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lalexvp's review against another edition
2.0
While this is more of a fantasy tale, it read much like a sci-fi and I always struggle with sci-fi. I can’t place what it is about the genre, but my brain just can’t GET it. I think I see the themes and the messaging in this book, but I felt exactly nothing for the characters. And without that character attachment, I’m completely lost. I loved the idea of the plot but I didn’t enjoy how it developed. It felt very surface.
lostinagoodbook's review against another edition
2.0
Disclaimer: I received this book free from Netgalley in return for an un-biased review.
In the Vanisher’s Palace is imaginative. It is vivid and colorful. The book draws on Vietnamese language, culture and style. The author is herself a Franco-Vietnamese woman who has a strong rating on Goodreads. All that being true, I’m not sure why I had a difficult time with this book. I have a couple of theories.
Number 1 – the source material. It is a loose re-telling of Beauty and the Beast. I love Belle as much as the next girl, but I think we’re all adult enough to admit that story is problematic at best. A young woman of promise is abducted and falls in love with her captor. Ms. de Bodard does a good job of trying to ameliorate these issues that are hard boiled into the plot. Her Beauty and Beast (in this case a dragon/woman hybrid) have an immediate attraction. This lays to rest ideas of Stockholm syndrome, but in the process some of the tension is lost. In fact, the characters become romantically involved very early in the book. Then there is the dragon sex. Maybe some readers will like it, it’s just not my jam. I like the dragons though! The castle is also mind bending and a real plus!
Number 2 – I had trouble understanding what was going on sometimes. I’ve encountered this with some other fantasy books. The reader is thrust into a situation where the learning curve is high, and there is not enough opportunity to familiarize yourself with what is going on. In this case, there was a history of “Vanisher’s” who at some point left the planet after first abusing the population and ruining the environment. But you’re never quite sure what was going on with them, how are they connected to the current cast of characters, and what exactly went on here. I need to have a more concrete understanding of a book by at least 50% and in this case I didn’t.
I think this book could be appreciated by other readers. I am not the right person for this one. My thinking is a little too linear I think to appreciate what the author was going for.
Song for this book: The Light Before We Land by The Delgados
In the Vanisher’s Palace is imaginative. It is vivid and colorful. The book draws on Vietnamese language, culture and style. The author is herself a Franco-Vietnamese woman who has a strong rating on Goodreads. All that being true, I’m not sure why I had a difficult time with this book. I have a couple of theories.
Number 1 – the source material. It is a loose re-telling of Beauty and the Beast. I love Belle as much as the next girl, but I think we’re all adult enough to admit that story is problematic at best. A young woman of promise is abducted and falls in love with her captor. Ms. de Bodard does a good job of trying to ameliorate these issues that are hard boiled into the plot. Her Beauty and Beast (in this case a dragon/woman hybrid) have an immediate attraction. This lays to rest ideas of Stockholm syndrome, but in the process some of the tension is lost. In fact, the characters become romantically involved very early in the book. Then there is the dragon sex. Maybe some readers will like it, it’s just not my jam. I like the dragons though! The castle is also mind bending and a real plus!
Number 2 – I had trouble understanding what was going on sometimes. I’ve encountered this with some other fantasy books. The reader is thrust into a situation where the learning curve is high, and there is not enough opportunity to familiarize yourself with what is going on. In this case, there was a history of “Vanisher’s” who at some point left the planet after first abusing the population and ruining the environment. But you’re never quite sure what was going on with them, how are they connected to the current cast of characters, and what exactly went on here. I need to have a more concrete understanding of a book by at least 50% and in this case I didn’t.
I think this book could be appreciated by other readers. I am not the right person for this one. My thinking is a little too linear I think to appreciate what the author was going for.
Song for this book: The Light Before We Land by The Delgados
chlcrc617's review
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
thebookishunicorn's review against another edition
4.0
"What happens now?"
Cold seized Yên's fingers, and descended all the way into her spine. "Everything," Vu Côn said, and her smile was dazzling.
"Everything." Yên mouthed the syllables again, felt them like saltwater on her tongue, like a spell, slowly coming together to changed the ruined world they lived in. "I think I'd like that."
This f/f Vietnamese retelling of Beauty and the Beast is a book I didn't know I needed in my life until now. I am a fan of all of the retellings authors are putting out but a lot of them still adhere to the original straight relationships. It was so refreshing to read a LGBTQ+ relationship without any of the usual tropes one sees.
The post apocalyptic-fantasy world blend that de Bodard created is really fresh in our fantasy saturated market right now. At first you think it is just a fantasy version of Vietnam, but some of the magic is explained by science while other magic is just magic. The prose reads slightly whimsical/magical and it added a lot to the story, especially the descriptions of the magic being a combination of different words. It was an interesting take since a lot of authors go for either one or the other when explaining their magic system.
Cold seized Yên's fingers, and descended all the way into her spine. "Everything," Vu Côn said, and her smile was dazzling.
"Everything." Yên mouthed the syllables again, felt them like saltwater on her tongue, like a spell, slowly coming together to changed the ruined world they lived in. "I think I'd like that."
This f/f Vietnamese retelling of Beauty and the Beast is a book I didn't know I needed in my life until now. I am a fan of all of the retellings authors are putting out but a lot of them still adhere to the original straight relationships. It was so refreshing to read a LGBTQ+ relationship without any of the usual tropes one sees.
The post apocalyptic-fantasy world blend that de Bodard created is really fresh in our fantasy saturated market right now. At first you think it is just a fantasy version of Vietnam, but some of the magic is explained by science while other magic is just magic. The prose reads slightly whimsical/magical and it added a lot to the story, especially the descriptions of the magic being a combination of different words. It was an interesting take since a lot of authors go for either one or the other when explaining their magic system.
mary_soon_lee's review against another edition
3.0
This short book lies somewhere in the borderland between fantasy and science fiction. The prose is often beautiful, the alien technology is strange and unsettling, the magic strange and appealing, and I liked the Vietnamese elements. Spoilers ahead. Overall I'd rank this as 2.5 stars, but I'm rounding it up to 3 stars because it is written with skill and passion, even though it is not my cup of tea. (For the record, the previous book I read by de Bodard, "The Tea Master and the Detective," was, appropriately and exactly, my cup of tea.)
On a much more minor note, I stumbled twice at the beginning of this book. In the opening paragraph, I thought Oanh was the point of view character, and it took me a couple of tries to sort that out. Then I mistook Yên for a young child, perhaps ten years old, and it took me longer to realize she was an adult.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
Spoiler
On the plus side, I very much liked how neither Vu Côn, nor Yên, nor the author condemned Thông and Lien on account of their Vanisher heritage. On the down side, the attraction between the main character and her captor made me uncomfortable. To me, it read as though Yên was quickly attracted to Vu Côn even though the captor/captive relationship was coercive if not abusive. In order to give my reasons in more articulate fashion, I'd need to re-read this, but, since the experience wasn't a happy one for me, I don't want to do so.On a much more minor note, I stumbled twice at the beginning of this book. In the opening paragraph, I thought Oanh was the point of view character, and it took me a couple of tries to sort that out. Then I mistook Yên for a young child, perhaps ten years old, and it took me longer to realize she was an adult.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
distgenius's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
rikerandom's review
4.0
This was … weird? But in a good way! Dark and slightly creepy and I couldn't shake the feeling that I missed some kind of prologue or introduction or previous stories set in this universe? There was this whole feeling of missing just this small thing, this one fact, that kept just out of reach. I still enjoyed the story very, very much but it was kinda strange. I also totally lacked the necessary knowledge about the cultural background of this story, because I'm woefully ignorant about everything but whitebread-western-european-stuff. So no idea how many details I missed because of that but I'm guessing the story only gets more impressive if you have a connection to its cultural background.
rainbowcircus's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
3.0
The setting was interesting and I wish there had been more opportunity to explore the world, I didn't particularly form any connection with any of the characters which is why this is a solid 3*.
alegerdemain's review
adventurous
fast-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
4.25
ryon's review
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
3.75