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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Decades ago, the island kingdoms of Dara were reunited under a single banner by Emperor Mapidéré. A union born of bloodshed and constantly threatened by rebellion. But now that the emperor is on his deathbed, the rebellion grow, and the fragile union is on the verge of exploding.
It took me a good third of the book before I really got into The Grace of Kings. The problem (for me) in Epic Fantasies is the place the epic takes on the characters and/or world building. I was afraid it would be the case with this first book in The Dandelion Dynasty, but I’m happy to report that it was not.
Inspired by Chinese dynasties but with a steampunk twist through devices like airships and kites, the world building was very refreshing and unique. The use of these unusual devices also made the battles all the more fascinating in a fantasy book where the magic is very subtle. The fantastical elements can be found in the intervention of the Gods and the use of hallucinogens but are there, nonetheless.
The cast of characters is huge! And I must admit that I forgot most of them and probably missed a few. But Ken Liu did a breath-taking job with all of them. Apart from the two main characters, Kuni and Mata (which I will talk about later), all the others are supporting but without once feeling two dimensional. Liu took great pains to tell all of their stories and goals and how each of them impacted the plot, whether in a big or small way.
Now Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu, our main characters. The first one is a low-born bandit dreaming of a better life, and the second a noble man, last of his clan seeking revenge. They have nothing in common except their goal, to lead their own rebellion and make Dara a better place. Yet a strong relationship develops between the two men and delivers a very complex relation that might change the course of the war.
My only real complaint is the representation of women in this book. We have very few of them despite the large cast of characters. However, this book is far from being sexist. There is no doubt that this book is heavily inspired by historical events, and we all know how women were viewed back then. Ken Liu really tries to put a feminist spin on it by bringing awareness to his characters and adding strong women, especially in the second half of the book.
It still felt a little short on the positive representation of strong women, but I’ve heard the second book made up for that, and with the Marshal's introduction in the last third of the book, I'm even more interested in reading more. I was also very surprised by how well the pace was handled. Juggling between back stories and present battles, Ken Liu does a fantastic job at keeping the reader engaged and intrigued.
It took me a good third of the book before I really got into The Grace of Kings. The problem (for me) in Epic Fantasies is the place the epic takes on the characters and/or world building. I was afraid it would be the case with this first book in The Dandelion Dynasty, but I’m happy to report that it was not.
Inspired by Chinese dynasties but with a steampunk twist through devices like airships and kites, the world building was very refreshing and unique. The use of these unusual devices also made the battles all the more fascinating in a fantasy book where the magic is very subtle. The fantastical elements can be found in the intervention of the Gods and the use of hallucinogens but are there, nonetheless.
The cast of characters is huge! And I must admit that I forgot most of them and probably missed a few. But Ken Liu did a breath-taking job with all of them. Apart from the two main characters, Kuni and Mata (which I will talk about later), all the others are supporting but without once feeling two dimensional. Liu took great pains to tell all of their stories and goals and how each of them impacted the plot, whether in a big or small way.
Now Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu, our main characters. The first one is a low-born bandit dreaming of a better life, and the second a noble man, last of his clan seeking revenge. They have nothing in common except their goal, to lead their own rebellion and make Dara a better place. Yet a strong relationship develops between the two men and delivers a very complex relation that might change the course of the war.
My only real complaint is the representation of women in this book. We have very few of them despite the large cast of characters. However, this book is far from being sexist. There is no doubt that this book is heavily inspired by historical events, and we all know how women were viewed back then. Ken Liu really tries to put a feminist spin on it by bringing awareness to his characters and adding strong women, especially in the second half of the book.
It still felt a little short on the positive representation of strong women, but I’ve heard the second book made up for that, and with the Marshal's introduction in the last third of the book, I'm even more interested in reading more. I was also very surprised by how well the pace was handled. Juggling between back stories and present battles, Ken Liu does a fantastic job at keeping the reader engaged and intrigued.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-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
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Beautifully written book, incredibly creative world building, lots of god-human interactions within an epic tale and lots of winding perspectives. You need to be prepared to zoom in (two brothers sharing a drink) and out (gods discussing the history of the land) a lot. Very excited to read the next one!
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was a nice book and at times it was a great book. But so many things happened out of shear stupidity and bad communication of minor or major characters, or unexplained or slightly explained lapses of character it broke the suspension of disbelief too many times. On top of that amount of betraials is a bit to high for my contact. Also some amount inconsisteties which resulted in some ex machinas... I can see that at least betraial part will be very present in the next boon so i am in doubt if i want to read it or not
adventurous
slow-paced
Some great parts, but it dragged. Too many battles. Lots of characters. Some I really connected with and wanted more of. Many I didn’t care about and could’ve skipped. The many sections of the book felt disjointed. Beautiful world building. I think this could have been broken out into a few separate books to fully explore everyone/everything it touched on so briefly.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes