Scan barcode
alainral's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.25
A very engaging and well-written book with excellent atmosphere. It does fall into tropes here and there but stands out in all the ways that count. The characters all felt unique and were likeable, even though I wished Domek in particular could have had a bit more dimension. I also would have liked to have seen him get called out more for his "knight in shining armor" personality. Likewise, Ora's reformed vampire persona was annoying at times. All in all, it's worth a read just for the solid vibes and plot. The pacing is a consistent medium throughout.
As a side note on the treatment of Judaism: I think it's great that the book dealt with antisemitism and attempted to portray a Jewish character positively. However, Abrahams should have had more personality and integration with the plot to feel less tokenish. Additionally, the author made the insensitive choice to use the word "cabal" more than once. Especially with that applying to a secret vampire group (see the blood libel connection), that made me pause a bit. Overall, though, I think the author's intentions were good.
As a side note on the treatment of Judaism: I think it's great that the book dealt with antisemitism and attempted to portray a Jewish character positively. However, Abrahams should have had more personality and integration with the plot to feel less tokenish. Additionally, the author made the insensitive choice to use the word "cabal" more than once. Especially with that applying to a secret vampire group (see the blood libel connection), that made me pause a bit. Overall, though, I think the author's intentions were good.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Slavery, Antisemitism, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Domestic abuse
Lgbtq, reformed vampirejo_d's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, and Grief
Minor: Suicide and Suicide attempt
booksthatburn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
5.0
THE LIGHTS OF PRAGUE is the story of what can happen when some think that the line between monster and human is intrinsic and obvious, and others see monstrosity as a function of action and choice. Lady Ora Fischer is in mourning for her husband, who died some decades before. She's been spending time with Domek, someone whose social status is very different from her own. She's unaware that he's a lamplighter, one of the people who patrol the streets to keep pedestrians safe from monsters in the night. Set in a magic-touched version of historical Prague, and THE LIGHTS OF PRAGUE specifically explores the connection between perceived monstrosity and bigotries such as queerphobia, classism, and antisemitism, continuing the genre's long-running engagement with these themes. What could have been a simple story of a pijavica hunter falling in love with a pijavica (vampire) becomes a much more complicated story, as everything from the Will-O-Wisp he meets to his own mother's history makes it harder and harder for Domek to keep thinking that the prevailing attitude of "us versus them and they are all monsters" has any connection to reality.
Prague is a city in the grips of change. Most of these developments are incremental, such as the lights being installed in the city to make travel safer at night. There are many kinds of monsters: those who attack people in the night on their way home; those who lead travelers off of paths and into danger; and those who require some ideal performance of humanness in order to acknowledge personhood. Twenty years ago, the ghetto was opened and Jews were declared to be citizens, but this declaration of their equality hasn't been able to erase old prejudices. People with a little bit of power (real or imagined) are slow to welcome changes which threaten their sense of privilege and stability. One of the lamplighters is a Jewism man who discusses his awareness that many of his fellow lamplighters still are unsure whether he's one of the monsters they should be fighting. There’s also a scene which plays out very much like transphobia, with a character, assuming that he would never be intimate with a pijavica, because he would obviously be able to tell what they are ("clocking" in modern parlance). However, by that point the reader already knows that he’s wrong, that he has, in fact, had many wonderful conversations with a pijavica. There follows a scene which plays out in the first half like a gay/trans panic scene, where after an intimate encounter he find out that something about his bed partner isn't what he assumed. This scene highlights the ridiculousness of his earlier assertion of his perception powers, and is one piece in a long arc of him questioning the definitions and worth of "humanity" as he's been taught to revere and preserve it. He also comes into possession of a Will-O-Wisp who's magically enslaved, and the more they interact the less he's able to pretend that's there's some essential difference between them which means it's okay to exploit them.
I like pretty much everything about this book, especially the way the other various plot threads weave together. The lamplighter and the vampire are pursuing parallel tracks of investigation, but have very little reason to think that they might be on the same side. Generally, I don’t like plots which revolves around continued misunderstandings, but this one seemed very natural and didn’t bother me. The story has a nice alternation between me and characters, so that it avoids dull moments and allows for some scenes to have partially alternating perspectives without changing locale. There’s a pretty vibrant cast of secondary characters, helpful and nefarious alike. There’s also a specificity of place and time without getting bogged down and details in a way that might slow down the story.
Prague is a city in the grips of change. Most of these developments are incremental, such as the lights being installed in the city to make travel safer at night. There are many kinds of monsters: those who attack people in the night on their way home; those who lead travelers off of paths and into danger; and those who require some ideal performance of humanness in order to acknowledge personhood. Twenty years ago, the ghetto was opened and Jews were declared to be citizens, but this declaration of their equality hasn't been able to erase old prejudices. People with a little bit of power (real or imagined) are slow to welcome changes which threaten their sense of privilege and stability. One of the lamplighters is a Jewism man who discusses his awareness that many of his fellow lamplighters still are unsure whether he's one of the monsters they should be fighting. There’s also a scene which plays out very much like transphobia, with a character, assuming that he would never be intimate with a pijavica, because he would obviously be able to tell what they are ("clocking" in modern parlance). However, by that point the reader already knows that he’s wrong, that he has, in fact, had many wonderful conversations with a pijavica. There follows a scene which plays out in the first half like a gay/trans panic scene, where after an intimate encounter he find out that something about his bed partner isn't what he assumed. This scene highlights the ridiculousness of his earlier assertion of his perception powers, and is one piece in a long arc of him questioning the definitions and worth of "humanity" as he's been taught to revere and preserve it. He also comes into possession of a Will-O-Wisp who's magically enslaved, and the more they interact the less he's able to pretend that's there's some essential difference between them which means it's okay to exploit them.
I like pretty much everything about this book, especially the way the other various plot threads weave together. The lamplighter and the vampire are pursuing parallel tracks of investigation, but have very little reason to think that they might be on the same side. Generally, I don’t like plots which revolves around continued misunderstandings, but this one seemed very natural and didn’t bother me. The story has a nice alternation between me and characters, so that it avoids dull moments and allows for some scenes to have partially alternating perspectives without changing locale. There’s a pretty vibrant cast of secondary characters, helpful and nefarious alike. There’s also a specificity of place and time without getting bogged down and details in a way that might slow down the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Physical abuse, Confinement, Grief, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Slavery
Minor: Antisemitism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Classism, Xenophobia, Mental illness, and War
queenie_ofthe_void's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Domek being a total himbo hero was great in the beginning, but he continued to make the same mistakes even after his big moment of character development... which seems wrong. The Ora-Dom team up also happened much later than I expected. Could've done without the Bazil arc (didn't have any effect on the story) or Sokol making a move on Ora (why can't men and women just be friends?!).
All that aside, I loved Ora and I loved Domek. Also love a story with snarky personified object/spirit. Literally one of my favorite tropes so Kaja really hit the spot.
All that aside, I loved Ora and I loved Domek. Also love a story with snarky personified object/spirit. Literally one of my favorite tropes so Kaja really hit the spot.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Toxic friendship, Death, Gore, Blood, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Murder, and Body horror
m4rtt4's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
The vibes were there, but nothing else was. Don't be fooled, this was nothing like the Shades of Magic trilogy. Too much information with too little explanation, in addition to everything happening in the span of a couple of days. Ora was the only character I liked, I'd actually like to read a whole book about her life. I also loved the underground Prague! Don't know why I read the whole thing as I already wanted to dnf like 50 pages in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Blood, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Murder, Sexual content, Grief, and Medical content
wombat's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder
More...