Reviews

In the Vanishers' Palace by Aliette de Bodard

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

lezreadalot's review against another edition

4.0

The dragon’s eyes were a light grey, the color of storm clouds gathering. She was looking straight at Yên with an expression that was half-irritation, half-hunger, as if she would gobble Yên whole, given half a chance. 

And what scared Yên most? This might, in the end, be just what she longed for.

A hugely imaginative fantasy tale (with a good dose of sci-fi) that tackles colonialism, imperialism and a Beauty and the Beast-esque narrative in a Vietnam-inspired world. It's got magic! It's got romance! It's got a really hot dragon! I wanted for nothing.

Or, well, I wanted for a little bit, but that's honestly more my fault than the book's. Nothing is over-explained, and there's no huge info-dumping or exposition about the world, which is a very good thing. But it did mean that it kind of took me a while to grasp the threads of the plot and the world that the story was taking place in. (I probably didn't help matters by not having read the blurb.) I was fuzzy on a lot of details and while I really enjoyed the book my mood/mind has been all over the place, so I don't think I took in everything as well as I could? I already want to reread this.

But I did really really enjoy it. I loved the creativity that was put into the world, the casual gender diversity, all the nuances of language that were spoken about. I loved that pronouns and forms of address in Vietnamese (and the levels of intimacy implied) were highlighted. I really REALLY enjoyed the romance. It's not the main focus of the plot, but it did get more screen time than expected, which I was thrilled about. Vu Côn is a dreamboat, and I love romances where the parties are attracted to each other even in situations where it's definitely not advisable, so it was easy to identify and sympathise with Yên. "This dragon lady might want to eat me... but oh no, she's hot!" It was super intense and romantic, and maybe a little too fast, but I was wholly invested. I loved all the secondary characters and just the lushness in general of this broken world. The plot did lose me a few times, but it was easy enough to pick up the thread.

I definitely recommend this to fans of queer sff. Great read.

allimann's review

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I honestly didn’t totally understand what was happening during some of this- it was all very magical in a way that made it hard to picture the scenes. And the characters were pretty simple. But for a short novel doing as much as it was- it was very good. Loved the romance. Sapphic dragons for the win! 

stacyaj's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

marigale's review against another edition

5.0

4.5 stars. I wish this had been maybe a hundred pages longer and that the twins' had had chapters of their own. The world of this story is so interesting and I love a good, gay, retelling of a fairy tale (Beauty and the Beast! Beast is a dragon!). But it felt like the world and the characters didn't have enough time to really get fleshed out. I'll definitely reread and see if I like it more when I know more about what to expect.

chocobro's review against another edition

mysterious reflective 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

4.0

runawaytrain's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

The writing is beautiful but I felt no connection to the characters or their development. 

wildfaeriecaps's review against another edition

4.0

This was so delightful to read. I loved everything about it. Beauty and the Beast retellings are a favorite of mine and this one now lives in my top 5 favorite. The tech/magic/fantasy/scifi thing that happens in this story.. it's just perfect.

wannabekingpin's review against another edition

4.0

all reviews in one place:
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu

About the Book: In a world broken by misused magic and science, constructs and viruses lurking just outside the safety of village boundaries, everything must be prayed for. And everything answered – has a price. Young woman named Yen was such a price, given to the Dragon spirit as payment for another life saved. Believing herself to become dinner, young woman spent her days and nights worrying and dreaming of escape. Away from these magical walls of the palace. Away from that magnificent library. Away from that beautiful being…

My Opinion: A strange and unusual tale with very familiar tones to it. Smooth story with little but impactful worldbuilding, left me wanting more but not in a bad way. Interesting, if simplistic characters, easy to care and worry for. And that Howl’s Moving Castle, that Beauty of the Beast vibe, couldn’t have asked for a better note to end Pride Month with. A fine, easy, short read.

em_harring's review against another edition

4.0

This is my first de Bodard book and I've already borrowed another from my library.

I was like "hell yeah" as soon as I found out this was a sapphic, Vietnamese retelling of Beauty and the Beast. What more could we want, really? Coming in at just over 100 pages via e-book, this is a pretty self contained novella, though of course I wanted more because of how rich the world and characters are. I think for the space given to the narrative, everything is described and explained beautifully. The descriptions and writing really shine, especially the way that de Bodard writes Vu Côn. There are moments that I would love to see explained in a further story––particularly the relationship between Yên and Vu Côn.

Overall, would highly recommend if you're looking for a quick fantasy read!