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wannabekingpin's review against another edition
4.0
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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.
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!
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!
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
4.0
My Love for beauty and the beast retailings felt more for nostalgic reasons lately. I pick them up for time to time hoping I will have the same excitement as I had years before but often finish them with a disappointing feeling. But this one was a clear winner for me. It had enough of the "classic" detailed yet had some new and exciting ones that made it an entertaining read. Only draw back is that I wanted it to be a full novel but it was definitely a good read
kvinnsogboker's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
3.25
ripavengers's review
4.0
Beauty and the Beast retellings are more miss than hit but this was an interesting take on it. I’m not sure how I feel about the main relationship but there was more autonomy and less maliciousness involved which I appreciate.
caitcoy's review
4.0
In the Vanishers' Palace is a sort of post-apocalyptic, sci-fantasy story taking place on an earth that has been largely corrupted by those that came before (the Vanishers mentioned in the title) and the rest of humanity is attempting to survive in isolated villages protected from the diseases rampant elsewhere. When the daughter of an important woman in Yên's village falls ill, the village elders offer Yên in a bargain to gain the help of one of the last remaining dragons on earth, Vu Côn. To satisfy the bargain, Yên must tutor Vu Côn's children and do her best not to make the dragons who can easily kill her upset with her. But Yên did not want to leave her village and mother behind, despite having been basically given away and she has to deal with homesickness and being at the mercy of powerful beings.
In the Vanishers' Palace is exactly the kind of Vietnamese-inspired SFF/romance that I've come to expect from Aliette de Bodard and I enjoyed it, though not quite as much as Tea Master and the Detective. De Bodard drops hints about the world-building as Yên learns more about the way of the world outside of her village and the truth about the dragons themselves but all of the details aren't revealed by the end so you have to be content with some ambiguity.
The romance itself is a little mixed, to be honest. Vu Côn is in a position of power over Yên and tries to grant Yên whatever autonomy she can while still protecting her from the dangers of the palace they reside in. But she also frequently makes choices for her, which becomes a core part of the conflict that arises between them. It's very Beauty and the Beast, but I had a hard time feeling like it was really healthy for Yên.
Overall, I'd count this as one of the Aliette de Bodard SFF stories that I enjoyed but I do wish it had been a novel rather than a novella because despite a pretty leisurely pace, it felt like it needed more room to grow. The setting and the world had me intrigued enough to count it as a 4 star read but I think it's really suited better for readers who are interested in unusual, non-Western-inspired world-building rather than characters or plot.
In the Vanishers' Palace is exactly the kind of Vietnamese-inspired SFF/romance that I've come to expect from Aliette de Bodard and I enjoyed it, though not quite as much as Tea Master and the Detective. De Bodard drops hints about the world-building as Yên learns more about the way of the world outside of her village and the truth about the dragons themselves but all of the details aren't revealed by the end so you have to be content with some ambiguity.
The romance itself is a little mixed, to be honest. Vu Côn is in a position of power over Yên and tries to grant Yên whatever autonomy she can while still protecting her from the dangers of the palace they reside in. But she also frequently makes choices for her, which becomes a core part of the conflict that arises between them. It's very Beauty and the Beast, but I had a hard time feeling like it was really healthy for Yên.
Overall, I'd count this as one of the Aliette de Bodard SFF stories that I enjoyed but I do wish it had been a novel rather than a novella because despite a pretty leisurely pace, it felt like it needed more room to grow. The setting and the world had me intrigued enough to count it as a 4 star read but I think it's really suited better for readers who are interested in unusual, non-Western-inspired world-building rather than characters or plot.
superhawk610's review
2.0
The setting and world-building were the only things that really worked, and they weren’t explored thoroughly. The characters all kinda fell flat, and the romance felt so forced - never truly uncomfortable, just fake. Very little happened in 200 pages.
vanamonde's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- 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? No
4.0
A charming fantasy novel that unwraps to sci-fi.