Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

King of the Rising by Kacen Callender

2 reviews

sapphicreaderlucy's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

If I had to describe this book in two words: dark, reflective. This book tackled super heavy topics that the adult fantasy genre often avoids like slavery and colonialism. I really enjoyed the complex political intel we got from the main character and the point of view of his Kraft (magic gift) in the story. However Loren as a character I found a little bit boring. I found to be a little bit clueless in a way that was frustrating to read. I enjoyed the parts where we got to see Sigourney’s character the most. I could definitely see how this book would be unlikeable, it’s a complex one to even recommend given how dark this story is. I also think if you are bothered easily by “telling not showing” writing, then this book probably isn’t the one for you as this book does that a little bit. I enjoyed this personally even given it’s extremely dark nature. I enjoyed learning more about history through the genocide descriptions that were based off realities of colonialism and slavery. It is an important and often overshadowed history because of the deep evil of it all, but it’s important to confront these histories and the reality of the oppression it creates, even in the context of a historical fiction sci fi fantasy. 
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ehmannky's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This series is such an intense and hard read. This one in particular because Callender makes it fairly clear early on that this revolution is doomed to fail, that all of the enslaved people who rose up (and a fair number who did not) are going to die, and that the entrenched power structure is going to continue and only be slightly less stable. I think that can make it seem like, well what was the point of this book? What was the point of the death and the revolution and the fighting? I liked that Loren, Malthe, Sigourney, and even Marieke are all fundamentally unsuited for the revolution's success because they are, at their heart, unable to let go of their own ego and subsume themselves for the greater good of the islands. They are too selfish, too caught up in their own desires of superiority and desire to mark themselves as different and better to lead successfully.  I think that the emphasis on fighting for your freedom and the freedom of those who don't even exist yet is valuable and good, no matter the results. That a failed revolution today is the seeds of a successful one tomorrow. That even if it wasn't perfect yet, it still can be. And that maybe the next group of people who fight are going to be the ones who get it right. 

At the end of the day, these are books that are more about the deep effects of slavery on the enslaved than the revolution itself. How it twists people's minds into accepting themselves as lesser, pits those who should be allies against one another, and how the worst of the physical scars carve themselves into people's minds. We spend so much time in people's heads and getting exposition because that's where the marks of slavery and trauma are invisible, but they profoundly shape a person. A remarkable book. 
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