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bisexualwentworth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
There's a lot that I love here: the worldbuilding, the magic system, the prose, the women with swords, the mechanical dragon. I think that Yoon Ha Lee accomplished exactly what he set out to do with this book. Unfortunately, I think that the concept is just fundamentally not super compelling for me. The execution is as strong as it could have possibly been, but Jebi just isn't an interesting enough main character for me. I would have loved either a more slice of life story or a more action-packed story, but again, those aren't the books the author wanted to write, and that's okay. I will absolutely be reading his other work cause I think there's a lot of good stuff here. I did wish the book was longer, but I do appreciate a good quick fantasy standalone.
The first and second half of this book are very distinct in terms of vibes and pacing. I preferred the second half, but I think the first half may work better for a lot of readers. Very much a personal taste thing.
Anyway, this book isn't a new favorite, but it did leave a positive impression and I would definitely recommend it.
The first and second half of this book are very distinct in terms of vibes and pacing. I preferred the second half, but I think the first half may work better for a lot of readers. Very much a personal taste thing.
Anyway, this book isn't a new favorite, but it did leave a positive impression and I would definitely recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Colonisation, Death, Violence, and Xenophobia
rory_o_rama's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment
jayisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
3.25
I want to first praise the fascinating premise, especially considering that it was clearly based on colonial Korea in a fantasy setting. Lee also brought to attention the importance of art in life and society, turning it into a literal weapon to signify its value even during war. He also reimagined really interesting politics that clearly drew from historical figures and events of the Korean peninsula while under Japanese rule.
And, with that said, I was underwhelmed by the novel and wanted more. Lee was working with a fascinating setting and powerful themes that all felt underdeveloped. I wanted to learn more about the politics of what was happening; a better understanding of the magic system and mechanical dragons; as well as a stronger idea of characters' motives and desires. Regarding the last point, Jebi (the protagonist) was clearest in what they wanted, even if what they wanted wasn't particularly revolutionary. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but in a fantasy novel that demanded action, it conflicted with Jebi's interests and made the overarching story less interesting.
I think there's still a lot to take from this novel, and I know many readers would love the incredible queer representation (and seamlessly woven into the world) that is present. The novel had a lot of potential across the board and, unfortunately, they weren't fully realized.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, Grief, Confinement, Colonisation, and Death
Moderate: Torture and Xenophobia
jessthanthree's review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Colonisation
Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Death, Violence, Sexual content, Xenophobia, and Torture
Minor: Sexual harassment and Death of parent
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and War
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual content, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Torture, Vomit, and Xenophobia
Minor: Medical trauma, Police brutality, and Toxic relationship
citymouse's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Vomit, Abandonment, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Sexual content
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was hesitant to read this because of how dark the last Yoon Ha Lee book I read was, but I’m glad I did because I loved it. The paint magic system was alarming and awesome, and the unexpected connections were interesting throughout. Loved the tie-ins with Korean folklore and the non-binary rep. I wish things with Hawk had been a little more developed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Gun violence, Genocide, Physical abuse, War, Confinement, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, and Blood
Moderate: Medical content, Grief, and Torture
fox_at_the_circus's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
I enjoyed this book. The way it depicted collonialism and revolution and it's necessity for violence was well written. Especially the focus on art and what counts as valuable art and for what reasons was really interesting. Seeing everything from an artists point of view really gave a different take on it and I loved the very artsy and flowery discriptions of things, landscapes, fighting, war,..
I also really liked that the main character, Jebi, didn't just suddenly become good at being a revolutionary, when they decided to join the revolution. They were clumsy and made mistakes and were unsure about, what the right thing to do was. It made it much more relatable and realistic.
And I loved Arazi! It was like an excited toddler exploring a new place, but also really wise, so much fun to read.
The relationships were really well-written, too. I especially enjoyed the sibling relationship between Jebi and their sister. Having vastly different goals, hobbies, opinions, but still accepting and loving each other without understanding, that just got to me.
I also really liked that the main character, Jebi, didn't just suddenly become good at being a revolutionary, when they decided to join the revolution. They were clumsy and made mistakes and were unsure about, what the right thing to do was. It made it much more relatable and realistic.
And I loved Arazi! It was like an excited toddler exploring a new place, but also really wise, so much fun to read.
The relationships were really well-written, too. I especially enjoyed the sibling relationship between Jebi and their sister. Having vastly different goals, hobbies, opinions, but still accepting and loving each other without understanding, that just got to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Death, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
abookwormspov's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Death of parent, and Medical content
emily_mh's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
The central theme of this book was colonisation, being an allusion, I believe, to Japan’s colonisation of Korea, and also Western colonisation. Lee specifically focusses on how colonisation leads to the destruction of indigenous art and therefore culture, empowering the colonisers and disempowering the colonised. In this book this is shown in a literal, direct way that really draws attention to the concept.
Lee also explores how different people navigate being colonised depending on personal circumstance and values. It was especially striking reading about Arazi, the dragon automaton, trying to reconcile their morals with real-life situations. Jebi, the MC, also undergoes character development in relation to this theme, beginning the book not really seeing the issue with Razanei occupation, and adding to and changing this opinion as the story progresses. (In terms of craft, I think this development could have flowed better.) And these are just two perspectives on the topic of a wide range that are presented by Lee.
Jebi was a great MC. They were funny and sort of played into the “reluctant hero” trope which is one that I enjoy. Their insights into art were so thoughtful and informative, too. Their relationship with their sister Bongsunga was so complex; I really appreciated the nuance there. With regards to their romance with Vei, I still don’t know how I feel given some background information. However, I totally got their romantic and sexual chemistry (although more work could have gone into the emotional side of things).
The plot was engaging with fairly good pacing, and I appreciated that it wasn’t trying to cover the entire revolution but only a part of it. It was grounded in some interesting world-building, with the interplay of fantasy and sci-fi elements emerging especially in how art and engineering combined to give shape to the automata. This particular concept was harrowing, and truly tied into the motif of the power of art, a motif which I loved. I generally loved the detail given regarding the art and artistic practice of Jebi’s world.
I will end on a quote I found quite thought-provoking:
“’If standing on principle means that you lose the people those principles are meant to protect,’ it said, ‘what’s the point?’”
Rep: Korean nonbinary MC, Japanese/Korean queer LI, Korean sapphic SC, Japanese SC who is a cane user, polyamorous throuple side relationship (nonbinary Korean SC, queer Korean SC, queer Japanese SC who is a crutch user), queer nonbinary SC, Korean and Japanese minor characters of different abilities and orientations
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Blood, Murder, Gun violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Violence, Death, and War
Minor: Fatphobia, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Body shaming, Pregnancy, Medical content, Ableism, Animal death, Gore, Alcohol, and Police brutality
Moderate: imprisonment, earthquake Minor: police corruption, loss of a loved one, capital punishment, gambling, racism directed at biracial individuals