Scan barcode
ameruck's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
franziskera's review against another edition
3.0
nice worldbuilding and interesting characters, but the plot was slow going, the descriptions repetitive and especially the relationship between Phillipe and Isabelle seemed more a necessity of the plot than natural.
carnivalofvanity's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
joy6ish's review against another edition
1.0
Boring. Couldn't grow attached to any of the characters.
readerpants's review against another edition
3.0
A little ornate for my tastes... too caught up in details to feel like solidly grounded worldbuilding.
bookedbrunette's review against another edition
4.0
“ᴀʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴏʟᴅ ᴅᴇᴀʀ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ꜱʜᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ; ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴜɪʟᴛ ᴡɪʟʟ ꜰᴀʟʟ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴅᴜꜱᴛ; ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴀᴛʜᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ʙᴏʀɴᴇ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛᴏʀᴍ…”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
The House Of Shattered Wings
Aliette De Bodard
399 pages
FC: Madeline, Isabelle, Phillipe
Ok wow. Just WOW!
Immediately if you’re a Bardugo fan, get on this train. The characters the special characteristics and mannerisms, the found family aspect…it’s giving six of crows in the best possible way and I love it.
If that makes no sense to you (get on that Leigh Bardugo is awesome) then just know this book was filled with heart. So many minute details that created such an effortless world. That felt SO REAL!
To give a some context…picture a world where like every supernatural being exists. “What about (insert supernatural being here)?” Y E S. Any of them. Especially gods tied to western religion, the Greek gods and so many more myths and cultures
Other than the crazy world there are very real problems in Paris. Angels sinning in The City and falling from heaven to a Paris that despises them. An influx of ‘angel essence’ a drug that gives the user free magical reign for a certain period of time, is terrorizing the city. So now the humans can fight back too.
My one qualm is that there is so MUCH bunched into 399 pages that left quite a sour taste in my mouth just for some unresolved and or disappointing climaxes.
THATS it.
Nonetheless the world building is on par of any great fantasy I have read!! I really liked it!! :))
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
The House Of Shattered Wings
Aliette De Bodard
399 pages
FC: Madeline, Isabelle, Phillipe
Ok wow. Just WOW!
Immediately if you’re a Bardugo fan, get on this train. The characters the special characteristics and mannerisms, the found family aspect…it’s giving six of crows in the best possible way and I love it.
If that makes no sense to you (get on that Leigh Bardugo is awesome) then just know this book was filled with heart. So many minute details that created such an effortless world. That felt SO REAL!
To give a some context…picture a world where like every supernatural being exists. “What about (insert supernatural being here)?” Y E S. Any of them. Especially gods tied to western religion, the Greek gods and so many more myths and cultures
Other than the crazy world there are very real problems in Paris. Angels sinning in The City and falling from heaven to a Paris that despises them. An influx of ‘angel essence’ a drug that gives the user free magical reign for a certain period of time, is terrorizing the city. So now the humans can fight back too.
My one qualm is that there is so MUCH bunched into 399 pages that left quite a sour taste in my mouth just for some unresolved and or disappointing climaxes.
THATS it.
Nonetheless the world building is on par of any great fantasy I have read!! I really liked it!! :))
lilacashes's review against another edition
I'm sorry I cannot really warm up to this book.
The premise and the world are interesting enough. Sadly I cannot say much about the good parts of the book without spoilers.
On the other hand, the characters appear clichéd and interchangeable. Apart from the two protagonists I cannot really tell them apart. Their reactions appear wooden and scripted, and even the most cynical characters act with an unrealistic naivety. The book never came to life when I read it.
Still I will come back to Aliette de Boudard to read what else she has up her sleeves.
The premise and the world are interesting enough. Sadly I cannot say much about the good parts of the book without spoilers.
On the other hand, the characters appear clichéd and interchangeable. Apart from the two protagonists I cannot really tell them apart. Their reactions appear wooden and scripted, and even the most cynical characters act with an unrealistic naivety. The book never came to life when I read it.
Still I will come back to Aliette de Boudard to read what else she has up her sleeves.
ejopet's review against another edition
(All explicit spoilers are marked, but I'm going to talk about the end of the book in some detail, so be warned).
I really loved the first 3/4 of this.
The setting is interesting: Paris that was decimated decades ago by a magical equivalent of WWI but with fallen angels. The technology is still early 20th century levels. The city is presided over by Great Houses, who want their own power, no matter who else they destroy for it.
The characters are complex and cool: Selene, the ruthless head of House Silverspires who can never live up to her predecessor Morningstar (yes, that one). Madeleine, a haunted alchemist addicted to ground angel bones. And Philippe, a former immortal who loathes all houses after he was conscripted from Vietnam to fight in the Great Houses War sixty plus years ago.
My favorite parts of the novel were the interactions with the other house leaders. Claire, the only human house head, and violent, ambitious Asmodeus are both so deliciously malevolent. The moments where Selene has to pretend not to hate their guts are so so good.
So what went wrong with the last 1/4?
The first problem is that the book set up a mystery: who wants to destroy Silverspires (and with that knowledge, how can they be stopped?). But the resolution to that didn't work for me at all. It was a huge shrug, because a) the reader doesn't have enough clues to figure it out, so there's no feeling of "of course", and b) the knowledge doesn't change anything, since the readers and characters already knew the general outline, so there's no feeling of "oh shit".
Maybe this is my fault for expecting a mystery, but I still feel like that arc could have been better handled.
The other problem is that Philippe has nothing to do. I loved Philippe--the scene where he made me tear up on the bus. And to me, he felt like the protagonist: he's the one who wants something from the start of the novel (to get the fuck out of Silverspires). But the problem is that his desire to be free of Silverspires doesn't work when the ultimate plot of the book is "Silverspires is in danger".
Every other major character--Selene, Madeleine, Isabelle (who I realized I haven't mentioned, perhaps because she didn't interest me that much)--get to make a tough choice that matters at the climax of the plot, and that creates an awesome moment. Philippe makes a choice but it doesn't matter! And I really wanted him to be awesome, since he's spent the whole book pushed around and used, but I guess I have to wait for the sequels.
I am glad I read this, and I do recommend it, even if the ending doesn't live up to the promise of the beginning and middle. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series
I really loved the first 3/4 of this.
The setting is interesting: Paris that was decimated decades ago by a magical equivalent of WWI but with fallen angels. The technology is still early 20th century levels. The city is presided over by Great Houses, who want their own power, no matter who else they destroy for it.
The characters are complex and cool: Selene, the ruthless head of House Silverspires who can never live up to her predecessor Morningstar (yes, that one). Madeleine, a haunted alchemist addicted to ground angel bones. And Philippe, a former immortal who loathes all houses after he was conscripted from Vietnam to fight in the Great Houses War sixty plus years ago.
My favorite parts of the novel were the interactions with the other house leaders. Claire, the only human house head, and violent, ambitious Asmodeus are both so deliciously malevolent. The moments where Selene has to pretend not to hate their guts are so so good.
So what went wrong with the last 1/4?
The first problem is that the book set up a mystery: who wants to destroy Silverspires (and with that knowledge, how can they be stopped?). But the resolution to that didn't work for me at all. It was a huge shrug, because a) the reader doesn't have enough clues to figure it out, so there's no feeling of "of course", and b) the knowledge doesn't change anything, since the readers and characters already knew the general outline, so there's no feeling of "oh shit".
Maybe this is my fault for expecting a mystery, but I still feel like that arc could have been better handled.
The other problem is that Philippe has nothing to do. I loved Philippe--the scene where he
Spoiler
is rescued by the dragon princessEvery other major character--Selene, Madeleine, Isabelle (who I realized I haven't mentioned, perhaps because she didn't interest me that much)--get to make a tough choice that matters at the climax of the plot, and that creates an awesome moment. Philippe makes a choice
Spoiler
to return to SilverspiresSpoiler
And I think it could have been impactful that his decision was made too late to matter and he lost Isabelle, but I just didn't feel that regret.I am glad I read this, and I do recommend it, even if the ending doesn't live up to the promise of the beginning and middle. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series
erica_sff's review against another edition
4.0
Brutal and haunting, and filled with longing, loss and hard choices.
spacedlaw's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75