Reviews with content warning for Colonisation - The Traitor Baru Cormorant

This is a compliment: The last twenty percent of this book made me want to scream. The way Dickinson seeded the reveal, just enough to barely rouse suspicion at first, and the way it all started adding up, terrible but unstoppable. I sometimes felt like I was watching someone start building a cage, only to suddenly understand that they're building it around themselves. God, it was almost unbearable, so effectively constructed.

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bloodbrooxv's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

As a revenge trope truther, i LOVED this book.
The worldbuilding was thrilling and I adored all of the political intrigues, even tho i felt a bit lost with all of the names and plot threads (probably because I'm not a native speaker).
Baru was such a compelling and complex character to follow, especially towards the end. Her conflict is realistic and speaks volumes when we consider how colonialism is the main theme in this novel. The other characters were a bit flat, but I particularly liked both Tain Hu and Murie Lo.
The thing that bugs me the most about this book is probably the fact that it prefers telling you things rather than showing you, which isn't always necessarily bad. For example, even tho the other characters' motivations are clearly stated in the story, we don't really see how the consequential events play out, but rather we get to know about them through Baru.
Overall i really loved this book, the ending BROKE ME and i can't wait to read the second one.

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strawberrybex's review

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4.0

Ooh there’s a lot that’s really great abt this book. I had slightly mixed feelings abt some of the pacing, but by in large a solid read.
please do look through the trigger warnings though! they are very real. and like add on pretty extensive discussions of eugenics (as like a mechanism of the big evil empire but. thorough and frequent)

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third_bookworm's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense slow-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

5.0

This book makes me unwell. It's so, so well done and also so upsetting. Really excellent in many ways. This was my second time reading it, and like all my favorite books it truly hits differently the second time through.

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outlawbri's review

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

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lktx's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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? Yes

5.0

The Traitor Baru Cormorant is an adult fantasy novel that follows Baru Cormorant, Imperial accountant for the Masquerade (excuse me, Imperial Republic of Falcrest), during her time in Aurdwynn. The book starts in her childhood, on her home island of Taranoke, through her time in a Masquerade school, and then focuses on the years in Aurdwynn. It starts more on the bureaucracy and economy of colonization and rebellion, but in the end, can't avoid the need for outright war.

First: THAT ENDING. As soon I realized what was happening, all the pieces Dickinson laid clicked into place. It wrecked me in the best way and was the right ending for Baru's character. The best description I've read for Baru is that it puts the Red Wedding to shame, but Dickinson managed in a way that has me desperate to know what is going to happen next.

Second: The world is hard and uncomfortable. The Masquerade is unflinchingly hateful against gay men and lesbians and will expend every tool in its arsenal to push it's "hygenic standards." They are also proponents of biologically determined theories of race and eugenics.

I also really enjoyed Baru as a character. She's complex, intelligent, and singularly focused. She's also young and many of her choices seem appropriate for someone young and inexperienced.

I listened to the audiobook version and narrator, Christine Marshall, did a fantastic job not only portraying Baru, but built tension in the right places and helped draw attention to pieces that readers needed to know, but might not realize.

The Traitor Baru Cormorant was wonderfully executed, kept my interested, and gave me an ending I don't think I'll be able to stop thinking about. It's easily one of my top reads of the year. I couldn't get my hands on the next book fast enough.

Pros:
- Strong voice for Baru and her narration style wonderfully fits her character.
- Complex plot that the author provides clues for the ending, but I still didn't see it coming.
- Deep world, deep characters, deep story. I was so invested in everything.

Cons:
- There were a few threads that Baru offered that I didn't feel were resolved (WHAT IS IN THE WELL?), but I assume that will come later in the series.
- It was a dark book, which wasn't a problem for me, but rather something to be aware of.

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