Scan barcode
nickyskene's review
4.0
It took me a while to get used to the terms used in this book however a handy guide at the beginning helped to understand the language along with a map of the unfolding scene. A story involving mythical races who lived divided from each other, Dime the main character goes on the run after unexpectedly and suddenly being accosted by strangers. She starts out on her journey alone but soon finds out that not all is as she was brought up to know. The story ends quite suddenly which leaves you wanting to read the next.
Very creative and well written.
Very creative and well written.
abrittaney's review
4.0
What a great introduction to the fantasy genre! I grew up staring at my mother's crowded bookshelf feeling overwhelmed by the size of each of the fantasy tomes. Even for a young voracious reader, they were intimidating - I wouldn't pick up my first true fantasy novel until I was a teenager simply because of the length. Escape has all the elements fantasy readers love, in a more accessible package.
I was captivated by the story and setting from the first page. There was no issue seeing where Dime lived, worked and spent her time. I do wish there was a little more description of Dime herself as I couldn't quite grasp what she looked like.
The setup for the plot was done beautifully and I appreciated the glossary at the beginning of the book. It did take a couple chapters to get used to the various pronouns, though it wasn't a barrier to enjoying the story. I found the world's approach to violence refreshing.
Would definitely recommend for readers both new and returning to fantasy.
I was captivated by the story and setting from the first page. There was no issue seeing where Dime lived, worked and spent her time. I do wish there was a little more description of Dime herself as I couldn't quite grasp what she looked like.
The setup for the plot was done beautifully and I appreciated the glossary at the beginning of the book. It did take a couple chapters to get used to the various pronouns, though it wasn't a barrier to enjoying the story. I found the world's approach to violence refreshing.
Would definitely recommend for readers both new and returning to fantasy.
edebell's review
5.0
I'm so proud of the Diamondsong saga, and I hope people will enjoy it. It's fun and experimental all at once - with an epic fantasy setting, a primarily non-violent world, and ample experimentation on gender, power, and identity. I'm so excited to present Dime's journey to the world. : )
shell_s's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Diamondsong Vol. 1: Escape is a sheer delight!
And it’s impressively experimental in portraying a society where gender presentation and norms are not assumed or strict (while still communicating what’s going on very clearly), and in the author’s choice to minimize the use of violence to create suspense or conflict—while, I heartily assure you, stirring up plenty of both.
And it’s impressively experimental in portraying a society where gender presentation and norms are not assumed or strict (while still communicating what’s going on very clearly), and in the author’s choice to minimize the use of violence to create suspense or conflict—while, I heartily assure you, stirring up plenty of both.
I get instantly drawn into stories where a seemingly utopian society has secrets and flaws waiting to be exposed. And that’s definitely the impression I got with our hero Dime’s (short for Diamond) homeland—
where violence is a cruel phenomenon of past eras and so taboo that “harm it” is one of their foulest expletives, and the only punishment for crime is a kind of shunning with special tattoos and exile.
There's so much to love in this book I hardly know where to begin. With some more context, perhaps.
Excerpt: What she had been taught was at best a half-truth...that these fairies, who called themselves the Fo-ror, had stolen from Sol's own creatures, the Ja-lal. Their incitement of the Violence had nearly destroyed Ada-ji, culminating in the Great War...
All anyone needed to know was that the Ja-lal had won... That the only way to stay the Violence was a lack of contact, of knowledge, of anything but a hidden fear locked in the back of every pyr's [person's] mind.
The author deftly orients the reader to the world of Ada-ji with a succinct helpful glossary I’ll get to in a moment, but also with a lovely map where the Great Cliffs divide the dominant humanoid species’ territories, the heavily forested ocean-front lands of the Fo-ror and the open plains and mountains and high-rise building cities of the Ja-lal.
Excerpt: What she had been taught was at best a half-truth...that these fairies, who called themselves the Fo-ror, had stolen from Sol's own creatures, the Ja-lal. Their incitement of the Violence had nearly destroyed Ada-ji, culminating in the Great War...
All anyone needed to know was that the Ja-lal had won... That the only way to stay the Violence was a lack of contact, of knowledge, of anything but a hidden fear locked in the back of every pyr's [person's] mind.
The author deftly orients the reader to the world of Ada-ji with a succinct helpful glossary I’ll get to in a moment, but also with a lovely map where the Great Cliffs divide the dominant humanoid species’ territories, the heavily forested ocean-front lands of the Fo-ror and the open plains and mountains and high-rise building cities of the Ja-lal.
The Fo-ror are winged gray-skinned folk with long hair who possess magic powers, nicknamed “fairies” and mistrusted by their counterparts the Ja-lal. The Ja-lal (nicknamed "brutes" by the Fo-ror) are also gray-skinned and human-like but with shaved heads, and most bear intricate tattoos that tell their personal history.
The glossary lists terms for people denoting age or gender identity including neutral terms for anyone who is “spectrum” (nonbinary, etc.) or whom you don't have enough social cues about yet, and terms for how they measure time (e.g., four Earth years make up one Ada-ji cycle etc.), and offers a few notes on the Fo-ror and Ja-lal societies, mostly the latter.
This introduction ends on the note that Fo-ror and Ja-lal societies have avoided interacting since the "Great War," which we’re later told drove the Fo-ror from the Ja-lal’s lands and which is purportedly the last time any campaign of Violence was deliberately used.
The fantasy world of Ada-ji unfolds not with info dumps but through gradual setting details provided somewhat stream-of-consciousness style by protagonist Dime, details which suggest strong similarity to Earth in terms of culture (e.g., 20-sided dice games and bean dip at retirement parties) and dominant humanoid life-forms and the natural landscape. This gave the world a slight allegorical feel for me, kind of like Discworld.
Enough context, onto character, the chief reason to read most stories if you ask me. I adored Dime.
Bonus points for breaking traditional protagonist molds with Dime being a middle-aged woman (eighty Earth years but only in her forties by physical maturity in her world), and happily married to a supportive spouse, and with two loving, well-adjusted children (both adopted)—none of whom appear to exist just to be threatened or killed off for snappy traumatic character development.
Still more bonus points for Dime and husband Dayn sharing a platonic male friend without any sexual tension or jealousy, Ador who likes fashion and politics and leads a progressive organization called the Free Winds. And huge points for what an awesome mom Dime comes across as, so proud of her children whom she thinks of often, and whom she values for their unique personalities and skills and does not underestimate: precocious daughter Tum still in school and who had her legs amputated, and Luja who is ‘spectrum’ (nonbinary) and an herbalist healer.
Dime is more than her relationships of course, she is affectionate, compassionate, resourceful, tenacious, and an independent critical thinker not easily lulled by the polite lies and unspoken biases that permeate life in the thriving capital city of Lodon.
The plot moved briskly for me, starting with Dime retiring early from the Ja-lal’s FBI of sorts, the IC (Intel Circle) despite the prospect of a promotion to the highest echelons of power alongside her empire’s leader Sala known as “the Light,” because she disliked spying on her own people and disagreed often with her superiors. (I look forward to hearing more about their disputes in future books.)
Mere hours into her retirement, she needs all her covert training and skills and endurance to flee arrest in her own home by authorities who won’t even tell her the charges, and a thrilling chase ensues.
How Dime survives in the wilderness and her bold decision of what to do next makes for an alternately tense, heartwarming, and poignant adventure with engaging side characters. Help arrives from the most unexpected quarters, including a dignified primitive society of person-sized sentient scaled and feathered creatures nicknamed "newts," and a witch of fearsome reputation with a hidden past that forces Dime to question the histories she’s been taught.
Diamondsong is gentle fantasy a.k.a. quiet speculative fiction and proof that this subgenre still brings epic entertainment, while also being a kind of literary equivalent of a big cup of tea with stimulating spices.
I cannot recommend Diamondsong highly enough to lovers of speculative fiction with humor and food for thought and big-hearted, relatable characters. The only reason I haven’t let myself dive into the next volume yet is I held myself to reviewing this one first.
WHEN A SERIAL FANTASY NOVEL SPARKS JOY AND BURNING CURIOSITY, SPEAK UP—BOOST THE SIGNAL!
a_l_deleon's review
5.0
Diamondsong is a refreshing little novella. I like that it was an easy read with thought provoking content. Looking forward to reading the rest in this series in the future.
tanouska's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed reading this, and am looking forward to reading part two.
If I'm honest, I usually would back away quite quickly if a book started with an explanation of terms en society, cause my brian isn't always up for (what seems like) a lot of work and remembering, but I trusted the author of this one, so I went and read it anyway, and it was all ok :P The terms around gender and society all felt quite natural and I was used to them very quickly. The terms around time took a little longer, mostly cause I kept wanting to translate them to 'our' term :P
I did really enjoy how the society in this book worked with gender, how they introduced themselves and how that informed other of their gender and preferred pronouns!
If I'm honest, I usually would back away quite quickly if a book started with an explanation of terms en society, cause my brian isn't always up for (what seems like) a lot of work and remembering, but I trusted the author of this one, so I went and read it anyway, and it was all ok :P The terms around gender and society all felt quite natural and I was used to them very quickly. The terms around time took a little longer, mostly cause I kept wanting to translate them to 'our' term :P
I did really enjoy how the society in this book worked with gender, how they introduced themselves and how that informed other of their gender and preferred pronouns!
minervacerridwen's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The first book of Diamondsong, a story in ten parts, introduces the world of the Ja-lal, where violence is no longer part of society. The basic concept is interesting and the new vocabulary with which the book starts supports the strong worldbuilding. Almost immediately, the story proves that a lack of violence does not imply that a story won't have suspenseful action scenes.
Dime's stay with the Newts was my favourite part. I've always loved narratives where strange creatures turn out to be more caring than they were previously believed to be, and exploring their rich culture. The atmosphere of these scenes reminded me of the Edge Chronicles' Banderbears, a childhood favourite.
In most speculative fiction, having made a big cultural mistake would be a recipe for disaster. I found it refreshing that Dime learned, went back and made it right.
The book doesn't feel like a finished story, but of course you know going in that there will be 9 more parts after. This is definitely an intriguing introduction and I'm very curious to read the next instalment!
In most speculative fiction, having made a big cultural mistake would be a recipe for disaster. I found it refreshing that Dime learned, went back and made it right.
The book doesn't feel like a finished story, but of course you know going in that there will be 9 more parts after. This is definitely an intriguing introduction and I'm very curious to read the next instalment!
More...