Scan barcode
katieinca's review
5.0
It's not often I like a sequel better than a first book, but I *loved* this book while I only liked [b:Swordspoint|68485|Swordspoint (Riverside, #1)|Ellen Kushner|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320445792s/68485.jpg|1453593]. And the Neil Gaiman Presents audio production is top notch. Felicia Day, for pete's sake! - although not enough of her.
crimsoncor's review
4.0
Had previously rated this a 5, but that was 15 years after I had actually read it. It isn't that I don't love this book. I really did love it. Having re-read Swordspoint right before it opened up whole new avenues in this book, as the stuff with St. Viers came which so much more emotional baggage. So why only 4 vs 5. To me it really has to do with the ending. (and I really recommend reading The Death of the Duke short story before this book because it helps pull all the pieces together) . Super excited to move on to The Fall of Kings, which I somehow never read and then the two seasons of the Tremontaine serial.
Spoiler
I 100% get what Kushner was doing with this ending. There is some real literary finesse going on here. She sets up Death of a Swordsman was the popular view of how sword stories end and then goes about ruthlessly subverting it. It is brilliantly done from a story-telling perspective. But, as a reader who really wanted to see Kat hit more people with her sword, the lack of even a single transcendent moment for her really left me sad. The blunt brutality of the Ferris murder followed by the Alec just exiting stage rightSpoiler
felt real. And i know, I always agitate for worlds that feel real in fantasy. But I think that giving Kat her one shining moment of glory would have felt so much more satisfying, even if the book ended the exact same way.noodletheriddle's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Trafficking, and Pedophilia
laurentined's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
4.0
More bisexuals doing sword duels: Her Edition. I wish the resolution of relationships had ended up a bit different but I will be excited to see what kind of cast the author and her wife collaborated on in the third book.
Katharine's exploration of her gender and sexuality are relatively lighthearted and innocent as things go—aside from the one particular content-warning-worthy plot point. The fact that she bonds with Artemisia over loving a play, a nod to fandom culture in a way, is very cute. It's just a lot of teen girlisms as they all figure out their place in society and what they consider worth fighting for.
I don't think Swordspoint is mandatory reading before this one, but there are certain plot points that have added depth with that context. The superstitions around a swordsman going to view that particular play aren't repeated in this book, nor are Alec's motivations around democratizing the concept of personal honor really given—which really adds a layer to his desire to see Katharine as a swordswoman. Alec is a more sympathetic figure in general if you have his backstory to reference.
In all, just as enjoyable as the first in a very different way.
Katharine's exploration of her gender and sexuality are relatively lighthearted and innocent as things go—aside from the one particular content-warning-worthy plot point. The fact that she bonds with Artemisia over loving a play, a nod to fandom culture in a way, is very cute. It's just a lot of teen girlisms as they all figure out their place in society and what they consider worth fighting for.
I don't think Swordspoint is mandatory reading before this one, but there are certain plot points that have added depth with that context. The superstitions around a swordsman going to view that particular play aren't repeated in this book, nor are Alec's motivations around democratizing the concept of personal honor really given—which really adds a layer to his desire to see Katharine as a swordswoman. Alec is a more sympathetic figure in general if you have his backstory to reference.
In all, just as enjoyable as the first in a very different way.
fingerguns45's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
feralratgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
rainbowcircus's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
meshuggeknitter's review
I listened to it on audio and found the sound effects extremely distracting. Also, there were 2 main narrators, including the author, which was fine, but then there would be additional actors speaking the various parts which was confusing because sometimes it was an actor reading the dialogue and other times it was the narrator.
thebetterstory's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
An absolute delight of a book. I enjoyed Swordspoint, but I loved The Privilege of the Sword. It has less of Swordspoint's elegance and atmosphere, but the characters grew on me far more quickly and the plot was much easier to follow and care about due to that.
I would die for Katherine. With her, Kushner out here answering the question we all should have been asking, "What if Anne of Green Gables had a sword?" I hope she lives to a ripe old age stabbing all the terrible men in the city while reciting bad romantic verse about it. Her romantic plotlines and exploration of her sexuality were sweet and well handled as well.
I was also deeply touched by how Kushner handled the travails of being a teenage girl in a world that sneers at the idea of their agency while still holding up an affectionate mirror to all the melodramatic tendencies they have. There's joy and fierce tenderness in the way the book celebrates the teenagers being teenagers, and never makes light of the seriousness of the issues in their lives even as it pokes gentle fun.
Similarly, the novel deals beautifully with the topic of fandom and its intersection with adolescence. The scene whereArtemisia has been raped and Katie finds her in the aftermath, quoting lines from the book that they both love and recognize to comfort her, struck me as particularly lovely. Love for a shared piece of media—a melodramatic, romantic piece of pop culture written for teenage girls! — gives the characters strength, motivation and a less horrific way of reframing the terrible things that happen so that they can become tolerable instead of unbearable. It's a powerful way of showing why even "silly" fiction matters, and it made me love this story all the more.
The story is hampered slightly by the ending, which comes on far too quickly and ends far too conveniently to feel earned. It is hard, however, to complain about seeing all the characters I loved getting their deserved happy ending, so I won't whine too much.
I would die for Katherine. With her, Kushner out here answering the question we all should have been asking, "What if Anne of Green Gables had a sword?" I hope she lives to a ripe old age stabbing all the terrible men in the city while reciting bad romantic verse about it. Her romantic plotlines and exploration of her sexuality were sweet and well handled as well.
I was also deeply touched by how Kushner handled the travails of being a teenage girl in a world that sneers at the idea of their agency while still holding up an affectionate mirror to all the melodramatic tendencies they have. There's joy and fierce tenderness in the way the book celebrates the teenagers being teenagers, and never makes light of the seriousness of the issues in their lives even as it pokes gentle fun.
Similarly, the novel deals beautifully with the topic of fandom and its intersection with adolescence. The scene where
The story is hampered slightly by the ending, which comes on far too quickly and ends far too conveniently to feel earned. It is hard, however, to complain about seeing all the characters I loved getting their deserved happy ending, so I won't whine too much.