Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Sing the Four Quarters by Tanya Huff

2 reviews

whitzilla's review

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adventurous emotional 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


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talonsontypewriters's review

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adventurous challenging tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25

I really don't know how to feel about Sing the Four Quarters. On one hand, I did to some extent enjoy it -- it's decently written in technical terms, and the worldbuilding and plot are, if not the most original, at least interesting -- but on the other, there are a lot of issues. Some of these come down to my preferences (and surprisingly for a tokophobe, the pretty graphic depiction of the central character's pregnancy wasn't one). Some, however, are pretty objective, like the casual and unchallenged depictions of incest and pedophilia as well as the pretty consistent cissexism and some incidental ableism, including a passage where an expectant character is fearful about her child being disabled (it's a fictional condition, but the descriptions read very similarly to a lot of neurological disorders). Much of this is ostensibly due to when it was written, but it's fairly uncomfortable to read today. It's also somewhat startling in combination with more progressive themes, like very smooth representation of gay and bi characters as well as pretty decent handling of childbearing out of wedlock and open, casual relationships.

On a more technical, overarching level, there are some hiccups in the writing as well. Though I liked (some of) the characters and was invested enough in their arcs to continue reading, I don't think I could really actively list off any of their traits. By the last quarter (incidentally, lol) of the book, I was struggling to even remember some of them. Since almost every important character's perspective is at some point shown -- and not always predictably, given Huff seems to have a habit here of switching PoVs between paragraphs, which does not work in third-person limited and is confusing and awkward -- this is a bit of a problem. The size of the cast is impressive, but it's ultimately more of a bane than a boon. A lot of characters whose perspectives are shown are also not likable in the slightest, and when each segment is at least a little important, some can be agonizing to trawl through.

The worldbuilding also doesn't delve as deep as I think it could, with some things like that aforementioned disability barely glanced over -- though the world tries very hard at being fleshed out and has compelling material there, it comes across as more superficial than anything else. A lot of concepts are thrown at the reader all at once and expected to be understood throughout the rest of the book. "Show don't tell" seems to be taken to an unfortunate extreme, with very few things actually explained except in passing or clunky dialogue. Additionally, the plot is just a bit too contrived to play out and be paced comfortably. It's also heavily bogged down with fantasy politics, which would normally be interesting to me, but the lack of super coherent worldbuilding just makes it confusing and difficult. How things connect and are resolved is ultimately satisfying, but the journey there can sometimes be a drag.

Sing the Four Quarters's main flaw is perhaps that it's too ambitious. There are a lot of names and ideas and plot threads present, too much to be neatly juggled, and the problems it's also laden with distract from its stronger suits. Though I personally enjoyed it (kind of), I don't think I would read it again, nor would I especially recommend it. If it were a quicker read with a punchier plot, this would perhaps be different, but its length makes everything stand out all the more.

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