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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.
elevetha's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars.
I thought the world-building was very unique and immersive, but I was left disappointed, because I want to know so much more about it!! I wanted to know about the Rise and the history of the cities. I wanted to know all about the living bone. I wanted so much more than I got, so I really hope the world is more explored in the following two books. However, another thing about that I very much liked is that you could read this as a standalone, and be pretty content with it. The overall arc of the story is complete and you know generally speaking where the characters are gonna end up, so that was nice.
The writing was not flowing or beautiful, but it was engaging. I thought this was gonna take me way longer to get through, as I had burnt myself out reading last week, but I sped through it.
The characters were likable and all very human, and not in a despicable gritty kind of way (except the bad guys, I guess). They make mistakes and have to make choices that are hard. I personally can always connect with the characters in difficult situations when I can honestly say I wouldn't know what choice I would make in that situation unless I was in it. They aren't clear-cut, they aren't easy, and sometimes all you can do is what you think is best, even if that be the least of two evils.
I was overall very pleased with the relationships in this book I mean, it's very much Kirit's story, and so you only really know her, but I thought Nat and Elna and Ezrit and Wit were all well-written, for their place in the book, their relationship to Kirit, and what we got of them. The thing about Kirit is that she is a special snowflake, but she didn't come across as one because her character is handled so well. We've all seen a girl who fails at one thing, to realize she's special in another way, and then go on to topple a big old corrupt society and make life better for her people. It's been done so many times, but it didn't really feel like a trope in this story, and I never once disliked Kirit. Her internal voice was not annoying, and she was always fairly sensible, but still very much a young woman.
Romance??? There are more important things going on, thank goodness. I mean, honestly, with everything going on, that would have been so frustrating to have in here. There are hints of a possible romance perhaps, but mostly it's all just friendship and family and a shared desire to overthrow tradition tying our crew together.
I thought the world-building was very unique and immersive, but I was left disappointed, because I want to know so much more about it!! I wanted to know about the Rise and the history of the cities. I wanted to know all about the living bone. I wanted so much more than I got, so I really hope the world is more explored in the following two books. However, another thing about that I very much liked is that you could read this as a standalone, and be pretty content with it. The overall arc of the story is complete and you know generally speaking where the characters are gonna end up, so that was nice.
The writing was not flowing or beautiful, but it was engaging. I thought this was gonna take me way longer to get through, as I had burnt myself out reading last week, but I sped through it.
The characters were likable and all very human, and not in a despicable gritty kind of way (except the bad guys, I guess). They make mistakes and have to make choices that are hard. I personally can always connect with the characters in difficult situations when I can honestly say I wouldn't know what choice I would make in that situation unless I was in it. They aren't clear-cut, they aren't easy, and sometimes all you can do is what you think is best, even if that be the least of two evils.
I was overall very pleased with the relationships in this book
Spoiler
Even if I was disappointed that Kirit and Sellis were not to be besties. And more Macal, pleeease. I thought I was gonna see so much of him in this book when it started, but alas.Romance??? There are more important things going on, thank goodness. I mean, honestly, with everything going on, that would have been so frustrating to have in here. There are hints of a possible romance perhaps, but mostly it's all just friendship and family and a shared desire to overthrow tradition tying our crew together.
Spoiler
I had a bit of a hard time swallowing the echolocation bit, but I guess there's always something.mibramowitz's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
5.0
neelix's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
defrye's review against another edition
2.0
Originally Posted at https://civilianreader.wordpress.com/
Upon its release, Updraft enjoyed a fair amount of positive buzz from SF/F critics and reviewers that I respect, and when it popped up on numerous “Best Books of 2015” lists, I knew I had to give it a read. When a book receives such widespread hype, my anticipation tends to ratchet up. First and foremost, I was very intrigued by the idea of a city made out of living bones, where humans live far above the ground and get around by flying. This set my imagination running, and I was excited to find out what exactly brought the situation into being. Furthermore, I tend to prefer books written in first person perspective, so this seemed like it would be a perfect read.
As the story opens, our narrator Kirit is training to pass her wingtest, which will allow her the freedom to fly around the city of bone spires as apprentice to her mother, one of the city’s most skilled traders. However, her dreams are dashed when her tower is attacked by a skymouth (invisible, flying, tentacled monsters that plague the city). During the attack, Kirit accidentally breaks a few city laws, which lands her with community service, which may or may not mean she will miss her wingtest. The events of the attack also lead the Singers (the city’s oligarchical governing body/special forces) to realize that Kirit has a very raw ability to control the vicious skymouths with her voice. Of course, the Singers want Kirit to join them so she can train to become a Singer herself, but Kirit doesn’t want to give up her dreams of becoming a trader like her mother.
The first third of the book comprises Kirit’s struggle to avoid a fate that, to any alert reader, is a foregone conclusion — an experience that I found rather tedious. I couldn’t shake that “I’ve been here before” feeling, as the book covered well-trodden “special snowflake” genre ground. Once Kirit enters her Singer training, there are some more genre clichés.
That being said, the book then really starts to pick up around the 1/3 mark.
As I mentioned earlier, I was very intrigued by the world, and how humanity came to live in giant living bone towers, never seeing or touching ground. Through Kirit’s training with the Singers (an organization with many secrets), Wilde tantalizingly doles out little snippets of history and world-building. The result is one of the more interesting fantasy worlds I’ve ever come across. This world is so different from anything I’ve read that it was at times hard to wrap my head around how everything works. How do they get fresh water? How do they get plants to grow at such high elevations? What animal species are prevalent? How do they pollinate their plants? How do the bone towers manage to stay upright when they are so extremely tall? How many people live in each tower tier? Some of these nuts-and-bolts questions are answered, while others aren’t; and more and more popped up as I read. For some, possibly many, I’ll just have to suspend my disbelief. Either way, I found it absolutely fascinating and captivating on an extremely nerdy level.
Speaking of things captivating, fascinating and exhilarating: the flying scenes were excellent. By virtue of the living situation in Updraft, people get around by flying on glider-type wings. With the threat of death or, at best, crippling injuries or dismemberment the result of any error in the skies, the flying scenes in Updraft were pretty tense. Add to that the fact that characters choose to have aerial fights, and you get some incredibly pulse-pounding moments! I was very impressed with how Wilde made these scenes so vivid and fun.
Voice and who is heard in society is an underpinning theme in Updraft, and I enjoyed this aspect of the novel. As Wilde teases out bits of history and the inner workings of her world, this theme really develops and gives the story a firm foundation, and provided motivation for the characters. Overall, Wilde did a wonderful job of weaving this theme into the narrative, and it provided a lot of tension and gave the story a degree of heft that sets it apart from other genre books of its ilk.
With a number of elements lifting this novel up, I did have a couple issues with the novel. First, I found the first person voice to be a bit dull. There really wasn’t anything about Kirit that gripped me or made me want to root for her. For a “special snowflake” character, she was quite ordinary. Additionally, I found that the other characters that populated the novel were quite one-dimensional. None of the characters had any qualities that made them stand out or demand my attention. The overall flatness of the cast took away from my overall enjoyment of the novel, and prevented me from fully engaging with the story.
Taken as a whole, Updraft is a decent read. While it has some qualities and elements that lift it above the fantasy clouds, there are also elements that drag it down. This is a book that is quite close to being very special, but in the end misses the mark. That being said, its good qualities are very good, and will be more than enough to thrill many fantasy readers.
Upon its release, Updraft enjoyed a fair amount of positive buzz from SF/F critics and reviewers that I respect, and when it popped up on numerous “Best Books of 2015” lists, I knew I had to give it a read. When a book receives such widespread hype, my anticipation tends to ratchet up. First and foremost, I was very intrigued by the idea of a city made out of living bones, where humans live far above the ground and get around by flying. This set my imagination running, and I was excited to find out what exactly brought the situation into being. Furthermore, I tend to prefer books written in first person perspective, so this seemed like it would be a perfect read.
As the story opens, our narrator Kirit is training to pass her wingtest, which will allow her the freedom to fly around the city of bone spires as apprentice to her mother, one of the city’s most skilled traders. However, her dreams are dashed when her tower is attacked by a skymouth (invisible, flying, tentacled monsters that plague the city). During the attack, Kirit accidentally breaks a few city laws, which lands her with community service, which may or may not mean she will miss her wingtest. The events of the attack also lead the Singers (the city’s oligarchical governing body/special forces) to realize that Kirit has a very raw ability to control the vicious skymouths with her voice. Of course, the Singers want Kirit to join them so she can train to become a Singer herself, but Kirit doesn’t want to give up her dreams of becoming a trader like her mother.
The first third of the book comprises Kirit’s struggle to avoid a fate that, to any alert reader, is a foregone conclusion — an experience that I found rather tedious. I couldn’t shake that “I’ve been here before” feeling, as the book covered well-trodden “special snowflake” genre ground. Once Kirit enters her Singer training, there are some more genre clichés.
That being said, the book then really starts to pick up around the 1/3 mark.
As I mentioned earlier, I was very intrigued by the world, and how humanity came to live in giant living bone towers, never seeing or touching ground. Through Kirit’s training with the Singers (an organization with many secrets), Wilde tantalizingly doles out little snippets of history and world-building. The result is one of the more interesting fantasy worlds I’ve ever come across. This world is so different from anything I’ve read that it was at times hard to wrap my head around how everything works. How do they get fresh water? How do they get plants to grow at such high elevations? What animal species are prevalent? How do they pollinate their plants? How do the bone towers manage to stay upright when they are so extremely tall? How many people live in each tower tier? Some of these nuts-and-bolts questions are answered, while others aren’t; and more and more popped up as I read. For some, possibly many, I’ll just have to suspend my disbelief. Either way, I found it absolutely fascinating and captivating on an extremely nerdy level.
Speaking of things captivating, fascinating and exhilarating: the flying scenes were excellent. By virtue of the living situation in Updraft, people get around by flying on glider-type wings. With the threat of death or, at best, crippling injuries or dismemberment the result of any error in the skies, the flying scenes in Updraft were pretty tense. Add to that the fact that characters choose to have aerial fights, and you get some incredibly pulse-pounding moments! I was very impressed with how Wilde made these scenes so vivid and fun.
Voice and who is heard in society is an underpinning theme in Updraft, and I enjoyed this aspect of the novel. As Wilde teases out bits of history and the inner workings of her world, this theme really develops and gives the story a firm foundation, and provided motivation for the characters. Overall, Wilde did a wonderful job of weaving this theme into the narrative, and it provided a lot of tension and gave the story a degree of heft that sets it apart from other genre books of its ilk.
With a number of elements lifting this novel up, I did have a couple issues with the novel. First, I found the first person voice to be a bit dull. There really wasn’t anything about Kirit that gripped me or made me want to root for her. For a “special snowflake” character, she was quite ordinary. Additionally, I found that the other characters that populated the novel were quite one-dimensional. None of the characters had any qualities that made them stand out or demand my attention. The overall flatness of the cast took away from my overall enjoyment of the novel, and prevented me from fully engaging with the story.
Taken as a whole, Updraft is a decent read. While it has some qualities and elements that lift it above the fantasy clouds, there are also elements that drag it down. This is a book that is quite close to being very special, but in the end misses the mark. That being said, its good qualities are very good, and will be more than enough to thrill many fantasy readers.
colossal's review against another edition
4.0
A young girl with a rare talent is raised in a bizarre scarcity-society in a city of towering bone spires where flight is one of the few freedoms and giant invisible flying squids with glass teeth lurk in the sky.
Kirit is a strong-minded young girl who craves the freedom of flight as a trader between towers, but revelation that she has the type of voice that can control skymouths make her valuable to a secretive ruling class of the city. Her struggle to make her way in this world where it all seems stacked against her makes for a tense and engaging story.
The world-building is the star here, with a bewildering array of bizarre cultural, biological and physical features in this world. However, I don't think it quite stands up to scrutiny. This is clearly a scarcity society, where many starve and there's no arable land. The only plants are vines and potted trees and the staple food stuff seems to be different sorts of bird meat. Life on the towers is hard, and the way that this culture treats law-breaking and challenges almost guarantees a steady death toll. Too much of one to be even vaguely sustainable.
I could also talk to the Singers, but not without spoiling the book. Ultimately, fun, but unconvincing.
Kirit is a strong-minded young girl who craves the freedom of flight as a trader between towers, but revelation that she has the type of voice that can control skymouths make her valuable to a secretive ruling class of the city. Her struggle to make her way in this world where it all seems stacked against her makes for a tense and engaging story.
The world-building is the star here, with a bewildering array of bizarre cultural, biological and physical features in this world. However, I don't think it quite stands up to scrutiny. This is clearly a scarcity society, where many starve and there's no arable land. The only plants are vines and potted trees and the staple food stuff seems to be different sorts of bird meat. Life on the towers is hard, and the way that this culture treats law-breaking and challenges almost guarantees a steady death toll. Too much of one to be even vaguely sustainable.
I could also talk to the Singers, but not without spoiling the book. Ultimately, fun, but unconvincing.
g8girl's review against another edition
3.0
Updraft by Fran Wilde
***3.5***
I liked this book, but I didn't love it. It had a lot of potential but fell slightly flat for me. I've got to say though, the world building was one of a kind. I have not experienced a world like this in any other fantasy novels that I have read. Everyone lives on different bone towers and The Spire (the main governing body of the city) decides when a tower gets to grow another tier. Everyone in the novel is involved in flying of some sort and whether or not your tower has a bridge connecting it to another tower says a lot about your tower's status. Likewise, how high in the tower you live also says much about your social status. Throw in some sky monsters and a secret order of monks called Singers that protect the city but hold more secrets than answers and you have a really interesting world.
As many readers will know, there was just that feeling that you can't really explain as to why you didn't quite bond with a book. There was nothing inherently wrong with the story, characters or writing but it just didn't grab me the way I had hoped it would. Still a good book and if you want to read about a truly unique world with unique customs, etc you should give Updraft a try.
I will admit there were some aspects of predictability but they didn't take away too much from the overall story line. There were also a few times where I wasn't 100% sure what the great secrets being revealed were. I felt a little bit like in Harry Potter when they tell him every book why he has the scar and what it was the protected him from Voldemort in the first place. They retell it every book like it's a brand new revelation each time. I felt that occasionally here, where they would reveal something and I thought....didn't we already discover that, am I missing something?
Either way, interesting book and I'll consider picking up the sequels.
***3.5***
I liked this book, but I didn't love it. It had a lot of potential but fell slightly flat for me. I've got to say though, the world building was one of a kind. I have not experienced a world like this in any other fantasy novels that I have read. Everyone lives on different bone towers and The Spire (the main governing body of the city) decides when a tower gets to grow another tier. Everyone in the novel is involved in flying of some sort and whether or not your tower has a bridge connecting it to another tower says a lot about your tower's status. Likewise, how high in the tower you live also says much about your social status. Throw in some sky monsters and a secret order of monks called Singers that protect the city but hold more secrets than answers and you have a really interesting world.
As many readers will know, there was just that feeling that you can't really explain as to why you didn't quite bond with a book. There was nothing inherently wrong with the story, characters or writing but it just didn't grab me the way I had hoped it would. Still a good book and if you want to read about a truly unique world with unique customs, etc you should give Updraft a try.
I will admit there were some aspects of predictability but they didn't take away too much from the overall story line. There were also a few times where I wasn't 100% sure what the great secrets being revealed were. I felt a little bit like in Harry Potter when they tell him every book why he has the scar and what it was the protected him from Voldemort in the first place
Spoiler
ie. His mother's loveEither way, interesting book and I'll consider picking up the sequels.
katiespina's review against another edition
3.0
This book came highly recommended from a friend who is an avid sci-fi reader. I was not as impressed as she was.
It took me about 100 pages to really get into the story. It hardly ever takes me two weeks to read a book so short. But I wasn't getting drawn into the bone towers and world of fliers.
Usually, I try to figure out what the big mystery is as I read along, but I wasn't that deep into this story. I enjoyed it as an overall read, but I would only recommend it if you are a serious lover of sci-fi.
It took me about 100 pages to really get into the story. It hardly ever takes me two weeks to read a book so short. But I wasn't getting drawn into the bone towers and world of fliers.
Usually, I try to figure out what the big mystery is as I read along, but I wasn't that deep into this story. I enjoyed it as an overall read, but I would only recommend it if you are a serious lover of sci-fi.