Reviews

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

rongrong's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

Aliens are fascinating. Some actions/behaviors of main characters slightly impenetrable. The growth of the emperor in waiting was suspenseful and fun to follow.

pieneman's review against another edition

challenging slow-paced

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

4.0

kareniskaz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

amk13's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective tense slow-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

helenmelonn's review against another edition

5.0

Vibes of Star Wars Andor + Ender’s Game + the Last of Us

tolove_abook's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

kipperstein's review against another edition

5.0

Not as impactful as A Memory Called Empire, but how could it be? It was still fascinating and truly enjoyable to be in this world that Arkady Martine has created and imagined. I loved being there and it still left me wanted to visit it again. I hope to return one day!

ellianderjoy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

e_oneita's review against another edition

5.0

This was another incredible offering from Arkady Martine. I honestly was blown away at how impressive it was, how seamlessly everything came together, and similarly to the first book, how inherently likeable almost every single character was (yes, even Sixteen Moonrise, the beautiful jerk <3).

Another aspect that made this second novel even more impressive is that it is very, very different in scope and scale from the first. It would be entirely possible for Arkady Martine to have kept her second novel similar in being a court and intrigue style novel, but instead it became even more of a grand space opera, with "first contact" themes that gave her space to expand on her broader themes of identity.

In sum, I was worried this wouldn't be as good as the first novel but it absolutely was, and I fully recommend it to everyone.

shellbellbell's review against another edition

adventurous

DNF. I was actually excited at first to be getting away from Mahit's story when this book started off with a space battle! But then I found myself disappointed when she showed up again. She's fine, really, I don't have anything major against her, but I am just...not interested in her life. On top of that there are too many character POVs which just slows down the pacing and I just couldn't really get into them. Oh well.