off with Nana posthaste and rush to the defense, so they remove her blindfold so the group can move quickly.
Supposedly they can't leave her with a guard or two, still blindfolded, because they need every single person to man the defenses. First of all, if your human resources are spread so thin you can't spare a couple guys to watch after your hostage who might also be a spy, your country's in trouble. Secondly, this seems to indicate a hardline approach to secrecy that's about as sturdy as a house of cards.
We can assume that our FL and ML are horny for each other from the jump, because this is a romantasy. There's a mildly spicy scene early on in the book when Lara makes one of her several failed attempts to snoop around in Aren's stronghold, but other than that, there isn't a lot for a reader to work with. I was convinced they'd want to get into bed together, but unconvinced they could form a love relationship from the limited foundations we were given. Moving on.
The worst part of reading (or trying to read) this book is how excruciatingly slow it is. The initial setup was quite cool, and I anticipated a suspenseful and romantic read. What I got was what felt like a story with three well-established scenes, and the rest random bullshit: very little actual content, and a lot of obvious filler. The middle of this book--which wasn't all that long to begin with--sagged. At times it felt like it took an hour and a half to read 1% of the book. I even tried to read in it in audio, and it didn't help. My attention wandered again and again as the near-identical set pieces droned on.
My impression is of an author who has a good number of novels under their belt, and has confidence in setting characters and situations up and resolving them neatly, but who didn't leave enough room for their imagination to inspire and surprise them. Aside from the setting elements mentioned earlier, there was nothing there to hold my interest.
Books like this are more depressing than anything else. I had to quit at about 80% of The Bridge Kingdom because I could feel a slump coming. "Why read at all, when all books are dreary and boring, just like this one?" Of course that isn't true, and I had to escape before it managed to convince me of that for another month....more
This is the third time I've read this book. I started sometime in the latter half of last year, when I felt the need for a "comfort read" as my partneThis is the third time I've read this book. I started sometime in the latter half of last year, when I felt the need for a "comfort read" as my partner was dealing with a parent's decline and death, and I was left to my own devices. I came back to it this month after DNF-ing a romantasy, because I felt a strong desire to read a fantasy where I knew the worldbuilding was well-researched and meticulous, and I had a fondness for the main cast, neither of which was true of the romantasy. Thanks to a tip from my friend Becky, I've started a new review with a different edition.
Unfortunately, I don't think Cold Magic will ever get a decent, full review from me. The first review I wrote was two sets of impressions from reads where I felt conflicted about it; and now I don't feel like relitigating the whole thing, including why I increased my rating from three stars to four between the second and third readings. Saying that my appreciation increased isn't quite enough, so let's see what else I can think of to say about it, that wasn't already talked about in the other review.
Cat's relationship with Bee: how it was depicted in the latter few chapters of the book is much better than in the first few. There's a lot of pinching, punching and kicking between these two early on, which didn't create an image of a sisterly bond, or one that had matured beyond a pre-teen level. When the cousins are reunited after a month and a half's separation, their interactions still have their share of mild physical violence. But I found it quite moving that Bee (view spoiler)[left her family to support Cat (hide spoiler)]. It was only then that I believed their bond was strong enough to weather everything the world could throw at them.
Cat's relationship with Vai: more than a bit rushed, considering they spent maybe three or four days in each other's company. Still, I liked the P&P-like arc where Cat at first sees only arrogance, pride and vanity in him, and comes to understand him and his circumstances better as things go along, and builds a more sympathetic, but by no means perfect bond with him. Given an opportunity to communicate at length--which can't happen while Cat is in flight mode--I can easily see them having a partnership that's as strong as Cat's is with Bee.
Cat herself: the first couple times I read this book, I didn't have a lot of patience with Cat. She was brash and foolish, and oblivious to a number of things that should have been obvious. A thread that I picked up this time around is her loneliness, isolation and fear. When the mansa of Four Moon House (view spoiler)[tells Vai to kill her (hide spoiler)], she's lost not one but two families, and is all but alone in the world. No wonder she cries sometimes. No wonder she feels an immediate closeness with Rory, who (much like Vai) she's only known for a few days as of the end of this volume.
Kings and Generals: one of my favorite things about this book is that the "kings and generals" aspect of the story is kept well in the background. Those kings and generals affect Cat's life throughout the book, but those effects are seen almost entirely at second hand, with only a scene or two where Cat is interacting directly with them. At the very end of the book, a prophecy that was given by a dying woman says that Cat will (view spoiler)[change the course of the coming war (hide spoiler)], but that doesn't play out in the way that one would expect of an epic fantasy, with Cat coming into her power as a queen or general herself. Which is just fine with me.
I love the worldbuilding in this story, and it's really cool that Elliott created a story around this world that her children and their friends invented, and collaborated with them as she was writing it. It gets info-dump-y at times, and some elements like the salt plague are repeated far too often, but there's enough detail here that a brief reminder now and then is welcome. I'm torn between the change of pace and overarching interest that the info-dumps provide, and thinking that this information could have been provided more gracefully, especially when Cat is told very basic things about her family and her world that she should have known already through her own experiences and education.
I still think the pacing is a bit off in the first half of the book, in between Cat's marriage to Vai and her arrival at Four Moons House. There are one or two too many inns where Cat interacts with the staff in near-identical ways, leading to a feeling of slowness and homogeneity. Cat is cold. Cat is hungry. Cat has beautiful hair that the attendant praises. Cat loses her cloak and gloves, or has to leave them behind in one of a number of frantic escapes, and has to find a new set. Repeat. The introduction of Chartji and co. in the middle of that trip was fun, though.
That slow patch aside, I enjoyed this reread greatly, and am looking forward to Cat's jaunt to the Antilles in the next book....more
In this volume, Kaylin's past comes back to haunt her as she is called upon to look into an incipient incursion of Ferals into Elantra, coming from thIn this volume, Kaylin's past comes back to haunt her as she is called upon to look into an incipient incursion of Ferals into Elantra, coming from the fief of Barren. After fleeing Nightshade at thirteen years old, Kaylin spent half a year in Barren before crossing the Ablayne and becoming a mascot of the Hawks, and then a trainee. She hoped never to go back there, but when one is under orders from the Emperor, they act without question, or they die.
Why is Barren called that? And how is it connected to the Palace of Nightshade, or other, similar structures in the fiefs, all named after their reigning Lord or Lady?
Ah, this series. I'd love to love it, but every time it's a pile of if onlys. [Edit: I put all this nonsense behind spoiler tags. If you care to read a long list of grievances, click away.]
(view spoiler)[- If only Kaylin's relationship with either Nightshade or Severn--or both, I won't judge--went anywhere. If only Nightshade weren't an information-dispensing cipher, or Severn weren't just an attractive piece of scenery, 99% of the time. Two or three times each book, one or the other of them gets a paragraph or two that resonates with (what I perceive as) suppressed emotion, and I'd love to see much more of that than what I'm getting.
- If only so many words and phrases weren't used so frequently as to be obtrusive, or even obnoxious. It was getting to me so much, I decided to make a tally of a few of them to prove to myself that I wasn't just imagining things. Here are the results. Judge for yourself: - raised a brow (or both): 90 - said quietly/softly: 162 (!!) - grimace/d: 68 - "mood eyes": Dragon 40 / mention of eye membranes 8; Barrani 28 Sometimes the reader even gets a "two-fer," i.e. "he raised a brow, and she grimaced." These words do create a kind of mellow vibe, as characters murmur and express irony in a low-key way. If these were replaced with grins or smirks or characters laughing at each others' cringe-worthy "wit," I'd have given up on this series before the first volume was over with.
-If only the general flow of each book weren't exactly the same, with a situation set up (usually involving the threat of Elantra's destruction), Kaylin floundering around like an ignorant buffoon for 300 pages, then her suddenly becoming a mystical superstar who fixes everything with the power of her ancient magic. We've had this same basic arc since at least book 2. Each time, there's a lot of exposition-by-dialogue (with accompanying raised brows, as above), that slows the middle of the book to a crawl. This is a fascinating world, too often presented at a remove, and sloggy as eff in the bargain. (hide spoiler)]
There isn't much point to "if only"-ing like this. Five books in, one has to either accept things as they are and press on, or decide that wading through the muck ain't worth it. I have two more of these books, so the final decision can be put off for a little while. ;) I'm sure that the same complaints will be in full force in subsequent volumes, but there'll be no reason for me to enumerate them again--if there was any in the first place--so we can talk about other stuff next time.
A couple of postcripts. This review isn't very coherent, sorry...
Unfortunately, I was able to predict a lot of what was going on before Kaylin or the other characters did. (1) Much is made of Kaylin's having kept a secret for the seven years since she left Barren. (view spoiler)[She was an assassin for Barren's fief lord, and had killed a number of people. Also, that innocents had died as by-blows of her assassinations. (hide spoiler)] What else could have caused her that much guilt and remorse? I can easily imagine that this "secret" was no secret at all to the Hawklord, Marcus, or Severn. (2) (view spoiler)[That the Tower/Tara had been getting conflicted signals between Kaylin and Tiamaris because they opened the inner door together. That Kaylin was both trying to impose her worldview upon it/her, but also not wanting to take on responsibility of being its/her keeper. (hide spoiler)]
Despite my gripes, one thing that's been consistent in this series thus far is that the various plot threads are wrapped up well, and the endings always leave me with a warm, "happy tears" feeling. Each time, they pull the "Chronicles of Elantra" books up from a soggy 2-2.5 stars to something more like a 3....more
I read Borderline for the "Dozen Roses" challenge on SFFBC. (it was one of the books I submitted for it, actually)
Up-and-coming film school student (aI read Borderline for the "Dozen Roses" challenge on SFFBC. (it was one of the books I submitted for it, actually)
Up-and-coming film school student (and first-person narrator) Millie was doing well at UCLA and had even directed a film project, when a suicide attempt horribly injured her and put her into a mental hospital. While at the hospital, she's approached by a supervisor of the Arcadia Project, an intermediary between the human world and that of the Seelie court. Despite Millie's being enmeshed in investigating various disappearances and kidnappings as a probationary member of the Project, the film world won't leave her behind.
The best thing bar none about this book is our main character, Millie. Along with having to deal with physical disabilities, such as a pair of prosthetic partial legs, she has to deal with borderline personality disorder wedging itself between her and other people, and between her and herself. She frequently has to manage emotional and physical outbursts, not always successfully. And when she does act out, true contrition is much further out of reach than recriminating the person that she's wronged is.
At times Millie is hard to like, especially in the several scenes where she acts out. She is especially harsh on her partner, Teo, but just about everybody in Project Residence Four has a moment where Millie goes after their psychological soft spots with brutal abandon.
The fae aspect of the story is pretty lightly sketched in, and in many cases doesn't distinguish itself from other stories that are based on that mythology. We've got the Seelie and Unseelie courts, and magic that has largely to do with manipulation of the senses, and changelings, and fairy portals, and all that. What was more distinctive to me was the idea of Echoes: an artist on Earth having a kind of soul mate or Muse in the fae world who magically enhances their art. An aging Hollywood director and his Echo are the center of the mystery plot in this volume, and Millie's Project partner Teo has an obsession with finding his Echo that sometimes leads him astray. A nice detail is that the various (view spoiler)[metal pieces in Millie's body make her immune to much of the fae's magic, or even nullify it (hide spoiler)]--a passive ability (in game terms) that helps her out, but doesn't make her an overpowered heroine.
I've been living not-too-far from Los Angeles for a while, and there are quite a few familiar places in the book like Union Station and (more broadly) Santa Barbara. There are also small details that are all too familiar, like those big rectangular patches of beige paint where the city came through and painted over graffiti on the side of a business, or sitting in traffic on PCH when all you wanted was to see some nice scenery. I liked the hints about the filmmaker's life, and visits to film sets that we see now and then, also.
The whole thing came together for me with its great sense of humor. I mean, as always, humor is subjective, and a recommendation for you could well be a caveat for me, and vice versa. I can easily see some readers being put off when Millie interjects humor into situations where it's not that appropriate. It's quite possible that she keeps the more inappropriate quips to herself, though that wasn't something I was specifically keeping track of as I read.
Borderline's usually brisk pace fumbled here and there, notably in scenes where it was a little too obvious that a scene was there only to get us from point A to point B. The big battle at the end slogged a bit, too, though that could just be me not being a fan of physical violence as a default story climax. There were a few too many characters and not all of them were characterized early enough or deeply enough for me to care much when the bodies started falling. I never quite "got" (view spoiler)[Caryl or Teo (hide spoiler)]. I think I could see the intention with these characters, but they never got their hooks into me like Millie did.
Still, on the whole this was great! It was quick-moving, and emotional at points. At the beginning, I thought I wouldn't like Millie at all, or had a pitying outlook on her, but as I got to know and understand her, that distant attitude gradually melted away and by the end I was rooting for her (while also not forgetting that she did some unforgivable things). I also appreciated that the ending was equivocal in places, that there weren't a bunch of reversals of some of the events to happily-ever-after it up.
Three and a half stars, rounded up. I'm not a huge fan of UF, but I'll be reading the rest of these....more
The revolution that's been fomenting throughout the Court of Fives series comes to a head, and comes to its conclusion, largely due to a strategy deviThe revolution that's been fomenting throughout the Court of Fives series comes to a head, and comes to its conclusion, largely due to a strategy devised by Jessamy.
Here's another series that I'd like to love, more than I actually love. Here we have an author who's written adult SFF for years, making her first foray into YA, and my final response to it is: eh, it was all right. Whenever that happens, I feel a pang of regret.
There's seriously a lot to like here. The world-building is excellent. The two cultures in conflict--one aboriginal, the other colonizers--are distinct: their religion, their social strata, clothing, gender roles, all different from each other, delineated economically and vividly. Jessamy's a fun character, perhaps even more so because she's nearly my complete opposite. She's athletic, outgoing, and bold, never hesitant to draw attention or use others toward her own ends. The whole trilogy is quick-paced, thrilling, and fun to read, just what I'd hope for from a YA, and there's enough left open at the end to give the reader's imagination free rein after the final page. Sexuality is dealt with discreetly, and also without judgment or leering. Injury, pain and death are treated seriously, like the life-changing events they are, but aren't grimdark-ly dwelt upon.
(One obvious contrast that struck me is Jes' time imprisoned as a mine laborer, vs. Celaena's in the very early part of Throne of Glass. Jes witnesses starvation and sexual assault, and has a terrible infection as the result of taking a whip crack to the face. Celaena is more: "my hair got so scraggly and even worse, my boobs got smaller!")
Back to Buried Heart: on the downside, the bonds between Jes and the other characters, aside from her immediate family, didn't feel real to me. There were so many occasions where she came across someone she'd dealt with earlier in the series, treating them like a best friend, and my gut response was: "Who is this?" Her relationship with Kalliarkos never really gelled for me, either. Their athletic rivalry felt solid, especially in that very striking scene at the end of volume 1, but their love relationship, not really.
The thing that made this fall flat for me the most, is the one that's most difficult for me to express. This series never gave me a sense of wonder, or made me emotional. It didn't drift into being purely workmanlike, but it came close enough that I didn't feel like we could open our hearts to each other. Was it workshopped too much? Was it too beholden to its outline, not given permission to be messy or surprising? I have no idea! But that's the impression it left with me.
I'd recommend Elliott's Spiritwalker trilogy over this series, for YA readers as well as adults. It, uh, had permission to be messy. :D But it's also more fun than this one, and the characters are more memorable and appealing.
The Court of Fives trilogy won't be a keeper for me, but I'm definitely still up for reading more of Elliott's books. Spirit Gate will be the next one!...more
After having this book on my conscience for three weeks, I'm finally giving up.
Things that appealed:
- An enjoyable point of view character. SDNF @ 25%
After having this book on my conscience for three weeks, I'm finally giving up.
Things that appealed:
- An enjoyable point of view character. She had a tough past and was still willing to put herself in danger for her country. Although, is that something that a princess ought to be doing? - Writing that was engaging and easy to read. It's the kind of prose that I typically associate with YA, and it worked well here. - The story was fun. I was genuinely interested in seeing who was moving the plot behind the stolen gemstone, and why.
Things that weren't so great:
- Aggressive shallowness. Nothing goes beyond a surface level, including descriptions of trauma. - It was kind of cool that emotion was consistently expressed in similes and metaphors, both within Gemma's mind and when she was reading others' emotions. But after a while it was too intrusive and broke me out of the story. - Slipshod and lazy world building. It's one of those books that's supposedly set in a fantasy world, but if you look at it closely, people are living much like they do in the 21st century. You've got fantasy refrigerators, and fantasy light switches, and running water (with accompanying fantasy infrastructure, I guess?), and public education, and 8-hour work days, and easy access to a wide variety of food for people of all classes (fantasy logistics?). And no cars or guns, of course.
There might be times that I could enjoy a book like this, but this seems not to be one of them. Thanks--and apologies--to Harper Voyager for sending me a proof copy in a Goodreads giveaway....more
The first book of a prequel series to the Chronicles of Elantra, featuring Kaylin's partner/prop/stalker Severn Handred. Although it's a prequel, I doThe first book of a prequel series to the Chronicles of Elantra, featuring Kaylin's partner/prop/stalker Severn Handred. Although it's a prequel, I don't recommend it for newbies to this world. I'll post a more detailed review for my friends who are Elantra fans in the next day or two.
(Below!)
***
The Emperor's Wolves starts with Severn's recruitment into--as per the title--the Wolves of Elantra. Elluvian, the sole Barrani Wolf, has seen Severn more-or-less stalking Kaylin/Ellianne as she goes about town in the company of Barrani Hawks Teela and Tain. Impressed by Severn's ability to hide himself from the Hawks' Barrani senses, Elluvian asks Severn to join the Wolves. After a test or interview of sorts which involves a memory retrieval session with Ybelline of the Tha'alani, Severn is approved to join the Wolves and becomes a probationary private in the force. After that, the plot of the story starts: a mystery from 20 years ago showing its influence in the present, and involving both the Barrani and the Tha'alani.
To start with, I've read only four of the sixteen volumes of the Chronicles of Elantra. I say that this is not a friendly book for newbies in all seriousness, since I myself was pretty lost through a fair portion of the book, especially where the Barrani were concerned. There were representatives from like six different Barrani clans in the story, including Elluvian himself. None of them particularly distinguished themselves as characters vs. stereotypical Barrani, so I was confused--and somewhat bored--during the parts of the book featuring long, tense dialogue as they were questioned by the Elluvian-Severn partnership. I wonder if any of these Barrani are in books 5 through 16 somewhere, and long-term fans would recognize them?
In any case, in the long run Elluvian and An'Tellarus stuck out from the pack, and I hope to see more of them in future books. Elluvian in particular, I wonder about. He's been in the Wolves since their inception, and has seen many of them come, and go due to their early deaths. He's also a sort of outcast from the Barrani, seeming to have no family connections, but also not completely barred from the High Halls.
What about our nominal main character, Severn?
Oh yeah, that guy. :D
Well, if long-term readers are hoping to see more depth to him, they might be somewhat disappointed. I'd say that rather than gaining more depth, he's gained some solidity. In the main series, he has a reputation for fading into the background most of the time, and he still is a stoic, quiet character here. He doesn't seem to have any real character flaws. What I mean by him having more solidity is that I more strongly perceive him as a bulwark or protector. That is his main role, and his main motivation.
He kind of has the same thing going as Kaylin does in her series, where people like and admire him, and it's a mystery to the reader why they do. He's nowhere near the self-evident fool that Kaylin is, though, so it's a little easier to take.
How about the plot?
So far in the series, the "big" plots have been pretty literally forgettable for me: there's a lot of cool world-building, nominally getting us set up for a mystery, but in the end what we get is something like a boss battle in a video game, with a super-powerful villain whose magical might could overwhelm Elantra.
We don't have a balancing ultra-powerful character like Kaylin to handle this kind of threat in The Emperor's Wolves. I am happy to report that the mystery plot actually has a mystery-like conclusion, that also ties into some of the Tha'alani lore established in the other books. As mentioned, the pack of Barrani mid-book made things a little hard to follow, but it all worked out fairly well in the end.
Repetition II: the Repetitioning
One thing, among others, that makes Elantra a three-star series for me is the excessive repetition in the books. (Check out Gergana's series review for a great overview of the series' pluses and minuses, with adorable cartoon illustrations!) I can sort of understand it because they're marketed without volume numbers, but if this first "Wolves of Elantra" book is any indication, the repetition isn't doing a potential new reader any favors.
Internally to this book, we are reminded many, many times that Severn is a probationary Wolf. And of course, every single non-human character in the story has "mood eye" colors which are gone into in depth every time they're in a scene. Since this book focuses on Barrani and Tha'alani, there's a lot of hazel, green and blue. Over and over again. The Emperor shows up later in the book, which adds some orange.
Do you recommend this book for long-term Elantra fans?
If you don't completely hate Severn, yeah, go for it. One or two of the Wolves aside from Elluvian have some potential--Rosen in particular. While we don't learn a lot new about Elantra in this book (the world-building is one of the main series' greatest strengths, for me), the lore that's been built so far is used in an interesting way, and in the long run I feel "Wolves of Elantra" will solidify the world much like Severn's character was solidified in this book....more
I'm at the point that I can't let guilt keep me from DNF-ing audiobooks that I can't get a refund for. I've tried this one four or five times and haveI'm at the point that I can't let guilt keep me from DNF-ing audiobooks that I can't get a refund for. I've tried this one four or five times and have gotten maybe 20% of the way through before getting fed up and bored, every time. I've given it more than enough of a chance, I think. This type of fantasy just isn't for me....more
There's so much in this book that I typically don't respond well to, that I'm confused that I enjoyed it as much as I did. It was a pleasant surprise,There's so much in this book that I typically don't respond well to, that I'm confused that I enjoyed it as much as I did. It was a pleasant surprise, for sure!
One thing I expect from a fantasy trilogy is the exploration of a vividly realized world with a rich sense of place and history. There isn't much of that in Black Sun. Scenes on a small scale were really well done, various scenes in Tova and descriptions of delicious food being standouts, but the world as a whole is underdeveloped.
On top of that, I didn't get a sense of being rooted in a society very different from my own. There's a lot of what feels like 21st-century thinking here. Some of it's to the good, like nobody being misgendered or put into a sexual situation against their consent. Some of it's to the not-so-good, particularly in the use of very contemporary words or ideas like ego, adrenaline, "progressive" vs "conservative," etc.
But despite all this, I was drawn into Black Sun from the beginning and--a miracle of sorts in what's been an incredibly difficult reading year--I never once felt reluctant to pick it back up. There's something about Roanhorse's writing style that drew me in and kept me glued to the pages until the very end. I can't account for this at all, especially since I keep thinking of stuff that didn't quite work, like action scenes being too short and not having much visceral/emotional impact, everybody acting like an adolescent (whether in their intrigues or their romantic interactions), the ending being kind of off-putting by setting up catharsis and then yanking it away. It goes on and on!
Going back to the characters for a bit, though, I think they're part of what made this book so compelling. They aren't given the deeply emotional treatment that I prefer, for sure, but their essential isolation drew out my sympathy despite that. Even when they do things like mass murder (!). Serapio, trained from a very young age as the vessel of a god; Naranpa, the woman who started out as a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, and who finds herself in a position of worldly power she is by no means qualified to fill; Xiala, an outcast from her own society, and from the societies that she moves among. They're all victims of circumstance, to some extent, but they all have a fervent desire to live, to find connection in a world that is, to say the least, not inclined to coddle them or ensure they succeed.
Also, anything having to do with the crows was great. Yay, corvids!
I'm really interested in seeing where this series goes next. The blurb for the second book is available now, but I'm sure there are more surprises in store!...more
I enjoyed this story as an adjunct to Cho's short story collection, Spirits Abroad. Without that connection, I don't think I would have gotten as muchI enjoyed this story as an adjunct to Cho's short story collection, Spirits Abroad. Without that connection, I don't think I would have gotten as much out of it.
Guet Imm and Tet Sang are a good pair of characters. Guet Imm reads very similarly to Prunella from Sorcerer to the Crown: blithe, bluntly principled, and somewhat naive. Tet Sang becomes known to us mostly through the revelation of his secrets: a stolid, close presence in the central band of adventurers, I mean, "contractors," in a war-torn Malay peninsula. The fantasy element comes in the form of magic-wielding monks whose powers are used in service to others and gained through religious meditation.
On the whole, this story felt like a sketch, so its being in the form of a hardcover, with the expections that entails, somewhat does it a disservice. The characters, the world, and plot are pleasing, but on the whole this novella didn't have the impact I was hoping for. Cho is great at depicting relationships between women, and there isn't a lot of that here--the scene featuring (view spoiler)[the negotiations with (hide spoiler)] Yeoh Gaik Tin was one of my favorite parts of the story, and far too brief....more
Here we are at the fourth book in the long-running Chronicles of Elantra. This volume's slightly different in that there are two parallel storylines. Here we are at the fourth book in the long-running Chronicles of Elantra. This volume's slightly different in that there are two parallel storylines. In the first, Kaylin is a cultural consultant for an Imperial playwright who's composing a play intended to alleviate human fears about the Tha'lani, fears triggered by the sorcerous near-disaster that occurred at the end of the previous book. In the second, Marcus has been arrested and jailed for the murder of a friend of his. Mallory has taken his place at the Hawks' office, much to Kaylin's chagrin.
The first of these threads didn't work very well for me. Could a mob, motivated by fear, be made peaceful and accepting by a piece of entertainment? I have my doubts. I was also not convinced by Rennick as a playwright laureate. I'd think that one would have to be open-minded and compassionate to obtain that title in the first place, rather than having a redemption arc well after the fact.
The second thread was much more interesting than a simple murder case, intertwining Kaylin's background in Elantra with the ancient history of the Leontines, and--inevitably--strengthening her connection with ancient magic. We meet the "pridlea" headed by Kayala and Marcus (essentially a Leontine pride) that Kaylin lived with for a few years in between her youth in the fiefs, and her time as a Hawk. It will come as a surprise to no one who's read more than one or two of these that this plot eventually involves (view spoiler)[an incredibly powerful villain who endangers all of Elantra. (hide spoiler)]
Cast in Fury really did try my patience at times. All the stuff I've griped about in previous reviews for books in this series is in full force in this one. Certain sentence structures, even specific sentences, are repeated over and over and over and over. Severn continues to be a silent piece of scenery with a sword, seeming to have no real place in the story. (The narrative even calls this out two or three times!) And then there's people sitting around explaining the world to dumbass Kaylin for dozens, even hundreds of pages. She's profoundly, mind-bendingly ignorant... until the last 20% of the book when she becomes a super-powerful wisewoman.
But there are moments of pure brilliance in there, too. The worldbuilding is excellent! At its best, it's immersive and resonant, giving a lived-in sense of depth and breadth to Elantra as we learn about the various fantasy races, their culture and history. Not to mention the echoes of ancient magic in places like the fiefs, and the long-lived figures like Nightshade who inhabit them. At times--sadly rarely--there's a sense of intimate silence between Kaylin and Severn that makes me believe in some sort of permanent bond between them. (I can't expect this to turn romantic, for better or worse, so I have to accept it for what it is.) As the series goes along, Kaylin's circle of friends, family, and found family grows, and I'm becoming quite fond of them.
Sagara has always nailed the landing in these books, and this one's no exception. I got a little misty-eyed at the end of Cast in Fury, just as I did for the previous two books. If this ever falters, even once, I suspect my desire to continue this series will also falter. For now, I'm up for the next one, although as usual I'm going to need a few months' break, because I walk on a narrow line between love and hate with this series at times.
[Nothing to do with the story: I continue to dislike the covers of these books. (view spoiler)[Kaylin's runes, again, look like a crappy MS Paint job. The situation on the cover has absolutely nothing to do with what happened in the story. And what the hell is up with that silver lamé dress? The whole thing looks like it was thrown together in five minutes by someone who neither knows nor cares about the series. (hide spoiler)]]...more
Arrows of the Queen tells the story of Talia, a young girl from a repressive society who suddenly ends up being bonded with a magical horse called a CArrows of the Queen tells the story of Talia, a young girl from a repressive society who suddenly ends up being bonded with a magical horse called a Companion*. Rolan, the Companion, takes her to the capital city of Valdemar where she learns about her role as the Queen's Own Herald and gathers a group of friends around her.
*as in many fantasy novels of the time, Important Concepts are Capitalized.
I first read this book not long after it first came out, and was so drawn in I read all the way through the trilogy back-to-back, something I almost never do. How's it held up in the intervening 30 years?... the rating should tell most of the story.
Much of this novel was enchanting. Talia's an endearing character and it was easy for me to root for her. The descriptions were good, and there's an intriguing sense of a larger world, its magic and dangers and history, beyond its "present day" story and setting. I'm interested in seeing more of Talia's friends, like Skif, who work hard to break her reticence, and love and support her. The whole thing is mostly comforting and cozy.
At the same time, I'm not that excited about the writing style, which like many fantasy novels from its time period is heavy with exposition, written with very basic sentences and vocabulary. Only a handful of the supporting characters are memorable at all, and the rest are names without any particular character traits. A lot of the action, including a number of Heralds' deaths, either happens off-screen or is abruptly resolved, depriving those parts of the story of interest and immediacy.
This was Lackey's first published novel, so I'm willing to cut her some slack. She's had a long, prolific and successful career since 1987, and her budding skill as a storyteller shows even this early on. I'll keep on going with this trilogy, and see if I can get further into the huge Valdemar universe after that!...more
The scope of the series expands in this volume, both in time and in physical scale. Children are born, the No Peak Clan extends its financial influencThe scope of the series expands in this volume, both in time and in physical scale. Children are born, the No Peak Clan extends its financial influence into Espenia, and jade smuggling becomes an international trade that No Peak tries to keep under its control, or to repress when interests outside the clan sidestep its influence.
This book took quite some time for me to read. A friend or two even wondered why it was taking so long! It ended up becoming much like a serial or soap opera as I read along--palatable in short doses, somewhat exhausting beyond that. This slower pace kept on until about the 75% mark, and the rest went much faster.
Many of the riveting, personal-scale conflicts from the first book returned or were given more depth. Shae and Wen had excellent sequences in Jade War, including a couple that hit me to the heart. Anden's time in Espenia was great, too, and introduced some characters who I hope will carry over into the next book. Hilo went through some changes that will absolutely have repercussions later on. Themes of womanhood and familial obligation added weight to the ongoing drama.
Unfortunately, a lot of this volume was also spent setting up global situations and conflicts, and the next generation of Kauls. So many strategy and board meetings! So many babies! While mildly interesting in their own right, the exposition sequences also created a distance between myself and the book. An omniscient point of view isn't bad in itself, but too much detail of this kind can siphon the life out of it. While I'm not an editor who could point to exact chapters or scenes that bogged down Jade War's story, I definitely felt that sluggishness as a reader.
On the whole, this series seems like it will be a dynastic saga, with a new generation of Kauls inheriting the domestic conflicts of its progenitors, while also trying to find its place, survive, and thrive on a global stage. I preferred the more intimate scale of the first book--and the sequences in this book that hearkened back to it--and had only a mild interest in the rest.
There's a lot to like here, but if it had been quite a bit shorter it would have had a greater impact. As is, it had some extraordinarily good moments, though not enough to make me feel it lived up to the promise of Jade City. I'm still looking forward to the last volume, albeit with a lower level of hype-fueled expectation. Three and a half stars, rounded down....more
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