Scan barcode
esocidae's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
guybrushtmp's review against another edition
I listened to the audiobook a long time ago and remember hating the performance so much it soured the book for me.
lisagoe's review against another edition
5.0
I've decided to reread all of these books, having found this one on my shelf and only vaguely remembering the contents. It's juicy and page-turn-y and just delicious. But none of those things are terribly descriptive of the particular genius here. Having read Rothfuss recently, that's what it most reminds me of, but there's shades of 3 Musketeers and early nineteenth century literature in general, though not quite as measured and stately in tone and pacing. Bujold and Sharon Shinn and other classic high fantasy have also left their mark, since there's no magic per se, but definitely a clearly delineated alternate universe and the book is focused on the political and social manoeuvrings in that space.
jvogt's review against another edition
2.0
While I thought the book was entertaining, I really thought the end of the book was weak. I was in the last 20 pages and thought: How is this going to end in 20 pages?! There are also some loose ends left in the end which I detest, but I figure the author is likely going to write another novel.
Another thing I found is that there was too much development. I understand the character has to grow, but the first half of the book is kind of boring and all the action is in the second half.
What made me think the novel was ok is the main character. She is fun, believable and has realistic character development. As for the others, the girl best friend was annoying and Marcus, her other best friend is too quiet. The uncle was bizarre to the end, but I think if I would have read Swordspell I would understand him more.
In all the novel is still entertaining, I just saw a lot more potential.
Another thing I found is that there was too much development. I understand the character has to grow, but the first half of the book is kind of boring and all the action is in the second half.
What made me think the novel was ok is the main character. She is fun, believable and has realistic character development. As for the others, the girl best friend was annoying and Marcus, her other best friend is too quiet. The uncle was bizarre to the end, but I think if I would have read Swordspell I would understand him more.
In all the novel is still entertaining, I just saw a lot more potential.
asteroideae's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Addiction, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Drug use, Rape, and Sexual assault
zquill's review against another edition
4.0
This is a book that a teenage girl could become attached to in the same way that the characters are enamored with The Swordsman Whose Name was Death in the story. I'm not a big fan of series that take up with the next generation, but Richard and Alec were so creatively inserted into this one, and it's interesting seeing how Riverside and the Hill have (and haven't) changed, in part thanks to their influence.
The gender politics that were just touched on in Swordspoint get center stage in important and horrific ways., but it was from that moment halfway in that the book started making explicit exactly how women are used and abused in this aristocracy, with little to no recourse available for them to take. Katherine is an amazing character for how she stumbles under those pressures, but uses the chance she's given to escape societal constraints to help her friend and others who don't have mad uncles in their corner. She is so much more than the girl-with-a-sword trope.
And speaking of tropes, I have to once again just marvel at the characterization of Tremontaine. He could so easily have been the stereotypical rich, hedonistic uncle with a hidden heart of gold. But if Tremontaine has a heart (he totally does, it's just in the countryside), it's silver and tarnished, yet he throws the whole weight of it into improving the lives of people who can't help themselves. He's not merely dismissive of high society because he thinks he's better than them (though I'm sure he does think that), but because he has a twisted moral backbone that won't bow to their insipid values.
I do think the resolution was a little too simple and undercut the cleverness and intrigues that the rest of the book (and the book before it) built itself on, but it does make sense that so-and-so would finally snap, and for such a reason. It was played a little too close to the chest, and it seemed to forget entirely about the Black Rose, but I'm glad we got the ending we did.
Lastly, Katherine's exploration of her sexuality was SO refreshing. I didn't think we'd be blessed with a second queer protagonist in this series,, but it was a delight reading her realize her feelings weren't limited to men.
The gender politics that were just touched on in Swordspoint get center stage in important and horrific ways.
Spoiler
I was shocked when Ferris raped Artemisia so matter-of-factlyAnd speaking of tropes, I have to once again just marvel at the characterization of Tremontaine. He could so easily have been the stereotypical rich, hedonistic uncle with a hidden heart of gold. But if Tremontaine has a heart (he totally does, it's just in the countryside), it's silver and tarnished, yet he throws the whole weight of it into improving the lives of people who can't help themselves. He's not merely dismissive of high society because he thinks he's better than them (though I'm sure he does think that), but because he has a twisted moral backbone that won't bow to their insipid values.
I do think the resolution was a little too simple and undercut the cleverness and intrigues that the rest of the book (and the book before it) built itself on, but it does make sense that so-and-so would finally snap, and for such a reason. It was played a little too close to the chest, and it seemed to forget entirely about the Black Rose, but I'm glad we got the ending we did.
Lastly, Katherine's exploration of her sexuality was SO refreshing. I didn't think we'd be blessed with a second queer protagonist in this series,
Spoiler
and I don't mind that she ends up with Marcus at the endkates_book_nook's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sloane's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I loooove this book. I love lady katherine. I love alec as the mad duke and terrible uncle. I love alec and richard's divorce arc and wished it lasted longer. i love the general whimsy of it all. I love the coming of age mixed with whatever the fuck alec is doing (attempting to hashtag empower women but also doing that very poorly) its just a great story. Perhaps i will write something more coherent later
trulybooked's review against another edition
4.0
Continuing on from where Swordspoint left off, I was expecting a victorious romp and this novel didn't disappoint. In a lot of ways I liked it more than Swordspoint. The focus of the novel is tighter and I enjoyed that quite a lot, as it stands, the only reason it didn't get a perfect five was because my favourite character from the last novel had a much smaller part to play in this one. I loved that we picked up with one of the main characters from the last book and were able to explore his character arc when he's older and not as rambunctious. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who love fantasy.
yhtgrace's review against another edition
5.0
Bought a gorgeous hard-copy version of this while in San Francisco. Re-reading it was such a pleasure, and not just because the book itself is fantastic. The binding on my copy is absolutely perfect, and the quality of the paper is phenomenal. It definitely added to the whole experience (and is a huge plus on the side of the debate against ebook readers. It's just too bad that I can't afford gorgeous hard copies of every book I love).
Re-reading this reminded me of just how much I love Katherine. The book, is of course, about empowerment in a traditional fantasy setting, where gender and class inequality abound. The Privilege of the Sword pays more attention to issues of gender (as opposed to Swordspoint and The Way of Kings, if my admittedly fuzzy memory of the books serves me well) (and by extension, sexuality) and part of what makes the book so great is its fantastic cast of female characters-- Not just Katherine and Artemesia but also supporting characters like Lydia, the Black Rose, Mathematical Girl, Betty, Janine, and their varied experiences in society. Whatever their background may be their gender means that invisible forces keep all of them from being truly free, Katherine of course being the obvious exception. I think it's important to note that Katherine is only able to exercise such freedom because of the graces of her uncle the Mad Duke, but at the same time all the Mad Duke offered her is opportunity. It's Katherine who works at her own empowering as she sweats the pre-requisite blood and tears to become an expert swords-woman, and it's Katherine whose kindness and sense of justice provokes her to stand up for what is right.
Other characters benefit from Alec's so-called madness and one of them is of course, Marcus. His story runs in parallel to Katherine's, and is almost heart-breakingly tragic. Another is Lucius, who provides an interesting contrast to Marcus (). Which brings me finally to Alec and Richard. Alec and Richard seem almost incidental to the central theme if not the plot, but their romance is still this incredibly sweet thing that I'm glad got revisited in the book anyway.
Last read: 18 Aug 2012
(imo,) [b:The Privilege of the Sword|821583|The Privilege of the Sword (Riverside, #2)|Ellen Kushner|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1389595637s/821583.jpg|4003] is the best of the Riverside series. It has very pointed things to say about female empowerment, and it doesn't shy away from difficult issues that one would be afraid to touch in a book that could have been marketed as young adult fantasy. In fact, early on in the book, Katherine (our sword-wielding heroine)'s first friend in Riverside, Artemisia, is trapped by family and society into a marriage with a man who at a party,. Katherine vows to avenge her, and attempts to rescue her new friend's honor via a duel: she is promptly ignored, her challenge swept wayside and treated as less then trivial.
(On a side note, I particularly enjoyed the running meta on the two girls' love for fictional books and plays: both Katherine and Artemesia quickly learn that both romance and swordplay in the stories that they adore have very little to do with real life: however, it doesn't stop them from talking about those stories, and dreaming of better lives.)
That aside, the thing I love best about the book is just how much time and care is given to telling the stories of the many characters in the book (Katherine and Artemesia being only two in an ensemble of many). We also get more Richard/Alec backstory, but as in [b:Swordspoint|68485|Swordspoint (Riverside, #1)|Ellen Kushner|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388903158s/68485.jpg|1453593], not particularly obtrusively: the characters and their loves and dreams and fears matter to the plot, and it is exactly because of that that the novel succeeds.
One final thing: as in [b:Swordspoint|68485|Swordspoint (Riverside, #1)|Ellen Kushner|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388903158s/68485.jpg|1453593], sexuality is a very fluid thing in Riverside, though it is never explicitly pointed out by Kushner. I think that's interesting. It's like Kusher's created a world where love is properly gender-blind. Kusher did Katherine's sexual awakening really well. I wonder what I would have thought if I had read this at 16. If it can rock me to the core now, it would definitely have changed a lot of things about 16-year-old me.
Re-reading this reminded me of just how much I love Katherine. The book, is of course, about empowerment in a traditional fantasy setting, where gender and class inequality abound. The Privilege of the Sword pays more attention to issues of gender (as opposed to Swordspoint and The Way of Kings, if my admittedly fuzzy memory of the books serves me well) (and by extension, sexuality) and part of what makes the book so great is its fantastic cast of female characters-- Not just Katherine and Artemesia but also supporting characters like Lydia, the Black Rose, Mathematical Girl, Betty, Janine, and their varied experiences in society. Whatever their background may be their gender means that invisible forces keep all of them from being truly free, Katherine of course being the obvious exception. I think it's important to note that Katherine is only able to exercise such freedom because of the graces of her uncle the Mad Duke, but at the same time all the Mad Duke offered her is opportunity. It's Katherine who works at her own empowering as she sweats the pre-requisite blood and tears to become an expert swords-woman, and it's Katherine whose kindness and sense of justice provokes her to stand up for what is right.
Other characters benefit from Alec's so-called madness and one of them is of course, Marcus. His story runs in parallel to Katherine's, and is almost heart-breakingly tragic. Another is Lucius, who provides an interesting contrast to Marcus (
Spoiler
low-born vs high-born, forced vs. voluntarily a part of the tradeLast read: 18 Aug 2012
(imo,) [b:The Privilege of the Sword|821583|The Privilege of the Sword (Riverside, #2)|Ellen Kushner|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1389595637s/821583.jpg|4003] is the best of the Riverside series. It has very pointed things to say about female empowerment, and it doesn't shy away from difficult issues that one would be afraid to touch in a book that could have been marketed as young adult fantasy. In fact, early on in the book, Katherine (our sword-wielding heroine)'s first friend in Riverside, Artemisia, is trapped by family and society into a marriage with a man who at a party,
Spoiler
rapes her(On a side note, I particularly enjoyed the running meta on the two girls' love for fictional books and plays: both Katherine and Artemesia quickly learn that both romance and swordplay in the stories that they adore have very little to do with real life: however, it doesn't stop them from talking about those stories, and dreaming of better lives.)
That aside, the thing I love best about the book is just how much time and care is given to telling the stories of the many characters in the book (Katherine and Artemesia being only two in an ensemble of many). We also get more Richard/Alec backstory, but as in [b:Swordspoint|68485|Swordspoint (Riverside, #1)|Ellen Kushner|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388903158s/68485.jpg|1453593], not particularly obtrusively: the characters and their loves and dreams and fears matter to the plot, and it is exactly because of that that the novel succeeds.
One final thing: as in [b:Swordspoint|68485|Swordspoint (Riverside, #1)|Ellen Kushner|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388903158s/68485.jpg|1453593], sexuality is a very fluid thing in Riverside, though it is never explicitly pointed out by Kushner. I think that's interesting. It's like Kusher's created a world where love is properly gender-blind. Kusher did Katherine's sexual awakening really well. I wonder what I would have thought if I had read this at 16. If it can rock me to the core now, it would definitely have changed a lot of things about 16-year-old me.