Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken

1 review

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-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

3.0

To clear up the rating right off the bat: the thing holding this book back the most is the character writing (especially in interactions where characters’ relationships are changing) and worldbuilding. The story really picks up in the last act.

I had an okay time reading this book. The premise was fun, and I thought it was a cool if rather Eurocentric twist on a contemporary magical setting. Alexandra Bracken’s experience comes through in her worldbuilding: the roles and goals of the characters in this magical system were easy to pick up, even though things were not explained as thoroughly as I find myself accustomed to. While it sometimes bothered me to not know the backstory and full details behind certain aspects — curses, the magic system, other magical beings, the interactions of the magical elements with non-magical people, etc. — Bracken writes with confidence, and that allowed me to just roll with it. I didn’t need to know those details to enjoy the story: they felt less like plot holes and more like plot hiccups, only a problem if I decided they were, as a reader trying to enjoy the book. That said, there were a lot of these little instances where I just had to assume the logic was sound and self-contained. If you are someone who needs a fully fleshed-out world, you may find yourself irritated while reading this.

On the other hand, there are very few exposition-heavy sections: the worldbuilding is very swift and very precise. Once I decided to just roll with it, I was enjoying the vibes of the worldbuilding very much. Did it make sense? I tried not to think about it too much. But the aesthetic was cool. It’s the first time I was able to enjoy a book based simply on the vibes and aesthetic, and I think that says something. 

What I struggled with the most while reading Silver in the Bone were several character interactions, and to a lesser extent, character motivations. In multiple key places in the book, certain characters behaved so differently than their established character that it felt not like we were seeing new sides of them, or that they were undergoing change, but that they were simply out of character (or inconsistently characterized, if you prefer). These instances rubbed me the wrong way because I felt as though I could feel Bracken sitting there, plotting out the scenes and deciding that this character has to act this way now, because I need the plot to do this next. 

I will say these two things: the above is not something I would say of the main character (her characterization was well done and I did like her as a character), and, thanks to the above (and to the precise worldbuilding), the book is rather fast-paced. Yes, it is nearly 500 pages, but the story moves along swiftly, especially in the first half, so long as you as the reader don’t linger over the places where reasoning seems thin.

Returning to the other point I mentioned above, about character motivations: I recall at least two important moments where characters acted in a way that, while still in character for them, went directly against motivations that were established for previous actions. While sometimes this is the recipe for a fun twist or betrayal, in this case it felt more like the hand of the author again, saying “I don’t want these guys in the way yet, so they’ll stay over here…but now I need them all over here, so let’s have them show up.” It got to the point where several times I was confused about what was going on or why somebody was doing something — both individuals and groups — so I got a lot of use out of a “just don’t worry about it and keep reading” mentality. This confusion was definitely also a product of the precise worldbuilding — more background details would have helped mitigate this.

In the end, all these little things built up: inconsistent characterization in at least two of the main supporting characters, underdeveloped worldbuilding, unaddressed worldbuilding consequences, beats of contrived plot, some descriptions and dialogue that just didn’t make sense, etc. The main romance, also, didn’t really feel like much of anything to me, but I am allowing that this is because it’s not finished yet; definitely something that will be expanded on in the second book.

And YET. All that being said, I was won over. There were stronger elements that I really enjoyed peeking through as the story entered the final act, especially Tamsin’s character development, and in the very last few chapters I was riveted. I was actually shocked when I turned the page and realized I was at the end. While the plot was not really a surprise (the main twist having been a bit too clearly hinted, for me), certain smaller details and twists were quite interesting. I was enjoying the development of the characters and certain relationships enough that I was thinking of rating this a 4/5, but then I remembered all the irritation and confusion of the earlier chapters — enough for almost a 2/5, or a 2.75/5 — so I’ve compromised with the 3/5.
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