Reviews

Some by Virtue Fall by Alexandra Rowland

mary_soon_lee's review against another edition

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

"Some by Virtue Fall" is a fantasy novella about duelling theater troupes. It's witty and vivid and clever. The protagonist, Saba, is the director of a theater troupe. By the king's edict, they and their rivals are all having to proceed without male actors. (Coincidentally, a couple of weeks before reading it, I watched an all-female performance of Richard III.) There's little-to-no magic, but the setting is in a secondary world with a pantheon of gods.

I was badly thrown up by one item near the end, which skewed my overall opinion of the book. Consequently, I'm giving this three out of five theatrical stars, whereas otherwise it would likely have been a four-star-book.

P.S. For the curious, this is what threw me -- spoiler warning! -- Katre, one of the members of Saba's theater troupe, is critically wounded and may die; this is mentioned first on page 124 and then reiterated on page 144. Saba is fleetingly upset by this, but otherwise seems unbothered, engaging in repartee and gossip within minutes. This apparent indifference made her far less likable to me.

About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).

monkeysbecausewhynot's review against another edition

adventurous funny tense fast-paced

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

3.75

a delightfully fun book, i just want more saba and her troupe plsssss

meridianriver's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

merireadstuff's review

5.0

4.75
hello?? i loved this so so much i love gay people
i know its short but i finished it in one day this is huge for me <3<3

my only critic is that i didnt rlly understand the world / pantheon of gods, but i know it was because the story was supposed to throw you in mid action so,, its ok

valbowski83's review

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

nonesensed's review against another edition

5.0

Saba knows herself to be the best director in the city. This has been little help when her troupe, The Lights, like all other troupes have been forced to refrain from performing for far too long and now are lacking all their male players. On top of that, their rivals, The Reds, seem to be up to no good. But things are looking bright; Saba's close friend and playwright Alvana has a new play for them to perform and she's just run into a beautiful and friendly fellow player! What could possibly go wrong?

Fast-paced and fun! Really enjoyed the characters, the conflict and the world building. The theater humor was the cherry on top. Read if you want to experience a fast-paced rivalry and escalating consequences! 

compassrose's review against another edition

Not sure how this managed to miss the mark so spectacularly - queer women! theatre inspired by the Elizabethan! but it did. Full of the clumsier sort of tell-not-show, and the characters, setup, and relationships feel forced and false. Could not bring myself to care; ditched at 25%.

randomhumanbean's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

jessrock's review

dark emotional funny hopeful tense fast-paced

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

3.75

I really liked most of the story here about rival lesbian theater troupes, but the ending felt off, like it belonged to a similar but significantly different book. What we get for 90% of this book is a scrappy theater company trying to survive while an evil theater company keeps stealing from them, but the last 10% belongs to a book where the two theater companies had started out as friendly rivals but mutually provoked each other in a gradual escalation from teasing to all-out war.

theyellowhobbit's review

funny 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

5.0