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mallorypen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-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? It's complicated
4.0
Woooooooof what a ride this was - the writing made me think of a mix between fairytale and a dream. This felt like listening to an oral history, in both how the core story was presented and in the second-person narrative outside the inverted theater.
The highlights for me:
- This style of storytelling felt comforting, even when the subject matter got gory or disturbing. It gave the same sense as listening to a folktale, where some of the details feel nonsensical to a modern audience and you find yourself looking for and finding familiar archetypes despite some of the weirder concepts. Gods and goddesses, the anthropomorphic elements of moon and water, the heroes and antiheroes, the pacing of a journey - it all could have been told around a campfire. I also felt like the entire first song from Aida could have been applied to this story (every story, new or ancient, beggar tale, or work of art, all are tales of human failings, all are tales of love at heart).
- Keema of the Dwari tribe. What a stellar character! I did guess thatthe tribe wasn’t real but his reasons for the lie were heartbreaking and sweet. He was my favorite kind of hero - flawed, but ultimately so good. I love rooting for a good guy.
- the PURPLE BIRD. That full-circle arc was incredibly satisfying. In fact, there were several times where a callback was made and I would think to myself that this is a story that knows itself and its outcomes VERY well.
- the questionable morality of literally everyone but Keema. The moon was selfish; the tortoises were complicit as much as they were victims; the Terrors were awful but also understandable. The emperors - all of ‘em - were downright horrific, but things didn’t magically get better when their dynasty was removed.
- the framing narrative of the inverted theater and the fact that we never really knew who the narrator was, or where the old country was. I also loved the dreamlike quality - that also proved to be godlike - in that we got snippets of everyone’s thoughts as the narrative mentioned background characters.
The drawbacks:
- this was a loooooong story. I don’t think it could be shorter and still have the same impact, but it was a lot to get through.
- the deus ex machina was good (because it IS a love story) but it was also a deus ex machina. Literally.
- the entry into the story was confusing; it worked insofar that it had a dreamlike logic to it, but I spent more time than I wanted to wondering when the plot would show itself. Some of that is definitely on me as a reader, but it was something I noted early on.
- though I enjoyed the story and rated it highly, this isn’t something I can see myself picking up again to read for pleasure.
The highlights for me:
- This style of storytelling felt comforting, even when the subject matter got gory or disturbing. It gave the same sense as listening to a folktale, where some of the details feel nonsensical to a modern audience and you find yourself looking for and finding familiar archetypes despite some of the weirder concepts. Gods and goddesses, the anthropomorphic elements of moon and water, the heroes and antiheroes, the pacing of a journey - it all could have been told around a campfire. I also felt like the entire first song from Aida could have been applied to this story (every story, new or ancient, beggar tale, or work of art, all are tales of human failings, all are tales of love at heart).
- Keema of the Dwari tribe. What a stellar character! I did guess that
- the PURPLE BIRD. That full-circle arc was incredibly satisfying. In fact, there were several times where a callback was made and I would think to myself that this is a story that knows itself and its outcomes VERY well.
- the questionable morality of literally everyone but Keema. The moon was selfish; the tortoises were complicit as much as they were victims; the Terrors were awful but also understandable. The emperors - all of ‘em - were downright horrific, but things didn’t magically get better when their dynasty was removed.
- the framing narrative of the inverted theater and the fact that we never really knew who the narrator was, or where the old country was. I also loved the dreamlike quality - that also proved to be godlike - in that we got snippets of everyone’s thoughts as the narrative mentioned background characters.
The drawbacks:
- this was a loooooong story. I don’t think it could be shorter and still have the same impact, but it was a lot to get through.
- the deus ex machina was good (because it IS a love story) but it was also a deus ex machina. Literally.
- the entry into the story was confusing; it worked insofar that it had a dreamlike logic to it, but I spent more time than I wanted to wondering when the plot would show itself. Some of that is definitely on me as a reader, but it was something I noted early on.
- though I enjoyed the story and rated it highly, this isn’t something I can see myself picking up again to read for pleasure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Body shaming, Child death, Gore, and War
Minor: Sexual content
yomireads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
How can such a dense and confusing prose style be so emotionally evocative and lush at the same time?? I almost want to lower my rating to reflect how difficult it sometimes was to follow the narrative, but the story being told was done so powerfully and evoked such profound moments of introspection that I ultimately found my gripes to be disingenuous.
Told through a shifting perspective that begins in second person, readers know they're in for something off-beat from page one. Adapting to the writing style took me a long moment, and even by the end I had to be actively engaged in the text to keep track of the POVs and the relevance they added to this epic quest/war/political unrest story. We track our spear's path across this epic fantastic landscape, coming to know and love the two men accompanying the journey as their goals entangle together.
Lush with descriptive metaphor and imagery, it's not anything close to what I would consider something bingeable. I would recommend consuming this novel piece-meal as thay allows for reflection on the lessons that can be taken from the narrative and the unique theatrical impact the writing takes.
I was also floored by the characters, and the complex nature of growth, pain, guilt, love, resentment, shame, and duty (to name a few themes) play in creating a person. I having a disabled character who was disadvantaged but strong in the face of it, and particularly respected the way his backstory was handled, in that he was shown as more than what he lacked. He was represented as a whole, even when others disagreed.
Check those content warnings, however, because there is a lot to be wary of. Cannabilism plays a large part in the plot of this book.
Told through a shifting perspective that begins in second person, readers know they're in for something off-beat from page one. Adapting to the writing style took me a long moment, and even by the end I had to be actively engaged in the text to keep track of the POVs and the relevance they added to this epic quest/war/political unrest story. We track our spear's path across this epic fantastic landscape, coming to know and love the two men accompanying the journey as their goals entangle together.
Lush with descriptive metaphor and imagery, it's not anything close to what I would consider something bingeable. I would recommend consuming this novel piece-meal as thay allows for reflection on the lessons that can be taken from the narrative and the unique theatrical impact the writing takes.
I was also floored by the characters, and the complex nature of growth, pain, guilt, love, resentment, shame, and duty (to name a few themes) play in creating a person. I having a disabled character who was disadvantaged but strong in the face of it, and particularly respected the way his backstory was handled, in that he was shown as more than what he lacked. He was represented as a whole, even when others disagreed.
Check those content warnings, however, because there is a lot to be wary of. Cannabilism plays a large part in the plot of this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Cannibalism, Death, and Excrement
Moderate: Body shaming and Confinement
bittennailbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
4.5
This is a love story to its blade-dented bone
This book changed my DNA. A frustrating, devastating, and blood soaked love story dedicated to fantasy lovers everywhere.
Two warriors are tasked with the impossible as they haul a dying mother god through the corrupt lands of her tyrannical children in hopes of stopping their reign once and for all. It holds no punches as it drags you hog tied through each gory act written like a play and told through the ever changing proverbial "I". As gory as the "Poppy Wars" and lyrical as "The Starless Sea", this is your next read for fantasy lovers everywhere. I repeat, read this book now!
This book changed my DNA. A frustrating, devastating, and blood soaked love story dedicated to fantasy lovers everywhere.
Two warriors are tasked with the impossible as they haul a dying mother god through the corrupt lands of her tyrannical children in hopes of stopping their reign once and for all. It holds no punches as it drags you hog tied through each gory act written like a play and told through the ever changing proverbial "I". As gory as the "Poppy Wars" and lyrical as "The Starless Sea", this is your next read for fantasy lovers everywhere. I repeat, read this book now!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Body horror, Death of parent, Excrement, Blood, Genocide, Grief, Ableism, Murder, Confinement, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Abandonment, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Homophobia
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