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greenidmnstr's review against another edition
4.0
The story was interesting enough to make me want to keep reading, but honestly, the world is confusing and overwhelming. I kinda felt like I was reading the second book in the series because there's really no explanation of the world at all - you just get thrown into the weird language and unfamiliar names and words without anything to grab onto. Regardless of the lack of background development, the book does develop the plot really well. Although not entirely a dystopia, it definitely plays with the same ideas of oppression, rebellion, secrets, and big brother surveillance. The title suggests betrayal right off the bat and although there is intrigue, I didn't think anything that happened was really surprising. This whole novel reminded me of watching Alias back in the day...who is she really loyal to?! I'm going to keep reading because I'd like to find out if the ends really justify the means and how this will all play out. As a standalone book, I don't think it's particularly spectacular, but I have high hopes for it being part of a magnificent whole. We will see.
ethias's review against another edition
5.0
I am heartbroken. I am awed. I hate this book. I love this book. Just wack me over the head with it like 20 times, that’ll hurt less I think.
borninexile's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
5.0
and thus, as always, to traitors
vossypants's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sincerelymendacious's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
peterkeep's review against another edition
4.0
I always seem to enjoy standalone fantasy books. I love to get wrapped up in a good series, but every now and then it's still nice to see a complete story told within the bounds of a front and back cover in the fantasy genre. Not that this is super fantastical. I'll classify it was fantasy even though there is no magic, but I don't want to say why: getting into specifics would spoil a bit.
Baru Cormorant is a good lead character to tell this story through. She's a cold, calculating, charismatic accountant with big ambitions and a vengeance-based motivation. She ends up getting into more than just accounting, although economics plays a big role here. It's exciting to me to see these kinds of stories where the main character's strengths aren't just military might. Baru approaches everything like an economist. Her weapons (as she calls them) are her pen and paper. She ends up dabbling a bit in commanding an army, which was a bit disappointing to me. I really wanted the story to just be about her manipulating the economy, thinking ahead, and outwitting everyone. In this story, though, it simply wasn't possible to move completely away from the more traditional battlefield, even for just a small bit. Oh well. I still enjoyed it.
My one (other) complaint is that the writing got a bit bland in the middle. There are big time jumps, and the summaries of the events that happen read like a more personalized history book. This isn't surprising given the kind of story we're in and the way the main character thinks, but it still made for a couple of sections that were pretty dry.
All in all, it was a good book. There was a lot laid out in the first 50-100 pages, and the rest of it all fell in line. I specifically liked the way the "epilogue" was written. Baru's weapons (her pen and paper) provide a fitting closing the the story, as we read a series of correspondence between several characters that help bring some closure to the events in the book. I thought that was a pretty cool stylistic choice, and fit some of the personality of the books namesake.
Baru Cormorant is a good lead character to tell this story through. She's a cold, calculating, charismatic accountant with big ambitions and a vengeance-based motivation. She ends up getting into more than just accounting, although economics plays a big role here. It's exciting to me to see these kinds of stories where the main character's strengths aren't just military might. Baru approaches everything like an economist. Her weapons (as she calls them) are her pen and paper. She ends up dabbling a bit in commanding an army, which was a bit disappointing to me. I really wanted the story to just be about her manipulating the economy, thinking ahead, and outwitting everyone. In this story, though, it simply wasn't possible to move completely away from the more traditional battlefield, even for just a small bit. Oh well. I still enjoyed it.
My one (other) complaint is that the writing got a bit bland in the middle. There are big time jumps, and the summaries of the events that happen read like a more personalized history book. This isn't surprising given the kind of story we're in and the way the main character thinks, but it still made for a couple of sections that were pretty dry.
All in all, it was a good book. There was a lot laid out in the first 50-100 pages, and the rest of it all fell in line. I specifically liked the way the "epilogue" was written. Baru's weapons (her pen and paper) provide a fitting closing the the story, as we read a series of correspondence between several characters that help bring some closure to the events in the book. I thought that was a pretty cool stylistic choice, and fit some of the personality of the books namesake.
allisongravez's review against another edition
3.75
I was so mad at the end of this book that I went nonverbal for two hours
carkaroake's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? It's complicated
4.5
if you ever doubted macroeconomics could be thrilling
nonesensed's review against another edition
5.0
Baru Cormorant's childhood is spent in a free Taranoke. Well, her early childhood. She grows up witnessing how the empire known as the Masquerade invades - not through outright war but through trade, and 'education', and plague. Slowly she watches her culture and people get subsumed by this spider web of an empire, clearing away all who struggle against the new order. But unlike her mother, Baru has no faith in violent revolt. No, the Masquerade is a hydra and fighting it will only kill you quicker. It needs to be destroyed from the inside.
What a ride! I don't want to spoil anything about this book, other than what you'll find out in its summary, because reading it fairly "blind" was such a thrill. Read this book if you're looking for a deeply morally questionable protagonist doing her best to outwit an empire by pretending to be part of it.
Though, fair warning, this book deals with a huge number of the worst things people can do to each other, so do look up spoilers if there are things you'd rather avoid reading to read about in a book you're reading for fun.
What a ride! I don't want to spoil anything about this book, other than what you'll find out in its summary, because reading it fairly "blind" was such a thrill. Read this book if you're looking for a deeply morally questionable protagonist doing her best to outwit an empire by pretending to be part of it.
Though, fair warning, this book deals with a huge number of the worst things people can do to each other, so do look up spoilers if there are things you'd rather avoid reading to read about in a book you're reading for fun.
suhrfranbacon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
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
4.5