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picklefall1's review against another edition
4.0
Well Researched and Easy to Read
If you're looking for something historically accurate (as best I can tell) you've come to the right book. I got a strong sense of otherness from the religious customs, architecture, clothing, and cultural norms depicted here in rich detail. The writing is clear, polished, and easy to follow without backtracking. There are only two main POV characters and they are both well-developed. The settings feel as real as if I were there in ancient Mesopotamia, and that was exactly the experience I wanted. I can't remember the author ever breaking immersion with modern references, which impressed me.
Some lines I found memorable:
-"It was in a port crisp with sea breeze, with waters like uncut jade..."
-"His trust had earned him a death sentence."
-"A broad path of azure tile and shell lead to the palace, so bright Ahsan could have mistaken it for a slice of the sky."
-"A blurry smear distorted everything around him as if he was encased in glass, the world muffled."
-"Fangs and shriveled, preserved eyes jangled from their necklaces as they traipsed through the crowds..."
While there is some violence, it's not graphic or gratuitous, and you won't find any sex scenes here. While not aimed at children, this book is fairly clean, which I found refreshing. The book also taught me several new words, which I always appreciate. And the interactions between Ahsan and Nirah are fun to behold. This book has all the immersive realism of Sutcliffe's Golden Goblet without the boredom. If you enjoy historical fiction, definitely read this book!
If you're looking for something historically accurate (as best I can tell) you've come to the right book. I got a strong sense of otherness from the religious customs, architecture, clothing, and cultural norms depicted here in rich detail. The writing is clear, polished, and easy to follow without backtracking. There are only two main POV characters and they are both well-developed. The settings feel as real as if I were there in ancient Mesopotamia, and that was exactly the experience I wanted. I can't remember the author ever breaking immersion with modern references, which impressed me.
Some lines I found memorable:
-"It was in a port crisp with sea breeze, with waters like uncut jade..."
-"His trust had earned him a death sentence."
-"A broad path of azure tile and shell lead to the palace, so bright Ahsan could have mistaken it for a slice of the sky."
-"A blurry smear distorted everything around him as if he was encased in glass, the world muffled."
-"Fangs and shriveled, preserved eyes jangled from their necklaces as they traipsed through the crowds..."
While there is some violence, it's not graphic or gratuitous, and you won't find any sex scenes here. While not aimed at children, this book is fairly clean, which I found refreshing. The book also taught me several new words, which I always appreciate. And the interactions between Ahsan and Nirah are fun to behold. This book has all the immersive realism of Sutcliffe's Golden Goblet without the boredom. If you enjoy historical fiction, definitely read this book!
blueshadow's review
4.0
So many good things about the book. The writing, as always, was fantastic. The plot was clever, with plenty of twists and turns. But the actions of the characters seemed inconsistent to me at many points. Examples: It was hard for me at times to decide if the book was a tragedy or a farce, and it seemed as if the characters weren't always sure, either.
Spoiler
If Ahsan is supposed to be the king to fool the gods, why doesn't he live in the king's rooms? And why do the palace servants sometimes treat him as a king, and sometimes not?
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