Reviews

Provenance by Ann Leckie

mckayhart's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

4.75

lilithesquid's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious tense slow-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

2.75

Political intrigue just isn't for me, especially not in a world I don't understand because I haven't read the Imperial Ranch trilogy (my fault!). The scene with the Geck ambassador on her ship was 10/10 though, best part of the book. Also although parts of Ingray's character were interesting, her becoming a prison reformist with a cop girlfriend by the end of the book just doesn't do it for me.

henryoz's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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? No

4.0

prested's review against another edition

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3.0

Ingray Aughksold isn't favored by her mother and knows that her brother, Danach, is likely to succeed her as a representative.
Still, she decides to put her best effort in the endeavor and comes up with a plan to at least shame her brother if she can't be acknowledge as a potential heir.
She frees a prisoner that's of political interest to her mother, and heads back to Hwae where her careful thought out plan is thrown off when a visiting diplomat is murdered.
Suddenly, Ingray has to deal with a murder and the political ramification of it all while trying to secure her place in her family.
-------------------------
This was a good read! It was difficult at first to get into it, the first 50 pages read a little weird, but after I read a few chapters I got into it.
Ingray was fascinating and she's basically a girl in over her head whose trying to maneuvered her way out of a politically sticky situation.

I was disappointed with the conclusion of this book however.
Spoiler
Nothing really changed for Ingray.
She ended up deciding that her family's treatment of her is how it is and there was nothing she could do about it.
She basically just accepts how her life is, even though she was deeply unhappy about it and how much it stressed her out.
She does nothing about her family situation.
Telling no one of her feelings about her family (there was a implication that she discussed them with her girlfriend) but not a full on discussion and analysis of her family and its toxicity.
I just wish that was more of a focus on the family aspect of her identity.

Everyone is telling her that her family is shitty and she still clings to them because she's terrified to be alone.
She has a found family, but is ultimately separated from them and returns to her family.
It's just so unfortunate that was never fully addressed even though that was a central theme.


The main plot resolved itself nicely but I wish that Leckie went in deeper with the characterization of the cast
Spoilerthere's not a lot of depth to the characters themselves.
Ingray's family's characterization was superficial.
Her mother's absent and demanding, her nuncle is helpful and her brother's an asshole.
The only other detail I know about the Aughksolds' household is that it's toxic, and that her mother and nuncle is aware of that fact but do nothing to fix it.
Tic and Garal characterization wasn't too bad.

I did enjoy the themes of identity and social class that was mixed in throughout.

It's a good book, but there were a few things that were lacking.

accidentalspaceexplorer's review against another edition

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4.0

A fun romp, and I liked Ingray as a main character even though I think Garal's perspective would have been more interesting.

deb_entwistle's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious 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? N/A

5.0

shirahdevorah's review against another edition

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4.5

This is another standalone in Leckie's Imperial Radch Trilogy universe, but takes a much narrower scope, focusing on a few systems beyond the edge of Radch space. In Provenance, Leckie explores the idea of family through the Hwae cultural practices of fostering children, dynastic inheritance, and filial duty; the Geck concept of interspecies bonds; and the Omkem interpersonal taboo between certain family members. My only complaint is that I found the side characters much more compelling than the protagonist, and I wish we had books focused on each of them!

dupe's review

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5.0

Leckie doesn’t miss

mushy_friend's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

micki138's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious 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? No

4.0