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honnari_hannya's review against another edition
2.0
I give these two stars with a heavy heart, as I was poised to like everything about this. I just want to first say that don't want to discourage anyone from giving this a try if they really want to; perhaps it will be for you even though it wasn't for me. It definitely was a quick read and had a queer story at the center of it. Unfortunately, I don't think this novella fulfilled the promise of either the romance of Howl's Moving Castle or the political intrigue of The Goblin Emperor. Perhaps because it was too short, but even then, I found a lot of it so frustrating that I had to force myself to get through the last half of the book though it wasn't much.
Both romances were entirely too rushed. I understand the need for brevity in a novella, but never once did I get a sense of why anyone liked one another, especially to the point of potentially giving up their kingdom or incurring the censure of their court. They were also just unfulfilling, and didn't carry the emotional intensity I expected given that much of the arc of this novella involves two princesses from enemy empires who fall in love. It felt like lip service whenever Thanh would say how much Eldris saw her or how Eldris valued her, and given the ending that might be intentional, but then none of this story makes much sense.
The political aspects of this book were also...just plain bad. I'm sorry to say that the politics were thin, and something that could've been solved with a conversation or two. If your high politics can be undone by the threat of exposing an affair, then the stakes were incredibly low.
The writing was wonderful and perhaps I will pick up another book by Aliette de Bodard, but maybe I'll see if they have any longer works since this was not for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Both romances were entirely too rushed. I understand the need for brevity in a novella, but never once did I get a sense of why anyone liked one another, especially to the point of potentially giving up their kingdom or incurring the censure of their court. They were also just unfulfilling, and didn't carry the emotional intensity I expected given that much of the arc of this novella involves two princesses from enemy empires who fall in love. It felt like lip service whenever Thanh would say how much Eldris saw her or how Eldris valued her, and given the ending that might be intentional, but then none of this story makes much sense.
The political aspects of this book were also...just plain bad. I'm sorry to say that the politics were thin, and something that could've been solved with a conversation or two. If your high politics can be undone by the threat of exposing an affair, then the stakes were incredibly low.
The writing was wonderful and perhaps I will pick up another book by Aliette de Bodard, but maybe I'll see if they have any longer works since this was not for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
joana_stormblessed's review against another edition
1.0
I don't know what this was but I did not care one single bit for it. I don't know if it was my mood or what, but I ended up skimming some passages because I simply did not care.
maddielloyd's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
There was nothing wrong with this. Just nothing happened. Girl once upon a time was in a fire then fell in love with a bully. Bully shows up after girl goes home and wants to marry. Girl finds out magic spirit girl set fire forever ago and has been following her ever since. Fire spirit loves girl and saves girl from bully. They all lived happily ever after. 😴
chaojareon's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
honeypunk's review against another edition
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
From a novella, there was too much crammed in a short amount of time. Characters felt shallow in the fact that they just... felt confusing and lifeless. The MCS decisions did not make sense with me and there was too much happening, leaving not enough things to feel developed or believable.
The romance felt unbelievableespecially the romance with Giang. MC is in love with someone, then realises the fire is a spirit and ... I guess begins to fall in love with her? It made no sense to me. This could have been done without the romance with Giang.
The romance felt unbelievable
book_benagachi's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
monstergirlreading's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
cupiscent's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
A sharp and satisfying but very slender little piece. I really liked the world, and Thanh's journey, but I also wished there was more to it. Some of the emotional developments, in particular, I felt didn't have the weight behind them that they could if more space and depth had been given to them. Perhaps my brain has just been trained to the pacing of traditional novel length, but here I am, with that brain.