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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
Ugh. I wondered why this book was getting so many low ratings, now I know. More on The Magic of Ink later.
As Averie Winston sails from her native Aeberelle to the colony of Chiarrin, a lieutenant in her father’s army and loyal colonial, Ket Dukai, causes her to begin to question Aeberelle’s place in the world as an imperialist nation. Once they land in Chiarrin, Averie is enchanted by the land, the people and the customs and wants to explore and learn all she can about the people and place. She befriends a young native woman, Jalessa, and brings her home to work for her after she is injured in a rebel attack on the market. Averie begins to wonder why she fell in love with her fiancé in the first place, Colonel Morgan Stode, since all they do since she has arrived is disagree about conditions in Chiarrin. Vaguely reminiscent of imperialist Great Britain in the nineteenth century recalling the tensions and moral questions of race surrounding the British Empire, Aeberelle’s army officers make many of the same mistakes and ultimately pay the price. It is unclear exactly what makes this novel fantasy except for the unusual/exotic place names and culture. Give this to readers who love romance and period fiction.
This was a pretty decent read. It is basically a British colonial story but with all the places and cultures changed so that the author didn't have to be historically or culturally accurate. It is a young adult book, but I thought that the writing (in terms of word choice, etc.) was still a bit juvenile for the actual story.
*slight spolier*
The protagonist would have to be the heiress of a not-so-small country to actually be successful in her financial venture at the end of the book. That was the one detail that stood out to me as being entirely implausible.
*slight spolier*
The protagonist would have to be the heiress of a not-so-small country to actually be successful in her financial venture at the end of the book. That was the one detail that stood out to me as being entirely implausible.
In some ways the setting, although fictional, reminds me somewhat of British imperialism in India. The characters were appealing and plot interesting. Although there were some hints about how it would play out, I still wasn't entirely certain what was going to happen until it occurred.
I like Sharon Shinn's work, with the exception of the Archangel series (not a fan of the angel craze). This book did fit with what I'd see from other reviewers - it was a similar book to McKinley's The Blue Sword. Travel to a foreign land that felt natural to the protagonist, integration (sort of) into the culture, disconnect from the protagonist's friends/family, a grand realization of the effects of imperialism, ends tied together when protagonist finds love in an unexpected (to the aforementioned friends/family) place.
That being said, I loved the Blue Sword and re-read it at least once a year, so this story was a decent read.
That being said, I loved the Blue Sword and re-read it at least once a year, so this story was a decent read.
I love any books from this era in time first of all and everything else just made it so much better, slowly you fall in love with Averie and begin to understand and empathize with her and how she feels and then BOOM!! Everything you ever thought you knew was just a lie. It was such an utter shock but I loved it. Amazing book
Lovely romantic story. Lots of political ideas and connections. Pacing is uneven, but the characters are nice.
Goofy names with random apostrophes do not a science fiction novel make. But it could be useful in getting a 12 year old girl to read something "science fiction" esque before you spring some Heinlen or Asimov on her.
Summary: Averie Winston is a rebellious, reluctant heiress in the manner of all rebellious ladies of privilege in the literary world (only one that comes to mind at the moment is Gemma Doyle and co.). She may live in an invented world, but her character and customs calls to mind the past when girls had to have a waist as big around as their age in years and (God forbid!) if they showed the world an ankle whilst crossing the street, they were ruined.
Averie's country is an imperial giant, and the beginning of the book sees her travelling overseas to the colony where her father and fiance are stationed. When she arrives in the new land, Averie is eager to see it from the citizen's perspective, if only her father and chaperone would let her! Not to worry though, for they soon relent. On Averie's travels through the city, she meets a merchant girl named Jalessa. When a rebel bomb goes off and Jalessa's wares are ruined, Averie generously offers for the woman to be her maid.
Opinions: I thought the idea behind this book was wonderful. It shows imperialism in a non-blaming point of view (after all, the countries present are fictitious). Through the different characters, the readers get ideas from both sides of imperialism (those that benefit, those that are overcome). I thought that idea, as well as Averie's gradual realization that imperialism isn't a one-sided, all-benefit situation was really well presented to the reader. I enjoy studying history, and I appreciate how a book like this can maybe make those who aren't history buffs aware of a critical issue from world history.
On another note, the book was marketed as a romance (at least in the jacket flap), but I really didn't see that as much. I didn't even mention it in my summary. I enjoyed the romance, but I thought it was much more of a subplot that the jacket blurb made it out to be. To me it was far more of a social commentary than a romance. That being said, the romance aspect was well-written and not at all forced, even if it did take a back seat to the action.
Now, as to why I gave this book 3 1/2 stars, the ending was a bit disappointing to me, particularly where a certain character was concerned (you'll have to read it to see what I mean). It was a very enjoyable book, but I have read better. I have a habit of over-rating things, so when I read a book that's really a 5 and I see how much better it is than those I rated 4 1/2, I'm kind of stuck. So, I figured 3 1/2 was a safe rating. It probably would have been a 4 if it had ended the way I wanted (where certain characters are concerned), but then again it may have been disappointing for that very reason. Like I said before, this is a very enjoyable book. If you enjoy fantasy that is heavier on culture than magic or historical fiction, I think you would enjoy this book, as it is essentially (IMO) a delightful fusion of the two genres.
(Review taken from my seldom-updated blog)
Averie's country is an imperial giant, and the beginning of the book sees her travelling overseas to the colony where her father and fiance are stationed. When she arrives in the new land, Averie is eager to see it from the citizen's perspective, if only her father and chaperone would let her! Not to worry though, for they soon relent. On Averie's travels through the city, she meets a merchant girl named Jalessa. When a rebel bomb goes off and Jalessa's wares are ruined, Averie generously offers for the woman to be her maid.
Opinions: I thought the idea behind this book was wonderful. It shows imperialism in a non-blaming point of view (after all, the countries present are fictitious). Through the different characters, the readers get ideas from both sides of imperialism (those that benefit, those that are overcome). I thought that idea, as well as Averie's gradual realization that imperialism isn't a one-sided, all-benefit situation was really well presented to the reader. I enjoy studying history, and I appreciate how a book like this can maybe make those who aren't history buffs aware of a critical issue from world history.
On another note, the book was marketed as a romance (at least in the jacket flap), but I really didn't see that as much. I didn't even mention it in my summary. I enjoyed the romance, but I thought it was much more of a subplot that the jacket blurb made it out to be. To me it was far more of a social commentary than a romance. That being said, the romance aspect was well-written and not at all forced, even if it did take a back seat to the action.
Now, as to why I gave this book 3 1/2 stars, the ending was a bit disappointing to me, particularly where a certain character was concerned (you'll have to read it to see what I mean). It was a very enjoyable book, but I have read better. I have a habit of over-rating things, so when I read a book that's really a 5 and I see how much better it is than those I rated 4 1/2, I'm kind of stuck. So, I figured 3 1/2 was a safe rating. It probably would have been a 4 if it had ended the way I wanted (where certain characters are concerned), but then again it may have been disappointing for that very reason. Like I said before, this is a very enjoyable book. If you enjoy fantasy that is heavier on culture than magic or historical fiction, I think you would enjoy this book, as it is essentially (IMO) a delightful fusion of the two genres.
(Review taken from my seldom-updated blog)
I enjoyed what bit of a love story there was, but I think I identified most with Averie because of her intense interest in foreign culture. I haven't had the chance to attempt to immerse myself in a foreign culture, but I have always thought it would be a very interesting experience. The book brings up some good points about imperialism and such, but I've never worried so much about that since my country hasn't overtly invaded with the clear intent to rule for quite some time.