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asterope's review
adventurous
mysterious
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
“Agonist,” Baru said, and, at the glares and exhalations from the table, with a mote of defensive pride, “it’s my work-name.”
Baru continues her reign as Ultimate Disaster Lesbian, causing chaos and making enemies everywhere she goes. This is exactly what I was hoping for after Traitor. The world opens up - this book fleshes out the rest of the world and its mysteries, showing us that what happened in Aurdwynn was just the beginning. It puts Baru into the wider context. There were already lots of other players and conspiracies in play before she joined.
So there's multiple POVs here, developing the side characters much moreso than in the first book. The writing style changes with each point of view and I really liked this. It's a clear change, and it confirms why everything was so detailed and technical in Traitor - that's Baru's voice.
And more characters means more interesting interactions and humour. The humour was particularly delightful, especially the interactions between Baru and Apparitor. They both have very entertaining personalities and are even more fun to read when they're constantly griping with each other.
We also get to learn about the other characters' motivations and histories. I loved Tau-indi the most, a Prince from Oriati Mbo. Their flashback chapters were both relatable and very good at portraying their country's culture and history. I thought the worldbuilding through characters was better here than in Traitor, but it was understandable why that book was written the way it was.
Something else that stood out to me were the subtle examples of microaggressions the non-Falcresti characters put up with. Some of them experience internalised racism too, trying to 'fit in' with the empire. It felt very real.
Baru is, naturally, experiencing much inner turmoil and devastation vs. her outward behaviour that she needs to project in order to reject the empire's control over her. She's changed a lot since Traitor, but not a stereotypical cold and calculating savant, which could have been the easy route to take with her characterisation after what happened. She's kinda goofy and still very likeable, a bit foolish, but clearly depressed as hell. That dream sequence in chapter 21, owww.
Baru's still very much a flawed character who struggles to see the value of the people she uses. Over the course of the book she's reminded of why she started it all in the first place and whether her methods are how she truly wants to achieve her goals. The new characters she meets, such as Tau-indi help her with this. And we still get to enjoy her schemes (see: Baru destroying an island's entire economy in one day), but then in contrast I love how many times she's just like "who the fuck is that", "what the fuck is happening", "oh shit", etc. She's definitely become one of my favourite characters. It would have been unrealistic to me if she'd continued as this infallible genius.
Speaking of new characters, I have to talk about some spoilery stuff here...Tain Shir. Goodness me. I had heard about her before starting this series, and a lot of people seem to like her? Maybe that's based on what happens in Tyrant, but honestly I found this conflict a bit frustrating. Her revenge quest is based on a misunderstanding of the arrangement between Tain Hu and Baru. I suppose Baru did try to explain and I'm not surprised Shir didn't believe her, but it's still a trope that frustrates me, especially when Shir's actions are so drastic. She's so extra! Even dream!Hu agreed that Shir is bringing out the worst in Baru. I'm not sure chasing her around the world forever to torment her is going to solve anything. But, Shir is very well-written in that she is absolutely terrifying. I got chills whenever she showed up.
I love how fucking weird the Cancrioth are. From the first book you could think this series would focus on the usual aspects of war and conspiracy, but it's really opened up to be so much more than that. The horror elements are a pleasant surprise. Like the plague scene at the end, what the fuck? Although I had to laugh that Baru managed to get out of fighting another duel. Maybe in Tyrant she'll finally have to do it.
The vibe of Monster is generally more adventurous than the dark, brutal war of Traitor. There's less physical battles and more intertwining conspiracies, characters trying to outmanoeuvre each other and weird histories returning to relevance. It feels more balanced and easier to parse, being less technical due to the multiple POVs and Baru's character development. There's so much more to the world and we've got threads to follow to where the story may end. I fucking loved it from start to finish, I could not put it down. This series has become one of my favourites and Monster is my favourite instalment so far.
Baru continues her reign as Ultimate Disaster Lesbian, causing chaos and making enemies everywhere she goes. This is exactly what I was hoping for after Traitor. The world opens up - this book fleshes out the rest of the world and its mysteries, showing us that what happened in Aurdwynn was just the beginning. It puts Baru into the wider context. There were already lots of other players and conspiracies in play before she joined.
So there's multiple POVs here, developing the side characters much moreso than in the first book. The writing style changes with each point of view and I really liked this. It's a clear change, and it confirms why everything was so detailed and technical in Traitor - that's Baru's voice.
And more characters means more interesting interactions and humour. The humour was particularly delightful, especially the interactions between Baru and Apparitor. They both have very entertaining personalities and are even more fun to read when they're constantly griping with each other.
We also get to learn about the other characters' motivations and histories. I loved Tau-indi the most, a Prince from Oriati Mbo. Their flashback chapters were both relatable and very good at portraying their country's culture and history. I thought the worldbuilding through characters was better here than in Traitor, but it was understandable why that book was written the way it was.
Something else that stood out to me were the subtle examples of microaggressions the non-Falcresti characters put up with. Some of them experience internalised racism too, trying to 'fit in' with the empire. It felt very real.
Baru is, naturally, experiencing much inner turmoil and devastation vs. her outward behaviour that she needs to project in order to reject the empire's control over her. She's changed a lot since Traitor, but not a stereotypical cold and calculating savant, which could have been the easy route to take with her characterisation after what happened. She's kinda goofy and still very likeable, a bit foolish, but clearly depressed as hell. That dream sequence in chapter 21, owww.
Baru's still very much a flawed character who struggles to see the value of the people she uses. Over the course of the book she's reminded of why she started it all in the first place and whether her methods are how she truly wants to achieve her goals. The new characters she meets, such as Tau-indi help her with this. And we still get to enjoy her schemes (see: Baru destroying an island's entire economy in one day), but then in contrast I love how many times she's just like "who the fuck is that", "what the fuck is happening", "oh shit", etc. She's definitely become one of my favourite characters. It would have been unrealistic to me if she'd continued as this infallible genius.
Speaking of new characters, I have to talk about some spoilery stuff here...
I love how fucking weird the Cancrioth are. From the first book you could think this series would focus on the usual aspects of war and conspiracy, but it's really opened up to be so much more than that. The horror elements are a pleasant surprise. Like the plague scene at the end, what the fuck? Although I had to laugh that Baru managed to get out of fighting another duel. Maybe in Tyrant she'll finally have to do it.
The vibe of Monster is generally more adventurous than the dark, brutal war of Traitor. There's less physical battles and more intertwining conspiracies, characters trying to outmanoeuvre each other and weird histories returning to relevance. It feels more balanced and easier to parse, being less technical due to the multiple POVs and Baru's character development. There's so much more to the world and we've got threads to follow to where the story may end. I fucking loved it from start to finish, I could not put it down. This series has become one of my favourites and Monster is my favourite instalment so far.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Torture
Moderate: Homophobia, Xenophobia, and Racism
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