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allisongravez's review against another edition
3.75
I was so mad at the end of this book that I went nonverbal for two hours
carkaroake's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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
if you ever doubted macroeconomics could be thrilling
nonesensed's review
5.0
Baru Cormorant's childhood is spent in a free Taranoke. Well, her early childhood. She grows up witnessing how the empire known as the Masquerade invades - not through outright war but through trade, and 'education', and plague. Slowly she watches her culture and people get subsumed by this spider web of an empire, clearing away all who struggle against the new order. But unlike her mother, Baru has no faith in violent revolt. No, the Masquerade is a hydra and fighting it will only kill you quicker. It needs to be destroyed from the inside.
What a ride! I don't want to spoil anything about this book, other than what you'll find out in its summary, because reading it fairly "blind" was such a thrill. Read this book if you're looking for a deeply morally questionable protagonist doing her best to outwit an empire by pretending to be part of it.
Though, fair warning, this book deals with a huge number of the worst things people can do to each other, so do look up spoilers if there are things you'd rather avoid reading to read about in a book you're reading for fun.
What a ride! I don't want to spoil anything about this book, other than what you'll find out in its summary, because reading it fairly "blind" was such a thrill. Read this book if you're looking for a deeply morally questionable protagonist doing her best to outwit an empire by pretending to be part of it.
Though, fair warning, this book deals with a huge number of the worst things people can do to each other, so do look up spoilers if there are things you'd rather avoid reading to read about in a book you're reading for fun.
suhrfranbacon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
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
4.5
kenzier94's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nnendi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
aeturnum's review against another edition
4.0
A masterful political drama that gets a little lost in forgetting to anchor the events in personal stakes. The major themes are the exercise of power through the tools of empire and the unknoeabilty of the truth in war. Both themes are executed with a great deal of skill and verisimilitude. This is a phenomenological account of rebellion and betrayal and a gripping one.
I deduct one star because so much of the story is needlessly confusing. To write this better would take many more pages but the problem is that the book is relentlessly from the perspective of the traitor baru cormorant but rarely details her personally held beliefs or impressions. There are constant references to truths too dangerous for her to think, and therefore too dangerous for the reader to understand. It all holds together in the end and you can see the throughline but in a moment to moment kind of way it feels interminable. Impressions and beliefs are never confirmed, the reader kind of floats through the events of the book. Certainty shouldn't be on the table, but simply understanding what our protagonist thinks is happening would be nice. When Baru is brooding about one of her betrayals which one is she even thinking about? Why is it a betrayal? Is is really one or does it just appear to be one? To whome does it appear that way? Clarity is elusive.
This writing style really effectively captures the mind bending demands of rebellion and treachery, but the ultimate problem is it feels like you are reading the outputs of a numerical model. Baru is a savant but she's supposed to be a person to. Not that you can tell from the book.
A wonderful story about the motive power of economics and a pretty poor one about people.
I deduct one star because so much of the story is needlessly confusing. To write this better would take many more pages but the problem is that the book is relentlessly from the perspective of the traitor baru cormorant but rarely details her personally held beliefs or impressions. There are constant references to truths too dangerous for her to think, and therefore too dangerous for the reader to understand. It all holds together in the end and you can see the throughline but in a moment to moment kind of way it feels interminable. Impressions and beliefs are never confirmed, the reader kind of floats through the events of the book. Certainty shouldn't be on the table, but simply understanding what our protagonist thinks is happening would be nice. When Baru is brooding about one of her betrayals which one is she even thinking about? Why is it a betrayal? Is is really one or does it just appear to be one? To whome does it appear that way? Clarity is elusive.
This writing style really effectively captures the mind bending demands of rebellion and treachery, but the ultimate problem is it feels like you are reading the outputs of a numerical model. Baru is a savant but she's supposed to be a person to. Not that you can tell from the book.
A wonderful story about the motive power of economics and a pretty poor one about people.
daradara's review against another edition
dark
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
emilyplun's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Genocide, Colonisation, Death, War, and Xenophobia
sugarbowl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0