Reviews

The Winged Histories by Sofia Samatar

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ultimatecool's review

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adventurous challenging medium-paced

4.0

inaccuratefun's review

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4.0

The writing is beautiful. I liked the characters much more than in A Stranger in Olondria & there's more plot but she just does not write page turners.

dms's review

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5.0

http://dms.booklikes.com/post/1414564/review-the-winged-histories

likeaduck's review

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5.0

why is it over, I want to know what happens next.

Sofia Samatar's work is a revelation. Her prose has only become richer and more assured between her debut novel and this follow-up. The Winged Histories gives the stories of four women whose stories are linked by the events that shape them (and that they help to shape). The contexts of the complicated class and national histories the inform these women is described in such clear detail that I feel that I know them all, their histories and their inner realities. Amazing, incredible, lush, emotionally rich, politically fascinating, this is one of the most satisfying novels I have picked up in ages. It begs the reader in each moment to consider how histories are created, and the costs and inequalities behind how we all must fight to be a part of history, however it gets written

gay's review

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

em_reads_books's review

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4.0

Definitely a book to read with the expectation of beautiful poetic writing, intense scenes and short pieces, and an incredible sense of place and culture - but no expectation of following an overarching plot. It does something A Stranger In Olondria did exceptionally well: tell the story of an epic imperial war via characters who aren't the heroes, who are at the edges of the action. Less marginal than Jevick in Stranger, for sure, but involved in much more subtle ways than your typical fantasy hero.

So if you go in expecting that, there is a lot to love here. "But what haaaaaappened exaaaactly" is something I get stuck on easily with books like this, but I knew what I loved about Stranger and went into this looking for the same thing rather than for plot.

I would not recommend reading this without having read Stranger - you can, but I feel like Stranger did a lot of the heavy lifting in building the world.