Reviews

Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard

a_o's review against another edition

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emotional fast-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

geekwayne's review against another edition

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4.0

'Fireheart Tiger' by Aliette de Bodard is a fantasy novella set in an interesting world.

Thanh has returned home to the royal court after being held hostage in Ephteria. She brings those memories, along with her first love, Eldris. Her mother disapproves and may not be wrong in her feelings. Thanh fights to keep her inner and external fire in check.

I liked this pretty full story in 112 pages. I liked the interesting world and characters and it feels like there is a lot here in the edges and margins that we don't get but helps to flesh out this story.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

julesg's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.5

whimsykat's review against another edition

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  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

theladyduckofdoom's review against another edition

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

kataanova's review against another edition

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inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

magerman's review against another edition

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emotional fast-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

3.0

syphilis's review

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emotional hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I didn't realize this was supposed to be so short when I bought it.  Pretty sure it's a novella?  If yes, it's on pace.  Either way, I finished it and went, "Hm, I could read at least thirty thousand more words of that."

fruitcd's review

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I think my expectations were just a little too high, it’s good for what it is. The ultimate goal of a novella is to hook readers and make them curious about your writing, and I am now certainly intrigued at what de Bodard could do with a full length novel! This probably SHOULD have been a full length novel— there is just way too much going on for only 100 pages. Either this should have been expanded into a 350 page novel or the fat should have been majorly trimmed to give the important themes (abusive f/f relationships, imperialism, finding your voice) a chance to really be developed and shine. Ultimately, certain aspects like
the conflict with the captain and the romance with Giang
ended up going nowhere and feeling pointless. 

Also re: the uncomfortable pet names that some other reviews have pointed out:
I know that many non-English languages have terms that literally mean “little sister”/“big sister” without actually denoting a familial relationship. But since this novel is in English it just feels soooo awkward to have the secondary romantic pairing calling each other big and lil sis! de Bodard has no problem using actual Vietnamese words for character and place names, so why not just keep the endearment in Vietnamese as well?


Overall, this is short and unique and I’m still glad to have read it! 

janescayre's review against another edition

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Narration wasn't doing it for me. Not sure If I'd prefer it in print though