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formtruthregret's review against another edition
4.0
I read this because, well, I read the first book in this series and I loved it. I was especially drawn by the promise of focusing on Madeleine, one of the protagonists of the first book, who I found particularly intriguing.
Now, looking back at it... It's strange, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what to say about it. It was good, obviously. I tore through it in a single night and cheerfully paid the price of the lack of sleep that engendered. Still... I can't think of anything coherent to say afterwards. So here are a few bullet points.
So basically, I was super into this book, I'm super into the characters, and I await the announcement of a sequel.
Now, looking back at it... It's strange, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what to say about it. It was good, obviously. I tore through it in a single night and cheerfully paid the price of the lack of sleep that engendered. Still... I can't think of anything coherent to say afterwards. So here are a few bullet points.
- Lots of awesome returning characters! I will admit that I was deeply fascinated by the increasing depth given to Asmodeus. As a character, he's definitely modeled in a certain mode that I associate strongly with a certain flavor of anime villain, for some reason. And de Bodard does an amazing job with that archetype. She doesn't stint on his cruelties and flaws, but also doesn't stint on his loyalties and generosity. He is vicious and cruel but he's not capricious -- and that makes him utterly fascinating.
- Thuan's really exciting as a new character. I loved his introduction, the way he navigates the world, his bad romance with Asmodeus. At the end of the novel he made an impetuous, idealistic decision... And I want to see how it turns out.
- Oh, Madeleine. I'm glad that she finally managed to have a breakthrough and move on. And yet the realization that allows her to do so is strangely heartbreaking, the idea that the best she can do to move forward is to believe that Asmodeus won't hurt her without a reason. In a way it's capitulation to the predation of the Houses: she hasn't escaped in any way, she's just found a way to live with her situation.
- Hooray for more dragon politics! I desperately want to see how Thuan's decision will echo through the kingdom of the Seine. I hope they're in the next book, if there is one. i'm sure there are still many loose ends related to Fallen/dragon relations...
- Philippe's subplot was great. His anger, his desperation, his need. And Isabelle's return! I was not expecting it to happen this quickly, so that should be...interesting. What will happen when House Silverspires finds out? Also, why is Phillippe's ritual different from Asmodeus'? Could he repeat it? So many questions...
- Berith and Francoise were utterly heartbreaking. Though I wonder about Berith, as I don't remember the whole "domain/dominion" thing from the first book, and the other Fallen don't seem to have similar purviews for their power. I wish we had gotten more Berith and Asmodeus reconciliation stuff. I'm so glad that they got a happy ending of a kind, but I'm afraid for them, too. What will happen to House Hawthorn now...
- Overall, great plot momentum. Started off wondering how all the bits would fit together and then watched in amazement as it was all woven together in a smashing conclusion. Masterful stuff. How do you even plan that kind of thing?
So basically, I was super into this book, I'm super into the characters, and I await the announcement of a sequel.
deadgoodbookreviews's review against another edition
4.0
Full review up on my blog: http://bit.ly/2r5Hvwh
Aliette De Bodard has a way of creating atmosphere that very few other authors have. She creates this alternative version of Paris that makes me wish I had any artistic ability whatsoever because I would love to paint it. Something about her descriptions and her writing style just conjures these really powerful images and intense feelings I just can’t pick it apart it is so captivating.
What I will critique, even though I don’t want to get negative because I really enjoyed this book (in fact, these books) is I don’t think she is a particularly wonderful storyteller. I got to a point where I wasn’t actually sure who was on the side of whom and what precisely was happening. I mean I understood the major plot arks but there were quite a few intertwining stories that never really made complete sense to me. But that is the only reason this book didn’t get five stars from me. I think it would require a re-read to really get to grips with the plot and I’m the kind of person that likes to know what is going on from one pass.
Back in to the positives, this book, as does the first book, tackles some real-world issues in a fantasy setting quite well. The main example I could mention is addicition. The story of Madeleine, an alchemist addicted to Angel Essence is moving and at times hugely frustrating, which is what makes it so powerful. This isn’t a fairytale story of miraculous recovery, it’s far more real than that.
There’s also a character who specifically states he is interested in more than one gender which is thrilling, as well as multiple same-gender pairings which fills my heart with joy. It was nice that this wasn’t the entire scope of the novel it was just a feature of the characters in the context of the wider plot.
So yes, I cannot fault De Bodard’s writing style, in fact I adore her prose. My one issue is her storytelling, but I may be being overly picky. Perhaps, if my TBR ever diminishes slightly, I’ll be able to read it again and fully get into the story.
My rating: 4/5 stars
Aliette De Bodard has a way of creating atmosphere that very few other authors have. She creates this alternative version of Paris that makes me wish I had any artistic ability whatsoever because I would love to paint it. Something about her descriptions and her writing style just conjures these really powerful images and intense feelings I just can’t pick it apart it is so captivating.
What I will critique, even though I don’t want to get negative because I really enjoyed this book (in fact, these books) is I don’t think she is a particularly wonderful storyteller. I got to a point where I wasn’t actually sure who was on the side of whom and what precisely was happening. I mean I understood the major plot arks but there were quite a few intertwining stories that never really made complete sense to me. But that is the only reason this book didn’t get five stars from me. I think it would require a re-read to really get to grips with the plot and I’m the kind of person that likes to know what is going on from one pass.
Back in to the positives, this book, as does the first book, tackles some real-world issues in a fantasy setting quite well. The main example I could mention is addicition. The story of Madeleine, an alchemist addicted to Angel Essence is moving and at times hugely frustrating, which is what makes it so powerful. This isn’t a fairytale story of miraculous recovery, it’s far more real than that.
There’s also a character who specifically states he is interested in more than one gender which is thrilling, as well as multiple same-gender pairings which fills my heart with joy. It was nice that this wasn’t the entire scope of the novel it was just a feature of the characters in the context of the wider plot.
So yes, I cannot fault De Bodard’s writing style, in fact I adore her prose. My one issue is her storytelling, but I may be being overly picky. Perhaps, if my TBR ever diminishes slightly, I’ll be able to read it again and fully get into the story.
My rating: 4/5 stars
riverwise's review against another edition
3.0
I was not quite won over by the first book in this series. Sometimes, it was a struggle, but there was enough there to make me want to read the next volume. And here it is. Sadly, I have much the same reaction, and I could almost copy my previous review over. Once again, there are a lot of machinations and intrigues that our characters are only partly privy to, if that, meaning that the first half of the book ends up as a load of disconnected scenes where nothing much seems to happen. We spend a lot more time in the dragon kingdom under the Seine this time, which is a good thing, as it is evocatively described and a genuinely unsettling location, fishscales and all. This stands in contrast to the Paris of the books, which should be a real winner - one of the most beautiful cities in the world ruined by magical war, peopled by enigmatic Fallen angels? I'm in. But somehow, this just doesn't come across on the page. It should be the defining feature of the books, a landscape that becomes a character like Gormenghast, but it is annoyingly vague throughout. This and its predecessor are decent books, but they could have been great, and they fall short of that. A frustrating read, but not a futile one.
lizshayne's review against another edition
4.0
This one is somewhere between a 3.5 and a 4, but I enjoyed it significantly enough more than its predecessor that I'm giving it a four. Not that the first book was bad. But the characters in this one felt far more alive and I found myself significantly more invested in what was happening and to whom. I also remembered literally nothing from the first book, which made the beginning a bit confusing, although manageable. This books feels like it stands on its own--although I may be wrong--and I'm glad I chose to read it.
Also, babywearing ftw.
Also, babywearing ftw.
pastadisasta's review against another edition
5.0
Another slice of Gothic fantasy from Aliette de Board. A shift in focus as the reader is carried deeper into the Dragon Kingdom, and the intrigues that lie at the heart of House Hawthorn.
Dragons, fallen angels, and the mortals that are forced to survive in a world still reeling from a war long past.
Dragons, fallen angels, and the mortals that are forced to survive in a world still reeling from a war long past.
metafiktion's review against another edition
5.0
I loved the original, and I loved this one even more. While my heart ached for more Emmanuelle, Madeleine and Philippe were absolutely the right characters to stay with, especially thrust as they were into new...ish circumstances. (I want a standalone book—I'll even take just a chapter!—on Samariel though. Dude has added so much to the plots and texture of both books yet gets so little page time.)
The book is told from Madeleine and Philippe's perspectives as well as that of a handful of new (and wonderful) characters. The central mystery is such that you can start piecing it together from the various fragments uncovered by the different characters, in contrast to that of [b:The House of Shattered Wings|23601046|The House of Shattered Wings (Dominion of the Fallen, #1)|Aliette de Bodard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1431963046s/23601046.jpg|43203048], which relied on an unguessable deepening of the magical plot. [b:The House of Binding Thorns|27693272|The House of Binding Thorns (Dominion of the Fallen #2)|Aliette de Bodard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1469032191s/27693272.jpg|47690322] also more directly engages with colonial history—specifically, the British Opium Wars in China, mapped onto French interference into Vietnamese political society—and I was fully immersed in it even without being particularly familiar with either of these histories (or, for that matter, the geography of Paris, which lends heavily to the mood and setting) but I imagine the reading experience would be much different if I were.
It's also a lot queerer than the last book! Queer characters are everywhere and often central to the story, sometimes in plot-affecting ways, but without everything being just about their queerness. I loved Françoise and Berith in particular, even if the nature of Berith's powers and predicament was never entirely clear to me.
I don't know if [a:Aliette de Bodard|2918731|Aliette de Bodard|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1261567215p2/2918731.jpg] is planning another book in this world, but I'd definitely read it if she were. And most importantly: S a m a r i e l. Just think about it.
The book is told from Madeleine and Philippe's perspectives as well as that of a handful of new (and wonderful) characters. The central mystery is such that you can start piecing it together from the various fragments uncovered by the different characters, in contrast to that of [b:The House of Shattered Wings|23601046|The House of Shattered Wings (Dominion of the Fallen, #1)|Aliette de Bodard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1431963046s/23601046.jpg|43203048], which relied on an unguessable deepening of the magical plot. [b:The House of Binding Thorns|27693272|The House of Binding Thorns (Dominion of the Fallen #2)|Aliette de Bodard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1469032191s/27693272.jpg|47690322] also more directly engages with colonial history—specifically, the British Opium Wars in China, mapped onto French interference into Vietnamese political society—and I was fully immersed in it even without being particularly familiar with either of these histories (or, for that matter, the geography of Paris, which lends heavily to the mood and setting) but I imagine the reading experience would be much different if I were.
It's also a lot queerer than the last book! Queer characters are everywhere and often central to the story, sometimes in plot-affecting ways, but without everything being just about their queerness. I loved Françoise and Berith in particular, even if the nature of Berith's powers and predicament was never entirely clear to me.
I don't know if [a:Aliette de Bodard|2918731|Aliette de Bodard|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1261567215p2/2918731.jpg] is planning another book in this world, but I'd definitely read it if she were. And most importantly: S a m a r i e l. Just think about it.
glaiza_echo's review against another edition
5.0
I know that I've fallen for a fantasy series when I find myself ensnared by the second book.
A dark slow burning urban fantasy feat. queer fallen angels and a queer Vietnamese dragon prince with magic and rival houses in post-apocalyptic Paris. Thuan is my new favourite dragon prince and character, so I need the next book asap.
Full review to come.
A dark slow burning urban fantasy feat. queer fallen angels and a queer Vietnamese dragon prince with magic and rival houses in post-apocalyptic Paris. Thuan is my new favourite dragon prince and character, so I need the next book asap.
Full review to come.
daneekasghost's review against another edition
4.0
Really good. Lots of moving parts that come together in a satisfying finale.
clacksee's review against another edition
5.0
Madeleine is an addict who’d rather not recover. Thuan is a spy. Françoise and her wife Berith are about to have a baby. Philippe is a doctor and something … other. Asmodeus is one of the Fallen and head of the House of Hawthorn.
Each of them is just trying to get on with their lives. None of the wants to get caught up in someone else’s grand scheme.
But whose scheme is it? And where will it end?
This is an excellent story with a diverse ensemble cast of characters. No one is perfect, but every last one of them is well developed and compelling.
Each of them is just trying to get on with their lives. None of the wants to get caught up in someone else’s grand scheme.
But whose scheme is it? And where will it end?
This is an excellent story with a diverse ensemble cast of characters. No one is perfect, but every last one of them is well developed and compelling.
paladinjane's review against another edition
3.0
Just like with the first book, I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, this is a fascinating, unique world with cutthroat politics and diverse people groups, and that's fun to read. On the other hand, I still can't bring myself to care about the characters, which seriously dampens the thrill factor. I wanted to like this much more than I actually did.