Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

City of Bones by Martha Wells

4 reviews

library_rift's review

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

 
Thank you to Tor on NetGalley for the ARC of the revised version that I received. I’d been planning on reading this book earlier this year before I learned that Wells was releasing this new version. 
 
I really like sci-fi/fantasy books where archaeological/historical mysteries are central to the plot. It did take me nearly half the book to really get into it though. 
I’m not sure what it is about Wells’ fantasy writing that makes it difficult for me to connect and love in the same way I do Murderbot. And it’s not just because Murderbot is such a relatable character, I tend to like a lot of characters for their own merits that aren’t necessarily relatable to me. Or character that I hated and loved to hate and looked forward to if/when they died. But I had difficulty making any kind of emotional opinion on the majority of the characters for the first half of the book, which might be in part because there isn’t a lot of humour up until Khat kissed Elen just to piss Seul off (I enjoy it when main characters are little shits to assholes like Seul), and although humour isn’t a necessary part to a good story, I tend to enjoy stories more if there’s some kind of humour. 
 
With her worldbuilding, Wells left a lot of potential to explore more if she so chooses, but also gave us enough to feel like we understood it. As the disaster that left the world the way it is integral to the social and racial problems Khat has to deal with, but also the plot, Wells builds on it in a way that honest to humanity in general. The farther away from the disaster these people are, the less they know about it except for what they can find in historical texts. We learn more about it organically, not as an information dump except when they characters also learn something new, and the same applies to their magic. Although with Khat as our primary POV, we don’t get a whole lot of deep understanding as to how the magic in this world works, which I think is good because how the magic works isn’t important and I think would have taken away from the story as a whole. 
 
I always appreciate the outcome of a relationship to be honest to the characterizations established. So the fact that Khat and Elen aren’t involved at by the end, or are planning to be involved, is something I’m glad wasn’t forced. Just because a pairing has potential doesn’t mean it has to become something, especially since in the case of Khat and Elen there were a multitude of racial/social/personal issues already between them that meant that they weren’t necessarily a good pair. I’m glad Wells acknowledged that by having at least Khat be self-aware enough to voice his concerns when Elen brought it up. 
 
This isn’t a book you get into only because you liked Murderbot. It has a different style, a different feel, but if you’re willing to explore the range of an author, and you like the type of books this one falls under, then I definitely recommend giving it a read. 
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pvbobrien's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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maybelles's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Loved the world, the characters, the sand!
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carolined314's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A very unique world, with characters that I intuitively wanted to be friends with (and who would have hated me!). An intricate mystery that unfolds without presumptuousness. Just lovely.
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