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sailfin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
verkisto's review against another edition
3.0
Updraft is a book that's been on my radar for a while, but I've never gotten around to picking it up (so much to read...). Shortly after I joined Audible, I saw that this title was the deal-of-the-day, and it was hard to resist it at such a low price.
The story is about Kirit Densira, a resident of the bone towers, and daughter to a well-known trader. A young woman, Kirit is hoping to pass her flying tests so she can become a trader like her mother, but an event early in the novel gains attention from the Singers, the law-enforcement group among the towers. Soon, Kirit has to choose between the life she has always wanted, and saving her family and friends. Her choice leads her to discover some of the secrets of their city, and what that means to everyone who lives there.
Updraft seems like a well-told story, even though it borrows from tropes familiar to most fantasy readers. I don't need something original every time I read a book, but it seems like the story is one we're all familiar with, set against a unique backdrop, of a society that lives among the clouds. The bone towers are just that: living towers made of bone, with the residents continually rising higher and higher in those towers as the lower levels fill in and eliminate any possible living space. The main method of travel is flight, though there are bridges, made of bone and sinew, built between the towers for residents who can't or don't fly.
Kirit feels realized, as do the relationships she has with other characters. In fact, Kirit didn't feel realized to me without those relationships. There was an extended scene where Kirit is alone, overcoming great adversity, and while I felt like I was there with her when she did, it felt almost insubstantial against her doing the same when other people were involved. Her character felt more defined by her friendships than alone, though I don't see that as a fault of the character.
It felt like the story took a long time to get going, though that could have been because I was listening to the book and not reading it, and I was only listening to it about a half-hour at a time. Its focus changed about a third of the way into the book, almost too neatly; Wilde needed Kirit to cut all ties with her old life before moving on to the next, and did so without much subtlety. The story became more interesting at that point, but I wish there had been a bit more development to how she had to end those relationships.
Wilde creates a vivid world, and takes time to show us all the aspects of living life in the sky. She could have just mentioned that most people fly from place to place, but instead she spends time giving us the rudimentary mechanics of how they fly. The thing is, she tells us about these towers made of living bone, but doesn't tell us how or why this came to be. They live so far up in the sky that they're above a persistent layer of cloud; I expected some point in the novel to give us some clues how that came to be, but it never happened. It doesn't feel like the story is set on Earth, but the characters are human, not naturally adapted to flight, so something had to have happened to force them upward.
Updraft is the first book in a trilogy, and I was a little hesitant going in because books in series rarely have self-contained stories anymore. I think Wilde did a good job containing the story here, while also giving us glimpses into where the story will go from here. Incredibly, it reminded me a bit of how the Wayward Pines series got started, since here we have a character who has to discover the big secret, and that learning it just opens up larger conflicts. Luckily, this is far better written than those books, but it does make me worry that the next two books will be a single story broken across two volumes.
Compared to Life Debt, Updraft is a more streamlined audio production; it lacks sound effects and music, which I found to be distracting in Life Debt, and the narrator, Khristine Hvam, didn't stress the narrative the way Thompson did in the other book. Overall, the presentation here is more in line with what I was expecting, and it makes the story easier to follow and understand.
That being said, the names are strange, not just because this is a fantasy novel with unusual names, but also because I was hearing them spoken aloud instead of seeing them in print. I swear, at one point I thought a character's name was TseTse, like the flies, and given the way the society has a fixation on flight and birds, it might even be her name. Additionally, near the end of the novel, characters who are traders are mingling with characters who are traitors, and it got a little confusing.
I feel like I missed a lot of the details of this story, having listened to it instead of reading it. It's easy to lose focus on the narration when driving in traffic, and the way I listen to audiobooks, I don't have a way to back up by a minute or so to rehear things. In most cases, it wasn't that big of a deal, but I missed a key point about the conclave, and a reveal involving the main character. I still caught the main gist of each section, but had I been reading the book, I could have jumped back and re-read a paragraph or two to get a better understanding. In addition, the story has a lot worldbuilding, and I feel like I needed a better focus to get a clear picture of the world.
I'm intrigued enough to want to read the next book in the series, but I think I'll opt to read it this time. For all the detail I feel like I missed, and for how the story ended, I think I need to be able to pay closer attention to the story from here on out.
The story is about Kirit Densira, a resident of the bone towers, and daughter to a well-known trader. A young woman, Kirit is hoping to pass her flying tests so she can become a trader like her mother, but an event early in the novel gains attention from the Singers, the law-enforcement group among the towers. Soon, Kirit has to choose between the life she has always wanted, and saving her family and friends. Her choice leads her to discover some of the secrets of their city, and what that means to everyone who lives there.
Updraft seems like a well-told story, even though it borrows from tropes familiar to most fantasy readers. I don't need something original every time I read a book, but it seems like the story is one we're all familiar with, set against a unique backdrop, of a society that lives among the clouds. The bone towers are just that: living towers made of bone, with the residents continually rising higher and higher in those towers as the lower levels fill in and eliminate any possible living space. The main method of travel is flight, though there are bridges, made of bone and sinew, built between the towers for residents who can't or don't fly.
Kirit feels realized, as do the relationships she has with other characters. In fact, Kirit didn't feel realized to me without those relationships. There was an extended scene where Kirit is alone, overcoming great adversity, and while I felt like I was there with her when she did, it felt almost insubstantial against her doing the same when other people were involved. Her character felt more defined by her friendships than alone, though I don't see that as a fault of the character.
It felt like the story took a long time to get going, though that could have been because I was listening to the book and not reading it, and I was only listening to it about a half-hour at a time. Its focus changed about a third of the way into the book, almost too neatly; Wilde needed Kirit to cut all ties with her old life before moving on to the next, and did so without much subtlety. The story became more interesting at that point, but I wish there had been a bit more development to how she had to end those relationships.
Wilde creates a vivid world, and takes time to show us all the aspects of living life in the sky. She could have just mentioned that most people fly from place to place, but instead she spends time giving us the rudimentary mechanics of how they fly. The thing is, she tells us about these towers made of living bone, but doesn't tell us how or why this came to be. They live so far up in the sky that they're above a persistent layer of cloud; I expected some point in the novel to give us some clues how that came to be, but it never happened. It doesn't feel like the story is set on Earth, but the characters are human, not naturally adapted to flight, so something had to have happened to force them upward.
Updraft is the first book in a trilogy, and I was a little hesitant going in because books in series rarely have self-contained stories anymore. I think Wilde did a good job containing the story here, while also giving us glimpses into where the story will go from here. Incredibly, it reminded me a bit of how the Wayward Pines series got started, since here we have a character who has to discover the big secret, and that learning it just opens up larger conflicts. Luckily, this is far better written than those books, but it does make me worry that the next two books will be a single story broken across two volumes.
Compared to Life Debt, Updraft is a more streamlined audio production; it lacks sound effects and music, which I found to be distracting in Life Debt, and the narrator, Khristine Hvam, didn't stress the narrative the way Thompson did in the other book. Overall, the presentation here is more in line with what I was expecting, and it makes the story easier to follow and understand.
That being said, the names are strange, not just because this is a fantasy novel with unusual names, but also because I was hearing them spoken aloud instead of seeing them in print. I swear, at one point I thought a character's name was TseTse, like the flies, and given the way the society has a fixation on flight and birds, it might even be her name. Additionally, near the end of the novel, characters who are traders are mingling with characters who are traitors, and it got a little confusing.
I feel like I missed a lot of the details of this story, having listened to it instead of reading it. It's easy to lose focus on the narration when driving in traffic, and the way I listen to audiobooks, I don't have a way to back up by a minute or so to rehear things. In most cases, it wasn't that big of a deal, but I missed a key point about the conclave, and a reveal involving the main character. I still caught the main gist of each section, but had I been reading the book, I could have jumped back and re-read a paragraph or two to get a better understanding. In addition, the story has a lot worldbuilding, and I feel like I needed a better focus to get a clear picture of the world.
I'm intrigued enough to want to read the next book in the series, but I think I'll opt to read it this time. For all the detail I feel like I missed, and for how the story ended, I think I need to be able to pay closer attention to the story from here on out.
vintonole's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic story! Really loved the unique world and the way it is slow revealed through the story. Can't wait for the sequel.
ribert's review against another edition
2.0
Too slow. Too much Hunger Games remix. At least it's only one book.
heregrim's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastic world building and a world I very much want to visit again. The story was not my favorite, although for no real specific reason. I am still driven to see why the world is the way it is and what future secrets this not fully fleshed out world has in store.
vanessa_lehan's review against another edition
3.0
The world building and plot in this book are both very cool and interesting. The prose is a bit choppy at first and the character arcs don't seem very well constructed but I still enjoyed it.
ahue92's review against another edition
3.0
A novel with human flight, bone towers, and wonderful prose all seen through the eyes of female protagonist Kirit, who finds her dreams of becoming a trader crashing down around her and replaced by the secrets of her training at the mysterious spire. I was quickly swallowed by this world, and loved Kirit from the start!
elsiemookow's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Updraft is an enjoyable quick fantasy novel. In my library it was not in the YA section; however, it appears that it was marketed as such, so I am not sure if it is considered YA or adult fiction. I was excited to read a novel that was nominated for the Nebula award as they are usually incredible, but I was a tad disappointed. Usually novels nominated for the Nebula are a lot more... how shall I put this... novel, groundbreaking, super awesome? The positives: The world building was incredible. Really my favorite part of fantasy novels are the new fictional worlds created by authors. I could picture the desolation of the bone spires above the clouds where everyone resides- great overall imagery. Props for great world building. The story line was predictable, but it was overall a fun read. The negatives: I am tried of the same tropes being used over and over again in novels: young female with amazing abilities struggles to be understood by everyone and ends up trying to save the world. The storyline and characters reminded me why I have stopped reading anything listed as YA fantasy novels. Much better than most novels in the genre, but I wish authors would go out more a limb and throw in some twists and turns or deeper characters. Worth reading as a light beach read or just for some fun.
Updraft is an enjoyable quick fantasy novel. In my library it was not in the YA section; however, it appears that it was marketed as such, so I am not sure if it is considered YA or adult fiction. I was excited to read a novel that was nominated for the Nebula award as they are usually incredible, but I was a tad disappointed. Usually novels nominated for the Nebula are a lot more... how shall I put this... novel, groundbreaking, super awesome? The positives: The world building was incredible. Really my favorite part of fantasy novels are the new fictional worlds created by authors. I could picture the desolation of the bone spires above the clouds where everyone resides- great overall imagery. Props for great world building. The story line was predictable, but it was overall a fun read. The negatives: I am tried of the same tropes being used over and over again in novels: young female with amazing abilities struggles to be understood by everyone and ends up trying to save the world. The storyline and characters reminded me why I have stopped reading anything listed as YA fantasy novels. Much better than most novels in the genre, but I wish authors would go out more a limb and throw in some twists and turns or deeper characters. Worth reading as a light beach read or just for some fun.
jvan's review against another edition
4.0
Great if exceedingly unlikely world building, but fantasy doesn't need to be likely. Good characters, good action, good if somewhat confusing plot--the political machinations and factions take some time to be marginally clear. The main character might be too good at stuff, but to balance that she also messes up an awful lot and gets a heap of punishment inflicted on her. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
detailsandtales's review against another edition
4.0
Thoughts after my first read:
The speed at which I read this book says a lot for how well the author did with maintaining suspense throughout most of the story. At the times when the suspense slackened, however, I sometimes felt like I could put down the book and walk away. The world itself was beautifully crafted and unique, and the climax and the build-up toward it was well-done, but there were elements elsewhere in the story that just didn't work for me. Two issues I had: The first was how small the inciting event seemed at the beginning of the story: it was portrayed as if the protagonist made a casual decision to do one little thing that was against the rules... and then it had huge consequences for her. I would have liked to feel the weight of that decision more. The second issue I had was that one character, in particular, seemed to behave inconsistently and with unclear motivations. There were also too many characters who shifted from "good" to "bad" or vice versa too many times throughout the story. That having been said, however, I think that I'll pick up the sequel when it comes out and see where things are headed next.
Thoughts after my second read:
Upon rereading, I have to seriously upgrade my estimation of this book. The pacing felt just fine the second time through, and the combination of science, engineering and magic was just fantastic. Also, the protagonist loses so much - and yet still emerges triumphant.
After the first read, I gave the book three stars. After the second, I want to give it five. But a book should hold up on a first read, so I'm splitting the difference with a four star rating.
The speed at which I read this book says a lot for how well the author did with maintaining suspense throughout most of the story. At the times when the suspense slackened, however, I sometimes felt like I could put down the book and walk away. The world itself was beautifully crafted and unique, and the climax and the build-up toward it was well-done, but there were elements elsewhere in the story that just didn't work for me. Two issues I had: The first was how small the inciting event seemed at the beginning of the story: it was portrayed as if the protagonist made a casual decision to do one little thing that was against the rules... and then it had huge consequences for her. I would have liked to feel the weight of that decision more. The second issue I had was that one character, in particular, seemed to behave inconsistently and with unclear motivations. There were also too many characters who shifted from "good" to "bad" or vice versa too many times throughout the story. That having been said, however, I think that I'll pick up the sequel when it comes out and see where things are headed next.
Thoughts after my second read:
Upon rereading, I have to seriously upgrade my estimation of this book. The pacing felt just fine the second time through, and the combination of science, engineering and magic was just fantastic. Also, the protagonist loses so much - and yet still emerges triumphant.
After the first read, I gave the book three stars. After the second, I want to give it five. But a book should hold up on a first read, so I'm splitting the difference with a four star rating.