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gardens_and_dragons's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
This was a very atmospheric book about the story of Mehr, a young woman who is the illegitimate daughter of nobility, her mother being of a people the empire is hunting down. She goes a lot through her hardships - arranged marriage, prejudice, abuse by a religious figure of the empire, amongst other things. I think the only thing preventing me from rating higher is that the plot beyond the main relationship is not the most memorable, and a bit guessable - but overall very solid.
This was a quiet book more about her growth into a woman that can use her innate magic to call on the gods and shape their dreams, instead of just a tool for the empire to keep their political power. Not much happens plot wise, much is done via conversation, the rites (dances) she performs, and introspection.
One thing that helps lend her strength is through her respect, then friendship the eventual romantic relationship with her husband. Amun was a stranger to her when they married, as it was arranged by the powers that be to keep her, and therefor her magic, under control. He is a quiet man that lived a terrible life and is without hope for escape until they work together to free themselves and their people.
This was a quiet book more about her growth into a woman that can use her innate magic to call on the gods and shape their dreams, instead of just a tool for the empire to keep their political power. Not much happens plot wise, much is done via conversation, the rites (dances) she performs, and introspection.
One thing that helps lend her strength is through her respect, then friendship the eventual romantic relationship with her husband. Amun was a stranger to her when they married, as it was arranged by the powers that be to keep her, and therefor her magic, under control. He is a quiet man that lived a terrible life and is without hope for escape until they work together to free themselves and their people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Abandonment
Moderate: Colonisation and Xenophobia
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
karatics's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Grief, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia
Minor: Cursing, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Classism, and Abandonment
rbash2391's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The worldbuilding was difficult for me to understand at first, but as the story progresses and we hear more about the lore from different characters, you get an understanding of the magic system. Mehr is the descendant of an exiled, persecuted, nomadic people who are blood-related to the ancient spirits and gods. They perform dances called rites with specific movements and hand-signing to communicate a story. Mehr, as a noblewoman and daughter of the governor, is able to make the choice about who and when she wants to marry. As an Amrithi, she should not marry, because vows are bonding in a way that can be painful or fatal if broken, but she is forced to choose marriage by a group of followers of the country's spiritual leader. If she doesn't choose to marry the mystic who offers to her, it could put her family and especially her child sister in danger. She chooses to marry and is ripped from her comfortable, secure noblewoman's life to travel across the desert with her new husband to the stronghold of the emperor's spiritual leader, the Maha. His keep rests upon the part of the desert where the gods sleep, and he has a plan to force Mehr into service for the empire.
This book is really fraught with familial pain and abandonment. It was very angsty and bleak but not for the sake of it. Mehr is given the illusion of choice, which is a theme throughout this story. She learns there is one person besides herself that she can trust, and consciously chooses not to take advantage of that relationship. This choice is noble and intelligent and pays off for her, as the relationship with the stranger who becomes her husband is genuine and a source of safety, comfort, and rest.
There is an obvious bias in this world against hte Amrithi people, who are darker-skinned, and the Maha has bound Amun, Mehr's husband, through magic. It is a form of enslavement, and while the Maha takes advantage of children who are outcasts, pariahs, and in need of community, none moreso than Amun. He is labeled and treated as a monster from his early years on, and the Maha brands Amun with painful vows that force him to the Maha's will. Mehr's use of Amrithi magic during a dreamfire storm identifies her as having magical abilities and therefore a perfect match for the Maha to bind to Amun, and thus to the Maha's service, through the vow of marriage.
Each character is given a choice or the illusion of such in this story and their decisions reflect what they value. Mehr chooses to marry Amun because she believes that will protect her family, without knowing who Amun is or that she will be vowed to serve the Maha who intends to use her for sacrilege. Mehr chooses to leave Amun and the Maha, and fight against her vow, although it causes her a lot of suffering to do so. Even though it's painful, she fights for her freedom and to not be used as a pawn towards the Maha and Emperor's ends. Finally, she chooses to return to Amun to protect and release him from his enslavement. Mehr uses her leverage over the Maha, who begins to physically decline after their choice not to perform the rites that keep him immortal and in power.
Amun has no choice but to obey his vows to the Maha, or die and suffer throughout eternity. The Amrithi long have a history of choosing death over this kind of servitude, but it is still a choice. He chooses to circumvent the Maha's demand to consummate the marraige, acting under a semantic loophole to protect Mehr and reduce harm. And when they are finally compelled to consummate the marriage, Amun makes the choice to do so rather than allow his vows to dictate his actions, only after Mehr gives him permission. I hesitate to say that she consented, because consent cannot be present when you are under compulsion or duress, which was the case for both of them. In the end, when Mehr insists that he choose his future apart from their marriage, he is finally free of his vows and still chooses to court Mehr in a traditional way so that their relationship isn't completely founded on the vows to the Maha and each other.
Mehr's mother chose to abandon her illegitimate children with their governor father when they were young. She leads a group of Amrithi through the desert; when Mehr finds her mother after escaping the Maha, she is able to return to the Maha to save Amun, against her mother's wishes. Her mother tried to take away that choice from Mehr in order to save their tribe.
Lalita chooses at first to live as a courtesan, hiding her identity as Amrithi, because she wants to live life on her terms. Then she must abandon that farce and return to the desert when her identity is revealed. We don't have to scorn her for hiding her heritage, because it's something she must do for survival and acceptance into the life she wants, but she still subjugates the society that rejects her by teaching Mehr the rites and being that mentor and mother figure.
The Maha takes away everyone's choices through vows, manipulation, and forced servitude. He even takes away the gods' choices by enslaving Amrithi to perform the Rite of the Bound to direct the dreams of the gods to his bidding. In this is his hubris and demise: that he would enslave and mistreat others to seek eternal life and power, but in his final moments choose to release Amun from his vows. This is perceived as a weak, mortal choice, punishable by death at the hand of the most loyal follower of his cause, who could not stand to see her sister be victim to anyone less than a cruel god. Kalini would rather his evil deeds and ambition be the fate of legacy and legend rather than a pathetic, frail mortal.
This book is really fraught with familial pain and abandonment. It was very angsty and bleak but not for the sake of it. Mehr is given the illusion of choice, which is a theme throughout this story. She learns there is one person besides herself that she can trust, and consciously chooses not to take advantage of that relationship. This choice is noble and intelligent and pays off for her, as the relationship with the stranger who becomes her husband is genuine and a source of safety, comfort, and rest.
There is an obvious bias in this world against hte Amrithi people, who are darker-skinned, and the Maha has bound Amun, Mehr's husband, through magic. It is a form of enslavement, and while the Maha takes advantage of children who are outcasts, pariahs, and in need of community, none moreso than Amun. He is labeled and treated as a monster from his early years on, and the Maha brands Amun with painful vows that force him to the Maha's will. Mehr's use of Amrithi magic during a dreamfire storm identifies her as having magical abilities and therefore a perfect match for the Maha to bind to Amun, and thus to the Maha's service, through the vow of marriage.
Each character is given a choice or the illusion of such in this story and their decisions reflect what they value. Mehr chooses to marry Amun because she believes that will protect her family, without knowing who Amun is or that she will be vowed to serve the Maha who intends to use her for sacrilege. Mehr chooses to leave Amun and the Maha, and fight against her vow, although it causes her a lot of suffering to do so. Even though it's painful, she fights for her freedom and to not be used as a pawn towards the Maha and Emperor's ends. Finally, she chooses to return to Amun to protect and release him from his enslavement. Mehr uses her leverage over the Maha, who begins to physically decline after their choice not to perform the rites that keep him immortal and in power.
Amun has no choice but to obey his vows to the Maha, or die and suffer throughout eternity. The Amrithi long have a history of choosing death over this kind of servitude, but it is still a choice. He chooses to circumvent the Maha's demand to consummate the marraige, acting under a semantic loophole to protect Mehr and reduce harm. And when they are finally compelled to consummate the marriage, Amun makes the choice to do so rather than allow his vows to dictate his actions, only after Mehr gives him permission. I hesitate to say that she consented, because consent cannot be present when you are under compulsion or duress, which was the case for both of them. In the end, when Mehr insists that he choose his future apart from their marriage, he is finally free of his vows and still chooses to court Mehr in a traditional way so that their relationship isn't completely founded on the vows to the Maha and each other.
Mehr's mother chose to abandon her illegitimate children with their governor father when they were young. She leads a group of Amrithi through the desert; when Mehr finds her mother after escaping the Maha, she is able to return to the Maha to save Amun, against her mother's wishes. Her mother tried to take away that choice from Mehr in order to save their tribe.
Lalita chooses at first to live as a courtesan, hiding her identity as Amrithi, because she wants to live life on her terms. Then she must abandon that farce and return to the desert when her identity is revealed. We don't have to scorn her for hiding her heritage, because it's something she must do for survival and acceptance into the life she wants, but she still subjugates the society that rejects her by teaching Mehr the rites and being that mentor and mother figure.
The Maha takes away everyone's choices through vows, manipulation, and forced servitude. He even takes away the gods' choices by enslaving Amrithi to perform the Rite of the Bound to direct the dreams of the gods to his bidding. In this is his hubris and demise: that he would enslave and mistreat others to seek eternal life and power, but in his final moments choose to release Amun from his vows. This is perceived as a weak, mortal choice, punishable by death at the hand of the most loyal follower of his cause, who could not stand to see her sister be victim to anyone less than a cruel god. Kalini would rather his evil deeds and ambition be the fate of legacy and legend rather than a pathetic, frail mortal.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment and Suicide
pyrojack's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Violence, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Racism, Physical abuse, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Bullying
Moderate: Blood, Genocide, Death, and Colonisation
Minor: Abandonment and Alcohol
sayhar13's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
_fallinglight_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Okay I did like this book though it took a big chunk of it to happen. The story takes its time to simmer introducing Mehr's life her mother's abdonment, the strife with her stepmother over her little sister and how she does everything in her power to still be near her, the discrimination of the Amrithi, and how Mehr has learned to survive in a lonely and secluded household. That slows it down a lot and I struggled. But I really liked Mehr as a character, she's strong willed, compassionate, doesn't feel sorry for herself, and has a strong sense of doing what is right. I liked how she is proud of what she's learned as a noblewoman and even though sometimes the uselessness of growing up as one showed up (not knowing how to sew etc) she didn't let it shame her and rather owned it.
Now, the world building, the set up to the Amrithi power and the dreamfire and the daiva, was so rich and unique. I was really in awe of the concept of dreamfire so much I'll admit I had a hard time following the writing in some points because I was so enraptured trying to imagine how it would look like. It's been a long while since I've actively tried to picture something I'm reading in my mind bc usually it's just words but blank in my mind. Once we get to the crux of the story and Amun is introduced the story finally takes way and I immediately started to get attached to him. He's literally dreamy. Now as for the villain, the Maha took a while to creep me out but the writing makes sure he bore into my bones and when he confronted Amun and Mehr about the consummation he finally made my skin crawl and I wanted to throw up. Even though he's beyond human when we first meet him, the ordinariness of his violence was what made him even more sickening.
But back to lighter notes, I really loved how Mehr and Amun's relationship developed and the night they finally become one was so tender and hurting and emotional and a little traumatic bc of how it came to be but they made it their choice. Their own. It hurt but it also bloomed. I have no complaints about the ending and how the conflict was resolved. I saw Kalini killing the Maha the moment he killed Hema and though it wasn't exactly for the right reasons, I'm glad she did it and I was right. The scene with Mehr and Elder was so fantasy excellence. The description of the veil, the dagger, so incredible. And the ending was exactly how I wanted it to be. This book might not suit a lot of people's tastes; it certainly took a lot of me to keep going and not dnf it because it's in a style I don't usually read, more focused on the intricacies of the characters than a driving plot with more action. The writing pace might be off putting and there's a lot of points where it does get a little monotonous and certain phrases and words are repetitive but in the end I'm glad I got to the end and enjoyed a unique tale. I'll definitely be thinking of dreamfire for weeks to come.
Now, the world building, the set up to the Amrithi power and the dreamfire and the daiva, was so rich and unique. I was really in awe of the concept of dreamfire so much I'll admit I had a hard time following the writing in some points because I was so enraptured trying to imagine how it would look like. It's been a long while since I've actively tried to picture something I'm reading in my mind bc usually it's just words but blank in my mind. Once we get to the crux of the story and Amun is introduced the story finally takes way and I immediately started to get attached to him. He's literally dreamy. Now as for the villain, the Maha took a while to creep me out but the writing makes sure he bore into my bones and when he confronted Amun and Mehr about the consummation he finally made my skin crawl and I wanted to throw up. Even though he's beyond human when we first meet him, the ordinariness of his violence was what made him even more sickening.
But back to lighter notes, I really loved how Mehr and Amun's relationship developed and the night they finally become one was so tender and hurting and emotional and a little traumatic bc of how it came to be but they made it their choice. Their own. It hurt but it also bloomed. I have no complaints about the ending and how the conflict was resolved. I saw Kalini killing the Maha the moment he killed Hema and though it wasn't exactly for the right reasons, I'm glad she did it and I was right. The scene with Mehr and Elder was so fantasy excellence. The description of the veil, the dagger, so incredible. And the ending was exactly how I wanted it to be. This book might not suit a lot of people's tastes; it certainly took a lot of me to keep going and not dnf it because it's in a style I don't usually read, more focused on the intricacies of the characters than a driving plot with more action. The writing pace might be off putting and there's a lot of points where it does get a little monotonous and certain phrases and words are repetitive but in the end I'm glad I got to the end and enjoyed a unique tale. I'll definitely be thinking of dreamfire for weeks to come.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Torture
achingallover's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, and Violence
sophiemeink's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I love fantasy and I love a fantasy romance.
This is quite a slow fantasy but I quite enjoy slower ones at times. It is the story of Mehr as she is the daughter of an imperial governor and an exiled Amrithi mother. The Amrithi are treated poorly by society as their magic is persecuted leading to the diminishing of their community throughout the kingdom. During a night where Mehr uses magic, the emperor's feared mystics are drawn to her and after some events she is forced to join them through a marriage. We get to see her navigate all these events and what it might cost her and the kingdom.
One thing I noticed about this book was how it took a little while to get to the events, like it was 100 pages until what would be considering the main event from the synopsis to happen but through doing so we got to know Mehr, the world, the people and why this was such an emotional thing for Mehr to go through so it definitely had its strength through doing this but I think people going in should expect a slow-paced fantasy.
As we got to follow Mehr’s perspective, it meant we got to see her thoughts and plans. It really felt like you were going on this journey with her as she was faced with problems and dilemmas involving different people you could really feel her struggle with what to do and what was right to do. It was really nice to feel so close to the main character. Plus, it was high stakes as the story wasn’t afraid to take away and make it harder for her.
“Like it or not, survival was not a noble cause. It was a necessity.”
“She was no more than human, no more than that, and that would have to be enough.”
The next thing was the marriage that was forced upon Mehr, I think sometimes in these plots it can be quite hard to balance the importance of choice and pressure with the actual romance if there is going to be one so the romance can still feel natural and progressive. But I thought that this story handled all of this really well and put a lot of effect into developing not only the progression but what the situations meant for them and really valued and emphasised choice. I think the main relationship was definitely one of the strengths of this book, it kept me invested and I felt like there was an interesting dynamic between the two that continued to shift and evolve making it seem realistic and pure.
"Those were small things, but at least they were good things."
Amun was a good character and I liked seeing him open up so we could see different sides to him, especially as he always had such a strong, caring side. He was the broody male character but done really well and really sweetly so I loved that.
The villain and plot were interesting. I liked that we got some closeness to the villain even though it was horrible in our main character’s perspective. But through the use of her fear and dread it helped you as a reader to fear him too. I thought he was a really good villain who was explored throughout the novel; why he did what he did, how he wanted to be perceived, how he acts when he loses control and the different things that led to the end. It wasn’t cut down to one fight, it felt more like a descent and I really liked that. The villain was also strongly linked to the plot and Mehr as she had to deal with the consequences for the world, so I thought that was interesting and added a layer to the book.
“His evil was born from his humanity.”
I, also, really liked the magic as it used dance rites and the way you had to train made it different to what I have typically seen in books and I imagine it would be amazing to watch (so fingers crossed for an adaptation to come).
I think this book had a lot of concepts that reflect reality by the real pain and emotions that were felt due to society’s structure, so I think it definitely added a deeper level to the book.
“to be treated in large and small ways as less than entirely human…
The kind of torture had the strength to shatter anyone.”
And, finally, the writing was really stunning throughout this book. It had a kind of flawless grace to it which I admired. I loved the way it built up characters, emotions and the world with its depth. I thought the prose was really great as well, and this is a debut so I can’t wait to see more from Suri.
★★★★
A really good fantasy especially for people looking for a slower fantasy romance. I’m really glad I picked it up. The only reason it isn’t a five star is because it is a little drawn out and as much as this had some strength to it, at times it felt like I would have enjoyed it more if it had a faster pace.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Self harm, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
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