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miniatureghosts's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.25
davreads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
3.5
dinah_yukich's review against another edition
3.0
Lovely; very interesting concept of gender will be neat to see that developed further.
vhsrising's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.5
muccycloud's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
mel91's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
avatarslayoshi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
What a cool book!
I love any story that can make me feel like I really *know* the main character by the end. Here, I really felt like I was inside Akeha's head. I got to know them and what drives their actions, which I appreciate more than a lot of other things in a novel. To me, that shows that the author knows their characters very well.
And the world that this is set in! I really felt like I was in it. The inspiration came through vividly to me, and maybe that's from my experience with Avatar, but I was in love with all of the imagery I was getting. The magic only enhanced this, to the point that it felt so natural every time it was described. Sometimes it can sound too complicated or the wording pulls me out of what I'm reading while my brain tries to make sense of the words.
I like the concept of the royal children being gender neutral when they are children, but having to choose specifically male or female at a certain age was a little... odd. I was hoping that there was a gender neutral option that would come about. Regardless, Akeha's inner struggle with Mokoya choosing to be a woman (aka different than how he feels) was still an interesting part of this story to read through. Yang captured the pain of not feeling like you belong in a certain way perfectly.
Immediately after I finished this, I bought the collection of 4 stories all as one novel. Can't wait to read the rest of them!
I love any story that can make me feel like I really *know* the main character by the end. Here, I really felt like I was inside Akeha's head. I got to know them and what drives their actions, which I appreciate more than a lot of other things in a novel. To me, that shows that the author knows their characters very well.
And the world that this is set in! I really felt like I was in it. The inspiration came through vividly to me, and maybe that's from my experience with Avatar, but I was in love with all of the imagery I was getting. The magic only enhanced this, to the point that it felt so natural every time it was described. Sometimes it can sound too complicated or the wording pulls me out of what I'm reading while my brain tries to make sense of the words.
I like the concept of the royal children being gender neutral when they are children, but having to choose specifically male or female at a certain age was a little... odd. I was hoping that there was a gender neutral option that would come about. Regardless, Akeha's inner struggle with Mokoya choosing to be a woman (aka different than how he feels) was still an interesting part of this story to read through. Yang captured the pain of not feeling like you belong in a certain way perfectly.
Immediately after I finished this, I bought the collection of 4 stories all as one novel. Can't wait to read the rest of them!
iorangi's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
mitskacir's review against another edition
4.0
What a captivating read! I loved the world building and magic system (surprisingly I was ok with the fact that it wasn't explained much) and enjoyed the speedy pace of the book (it spans many years, skipping large chunks of time, which I've seen some readers didn't like - personally, it made for a fast paced read that didn't get bogged down with unnecessary side plots. Impressively, it rarely fell victim to the "Show don't tell!" critique, despite its need to pack a lot into a short novella). A few of the relationships felt a little rushed and I wasn't strongly invested in them, but the main one between the twins was very moving and well constructed. Looking forward to getting my hands on the sequel!
daumari's review against another edition
4.0
We're told not to judge book by covers, but Yuko Shimizu's art is gorgeous and was the first thing that drew me to the Tensorate series. What's more intriguing is that the series starts with twin novellas for twin characters, and per an interview, the author thinks it will be interesting seeing the perspective readers have starting with one or the other.
Me? I tend to defer to chronological, even though nonlinear forms of storytelling are fascinating, so I started with The Black Tides of Heaven which starts at the twins' infancy (I'll also confess to checking the Goodreads series numbering), with Akeha as the main character though both are central to the plot, especially their twin Mokoya who has the gift of prophecy.
The world building is excellent. A lot of the fantasy genre is stuck in pseudo-medieval or renaissance fantasy!Europe, when Asian history and culture are ripe for inspiration. Gender is also an aspect but not necessarily central- in Ea, children are gender neutral until they confirm the gender they are, and there's no set age to declare and confirm a gender, which is refreshing. There's magical puberty blockers to stop changes until gender confirmation, though, and not everyone necessarily sees the confirmation doctors. But as I said, this is not the central point- rather, The Black Tides of Heaven focuses on the relationship of the twins- Mokoya is the seer, the one their mother, The Protector, wanted while Akeha is "the spare". Aside from political conflict, the novel twists on differences between the twins, who are bonded but definitely different people.
Me? I tend to defer to chronological, even though nonlinear forms of storytelling are fascinating, so I started with The Black Tides of Heaven which starts at the twins' infancy (I'll also confess to checking the Goodreads series numbering), with Akeha as the main character though both are central to the plot, especially their twin Mokoya who has the gift of prophecy.
The world building is excellent. A lot of the fantasy genre is stuck in pseudo-medieval or renaissance fantasy!Europe, when Asian history and culture are ripe for inspiration. Gender is also an aspect but not necessarily central- in Ea, children are gender neutral until they confirm the gender they are, and there's no set age to declare and confirm a gender, which is refreshing. There's magical puberty blockers to stop changes until gender confirmation, though, and not everyone necessarily sees the confirmation doctors. But as I said, this is not the central point- rather, The Black Tides of Heaven focuses on the relationship of the twins- Mokoya is the seer, the one their mother, The Protector, wanted while Akeha is "the spare". Aside from political conflict, the novel twists on differences between the twins, who are bonded but definitely different people.