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glennisleblanc's review against another edition
3.0
The second book continues quickly from the previous book and plows right ahead with the scheming of the houses to come on top. This one also has the dragons dealing with schemes and plots and they are working on an alliance with the House Hawthorn. No matter what happens in the books past events always shape both people and future plans. Overall I enjoyed the book and the worldbuilding but for the most part no one ends up with a completely happy ending. I think it brings home the fact that the Houses provide safety in the world but not much happiness.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
tomlloyd's review against another edition
5.0
A subtle, breath-of-fresh-air novel capable of being elegant and nasty in the same breath. The pervading sense of decay and threat is a looming presence as we step a little further out of the Houses and onto the streets/in the river of Paris. Its very different to most fantasies I read and all the better for that, with none of the markers that would make me avoid an angel-urban fantasy novels. Having read book 1 I found this all just clicked much more easily into place in my brain, though there were the occasional details (such as size/population of House, circumstances of god or state of the rest of the world) that I couldn't recall whether I'd learned them in book 1, but none of that detracted from my enjoyment. Binding Thorns was far too well written for that to be a problem.
jaironside's review against another edition
5.0
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I probably did not get the full impact out of this book since I haven't yet read book 1 (sonething I will rectify) so I am coming at this a bit out of order. That said picking up the storybin the middle in no way damped my enthusiasm and enjoyment of this book. I love the world building and mythology. Madeleine and Phillippe are great characters and the narrative was character cyntric with sharp, elegant and sensory prose. The nasty aspects pulled no.punches either. In all this was an unusual book in the fantasy genre and a great take on angel fiction which can be rather twee but certainly wasn't here. Will get the seties in order and reread ready for book 3!
I probably did not get the full impact out of this book since I haven't yet read book 1 (sonething I will rectify) so I am coming at this a bit out of order. That said picking up the storybin the middle in no way damped my enthusiasm and enjoyment of this book. I love the world building and mythology. Madeleine and Phillippe are great characters and the narrative was character cyntric with sharp, elegant and sensory prose. The nasty aspects pulled no.punches either. In all this was an unusual book in the fantasy genre and a great take on angel fiction which can be rather twee but certainly wasn't here. Will get the seties in order and reread ready for book 3!
ishmael's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't like the reader. He gave most of the Vietnamese characters an "Asian accent" that sounded like a stereotype and made it hard to tell what they were saying. That definitely took away from my enjoyment.
I didn't feel for Philippe as I did in the last book but Madeleine was compelling, and I enjoyed the new additions of Francois and Thuan. I liked how things resolved with Asmodeus, definitely hadn't expected that. Lots of interesting moral grey areas.
I didn't feel for Philippe as I did in the last book but Madeleine was compelling, and I enjoyed the new additions of Francois and Thuan. I liked how things resolved with Asmodeus, definitely hadn't expected that. Lots of interesting moral grey areas.
graculus's review against another edition
4.0
Events in The House of Binding Thorns follow on pretty much immediately from the ending of the previous book ([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 I re-read just before starting this book since it had been a while since I first read it - the previous book stood up to re-reading but this one wasn't quite as impressive.
Anyway, hot off the difficulties experienced by House Silverspires in the previous book, including being taken over by an enormous banyan tree as part of an act of revenge by someone who the House's founder had betrayed and allowed to be killed, The House of Binding Thorns follows what happens to a couple of the characters we met previously as well as introducing some new ones.
Philippe, former dragon and exile in Paris, is one of them though he's mostly kicking around as a supporting character in this storyline, with more attention being paid to the fate of Madeleine. She's still finding her feet in her new/old House when she's sent on a mission to the dragon kingdom under the Seine, as Asmodeus is looking to make a marriage alliance.
The dragons are in trouble, though - their kingdom is ravaged by the same addiction that Madeleine had and the dragons suspect House Hawthorn is behind it. Meanwhile another House is taking advantage of the relative power vacuum left by the problems of Silverspires and trying to both oust Asmodeus and help rebels take over the dragon kingdom.
All in all, still an enjoyable read and enough going on towards the end of the story to keep me interested in finding out what happens next, though it does drag a little bit towards the middle. There's a whole sub-plot with Asmodeus' fellow Fallen which doesn't really go anywhere, except to get her into Hawthorn and doubtless set up future storylines and that's a little frustrating.
One other problem: the paperback edition I read had incredibly small print, like about 2 points smaller than usual. I do a lot of reading in bed and that was really hard to read for extended periods of time!
Anyway, hot off the difficulties experienced by House Silverspires in the previous book, including being taken over by an enormous banyan tree as part of an act of revenge by someone who the House's founder had betrayed and allowed to be killed, The House of Binding Thorns follows what happens to a couple of the characters we met previously as well as introducing some new ones.
Philippe, former dragon and exile in Paris, is one of them though he's mostly kicking around as a supporting character in this storyline, with more attention being paid to the fate of Madeleine. She's still finding her feet in her new/old House when she's sent on a mission to the dragon kingdom under the Seine, as Asmodeus is looking to make a marriage alliance.
The dragons are in trouble, though - their kingdom is ravaged by the same addiction that Madeleine had and the dragons suspect House Hawthorn is behind it. Meanwhile another House is taking advantage of the relative power vacuum left by the problems of Silverspires and trying to both oust Asmodeus and help rebels take over the dragon kingdom.
All in all, still an enjoyable read and enough going on towards the end of the story to keep me interested in finding out what happens next, though it does drag a little bit towards the middle. There's a whole sub-plot with Asmodeus' fellow Fallen which doesn't really go anywhere, except to get her into Hawthorn and doubtless set up future storylines and that's a little frustrating.
One other problem: the paperback edition I read had incredibly small print, like about 2 points smaller than usual. I do a lot of reading in bed and that was really hard to read for extended periods of time!
bentgaidin's review against another edition
4.0
I really appreciate that for all that these books are about fallen angels and the machinations of Houses, the best that they can do is shuffle the counters in a crumbling city. The victories are won by the lost and powerless, the broken and healing who manage to pick themselves up one last time and succeed by rejecting the games of power.
cassanette's review against another edition
4.0
Take what you need, kill the rest. How very like a House, or perhaps it was merely the language of power, spoken in different tongues but ultimately always the same.
★★★★¼
It's a really good book with many concepts thrown together. No, not thrown together, that suggests chaos and brute force, and the structure of The House of Binding Thorns is anything but. Very different threads are elegantly weaved together, by what I can only imagine is actual magic, into a whole that is coherent and rich. Bodard's prose is lyrical and haunting, it flows perfectly and stays with you after closing the book.
It offers, among others, thought-provoking commentary on the destructiveness of colonialism, depiction of a healthy sapphic relationship, pregnancy and motherhood, as well as dealing with addiction, struggle for power and a clash of cultures.
The characters were much more fleshed out this time around, in my opinion. Philippe remained my favourite but I also found myself caring a lot about Madeleine, who I didn't care that much about in the first book, and whose storyline here was emotionally raw and deeply satisfying. New characters were also well-developed and easy to root for. I loved the glimpse into the Annamite community - a strong contrast with the Fallen way of life.
imyril's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Any book that has me struggling not to squeak on public transport and then has me nearly miss my bus stop is going to get a big thumbs-up. I loved Aliette de Bodard’s introduction to her vision of a blasted, magic-torn Paris in The House of Shattered Wings and I delighted in the chance to return to it and peer into one of the darker Fallen Houses.
Madeleine is back in House Hawthorn, terrified of her future and unable to move on from her past. When Asmodeus makes it clear she can choose to die but not the manner of her dying, her fear drives her to once again swear allegiance. But can she be a faithful servant of House Hawthorn?
Philippe is living in the Annamite community, surreptitiously using his magic to heal and trying to avoid attention while he tries to find a way to resurrect Isabelle.
Asmodeus himself is seeking alliance with the dragon kingdom beneath the Seine, but the rong have their own issues: a rebellion and an insidious plague of addiction to angel essence. When his envoy disappears, he sends another - and Madeleine - to seal the deal.
We also meet new characters, get to know old enemies better and uncover unexpected secrets. I found this a gripping read from start to finish, just about approachable as a stand alone but all the richer if you have the context of House of Shattered Wings. The dragon kingdom and House Hawthorn are fascinating contrasts to Silverspires.
I look forward to whatever the future may hold for poor, battered Paris and her inhabitants.
Full review
I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Then I bought a copy and read it again.
Madeleine is back in House Hawthorn, terrified of her future and unable to move on from her past. When Asmodeus makes it clear she can choose to die but not the manner of her dying, her fear drives her to once again swear allegiance. But can she be a faithful servant of House Hawthorn?
Philippe is living in the Annamite community, surreptitiously using his magic to heal and trying to avoid attention while he tries to find a way to resurrect Isabelle.
Asmodeus himself is seeking alliance with the dragon kingdom beneath the Seine, but the rong have their own issues: a rebellion and an insidious plague of addiction to angel essence. When his envoy disappears, he sends another - and Madeleine - to seal the deal.
We also meet new characters, get to know old enemies better and uncover unexpected secrets. I found this a gripping read from start to finish, just about approachable as a stand alone but all the richer if you have the context of House of Shattered Wings. The dragon kingdom and House Hawthorn are fascinating contrasts to Silverspires.
I look forward to whatever the future may hold for poor, battered Paris and her inhabitants.
Full review
I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Then I bought a copy and read it again.
serenityribbon's review against another edition
5.0
This takes all the amazing elements of the first book, cleans up the elements that didn't work so well and combines them with new ones to make a corker of a book. The dragon kingdom was one of my favourite bits from the first book and it gets much expanded and elaborated on here. The PoV's are wonderful and I also liked how this book went more into the lives of those outside the house system. Asmodeus was more in focus here and I feel like I understand more about what makes him tick. And the power dynamics! I can't say too much without going directly into spoilers but the way de Bodard handles the power imbalance between Thuan and Asmodeus and how that changes over the book is some powerful writing done in a fairly short space.
tundragirl's review against another edition
5.0
These books are so beautifully written, it's like reading a dream.