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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
adventurous
slow-paced
I desperately wanted to love this book, and halfway in I did! But then the inconsistencies and worldbuilding issues started to pile on in a way I couldn't ignore.
I admit, that as a linguist I have a more nuanced and deeper understanding of languages and teaching of them, so this specific issue I had with the book may just be a me problem. But. The way linguistics and teaching languages are portrayed in Ariah is extremely frustrating, and make no sense even in the cultural setting inside the book. Ariah is supposedly able to give multiple hours long lectures about a language's structure without giving any vocabulary with it. I have attended many a language teaching course and lecture about linguistics. Even in lectures where I'm not asked to learn the language shown in the examples, just to examine the grammar, I am shown sentences in that language. You cannot explain a foreign grammar several hours without showing a single word in that language. And then Ariah is surprised that the only elf in the study hall tells him that she isn't learning anything?? Like no shit. I also don't buy that this is the "Qin way" of teaching languages. Because why would it be? Especially because no one seems to be learning anything, and well. If you lived in a deeply racist society and your teacher who was from the marginalized group couldn't teach you anything, would you be just cool with it? Of course not! Ariah isn't that special that he could get away with it, and I refuse to believe that from the 300 students he had only one actually wanted to learn the language!
Other issues I had was how consent and sex was handled. When Ariah gets raped by basically everyone in town, no one comments. But when he (without knowing and under a spell!) kisses a woman (who goes on to rape him later) ARIAH is told that he needs to get a grip and learn about consent. I'm sorry? Kissing someone without asking is worse than several strangers raping you because they all know he can't fight against them? This never gets resolved btw, Ariah just goes on living and never talks about it with anyone.
There are other inconsistencies, like the whole book being full of comments and implications that it's easy to end up as a factory worker unless you have good luck and special skills, but then like 80% in suddenly there's a shortage of factory workers even though we've so far been lead to believe that it's easy and likely to become one. I also don't understand what kind of linguistic teaching Ariah received under Dirva's mentoring, likely a bad one, because there's no way he didn't know about languages which conceptualise gender (-ed pronouns) differently. And as a native speaker of one of those irl genderless languages, I found it somewhat insulting how they were described in the book.
Also, the book is written like Ariah is telling the story to someone else. (He sometimes extremely rarely makes allusions to "you" the reader.) But who exactly are we supposed to be? Surely not his children because he probably wouldn't be explaining his sex life quite in so much detail, but it also doesn't really make sense for the "you" to be Sorcha or Shayat (who btw deserved to have more character development in the book).
Anyway, it seems like this is a love it or hate it kinda book. I'm just sad I wasn't one to love it, even when I really wanted to :(
I admit, that as a linguist I have a more nuanced and deeper understanding of languages and teaching of them, so this specific issue I had with the book may just be a me problem. But. The way linguistics and teaching languages are portrayed in Ariah is extremely frustrating, and make no sense even in the cultural setting inside the book. Ariah is supposedly able to give multiple hours long lectures about a language's structure without giving any vocabulary with it. I have attended many a language teaching course and lecture about linguistics. Even in lectures where I'm not asked to learn the language shown in the examples, just to examine the grammar, I am shown sentences in that language. You cannot explain a foreign grammar several hours without showing a single word in that language. And then Ariah is surprised that the only elf in the study hall tells him that she isn't learning anything?? Like no shit. I also don't buy that this is the "Qin way" of teaching languages. Because why would it be? Especially because no one seems to be learning anything, and well. If you lived in a deeply racist society and your teacher who was from the marginalized group couldn't teach you anything, would you be just cool with it? Of course not! Ariah isn't that special that he could get away with it, and I refuse to believe that from the 300 students he had only one actually wanted to learn the language!
Other issues I had was how consent and sex was handled. When Ariah gets raped by basically everyone in town, no one comments. But when he (without knowing and under a spell!) kisses a woman (who goes on to rape him later) ARIAH is told that he needs to get a grip and learn about consent. I'm sorry? Kissing someone without asking is worse than several strangers raping you because they all know he can't fight against them? This never gets resolved btw, Ariah just goes on living and never talks about it with anyone.
There are other inconsistencies, like the whole book being full of comments and implications that it's easy to end up as a factory worker unless you have good luck and special skills, but then like 80% in suddenly there's a shortage of factory workers even though we've so far been lead to believe that it's easy and likely to become one. I also don't understand what kind of linguistic teaching Ariah received under Dirva's mentoring, likely a bad one, because there's no way he didn't know about languages which conceptualise gender (-ed pronouns) differently. And as a native speaker of one of those irl genderless languages, I found it somewhat insulting how they were described in the book.
Also, the book is written like Ariah is telling the story to someone else. (He sometimes extremely rarely makes allusions to "you" the reader.) But who exactly are we supposed to be? Surely not his children because he probably wouldn't be explaining his sex life quite in so much detail, but it also doesn't really make sense for the "you" to be Sorcha or Shayat (who btw deserved to have more character development in the book).
Anyway, it seems like this is a love it or hate it kinda book. I'm just sad I wasn't one to love it, even when I really wanted to :(
adventurous
emotional
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:
Complicated
I LOVED this book. If you want a sprawling epic fantasy, this is it. If you want polyamory and queer worldbuilding, this is it. If you want good worldbuilding, this is it.
My only complaints are: the worldbuilding is not always easy to follow. I wish we spent more time in the many settings of the novel developing the atmosphere of them.
If you plan on reading, here is a little guide so you can follow worldbuilding from early on. Light spoilers but not that ruin the reading:
Qin: Humans who rule the Empire
Semadran: Silver elves. Seem to be native to Empire land. Sometimes called tinks as a slur
Red Elves: Athenorkos. Seem to be native to land beyond empire.
Nahsiyya: Mixed heritage elves
There are also other kinds of elves you will see
Shaper: A power that allows for mind reading and partial mind control. In the Empire if you are declared a Shaper you probably won’t be able to safely cross a border. In elven communities you cannot marry, though you will be respected. The power is a great burden.
Charms: Common ability of red elves. Can cause people to experience false emotions or see things they didn’t (which is called mirroring)
Happy reading!
My only complaints are: the worldbuilding is not always easy to follow. I wish we spent more time in the many settings of the novel developing the atmosphere of them.
If you plan on reading, here is a little guide so you can follow worldbuilding from early on. Light spoilers but not that ruin the reading:
Semadran: Silver elves. Seem to be native to Empire land. Sometimes called tinks as a slur
Red Elves: Athenorkos. Seem to be native to land beyond empire.
Nahsiyya: Mixed heritage elves
There are also other kinds of elves you will see
Shaper: A power that allows for mind reading and partial mind control. In the Empire if you are declared a Shaper you probably won’t be able to safely cross a border. In elven communities you cannot marry, though you will be respected. The power is a great burden.
Charms: Common ability of red elves. Can cause people to experience false emotions or see things they didn’t (which is called mirroring)
Happy reading!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Colonisation
Moderate: Sexual assault
Beautiful
This book was like a lifetime of love and adventure for my heart. I identified heavily with Ariah and absolutely fell in love with Sorcha. The vast amount of relationships and family variations in this story made me feel like I was safe and loved. A wonderful, stunning experience. I am so happy I bought it on a whim!
This book was like a lifetime of love and adventure for my heart. I identified heavily with Ariah and absolutely fell in love with Sorcha. The vast amount of relationships and family variations in this story made me feel like I was safe and loved. A wonderful, stunning experience. I am so happy I bought it on a whim!
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
I liked it better than when I dnf'ed it but mostly it gave me nothing everytime I wanted more (or anything at all.)
Review full of spoilers.
I liked Shayat a lot, Sorcha grew on me a little bit, it had a lot of cool explorations of gender, sex and romance. I liked the magic system, though it seemed to me that it was a very soft magic system that the characters treated like a hard magic system, which got a bit jarring. I liked Ariah in the bits when he had some actual bite and edge. There was some cool world building that I wished we had gotten more of.
Pretty disappointing that something promised in the blurb only happens in the last quarter of the book. And Ariah's whole .. thing about being so taken in by the songs of the enslaved people with brown skin and kinky hair and wishing he "looked as Droma as he felt" feels... Uncomfortable, to say the least. Maybe could've been three stars if not for those two things.
A lot of things just had no weight or importance, like Abira trading her drums for Ariah. Drums that she hasn't used at all or that haven't even been just described.. If it wasn't for Dirva's comment, I'd assume she just brought them to have something to trade at the border, that she's not actually a drummer and that her sacrifice was not that at all.
When the context of things are only explained when they happen, the scene ends up lacking weight and tension for me. Eg Ariah's birthmark being mentioned for the first time when Sorcha is trying to find him means the recognition has no impact for me.
And if the empire is expanding because they're struggling to fill the factories with "full citizens" (full citizens who?) why is Ariah's conscription the first we ever hear about it? He worked in a factory. Iirc, Nisa worked in a factory. Why was the lack of factory workers not explored earlier, especially given that the narrative implies that it is not difficult to end up there? The consequences of refusing conscription would have had so much more weight, too, if it had been explored beforehand, if we had seen someone getting conscripted, refused and received bad consequences. Maybe Shayat's dad.
For big, important chunks of the story, I felt left out as reader, being told about important things rather than shown. Sorcha and Ariah apparently dancing around each other, how Ariah, Sorcha and Shayat compliment each other, the family dinners and the emotional stress they cause Ariah or Ariah's time at the border. Bummed to be just told about these things instead of actually exploring them, getting to feel them. I want to read about the family dinners and feel suffocated, not just told that Ariah felt suffocated. And Ariah standing before a classroom of Qin just... Do not have the same weight that it could have had, if we had been really shown Ariah's time being detained, tortured and used, if it had been given any space actually worthy of the implied impact that it had on him.
The little inconsistencies got grating. Making up a word for "godfather" and then having a character say godfather. Nobody but Ariah was surprised when Sorcha began lactating — and then Sorcha is surprised that he starts lactating. Ariah is secured while working for the army because he's... Important? No, he isn't. They might not know that he's sabotaging the Qin officers' learning but since the officers apparently are incapable of learning, and they've known this for 1.5 years, he is... Not important. His skills are useless to them.
Or the dinners with Dirva's family being deeply private but Ariah can come because of this position as Dirva's mentee (ok fine) and as Sorcha's budding friend (they... barely know each other at that point). Okay, fine, he's there as Dirva's mentee. And going to one means he's basically adopted into the family. But he can't be there for Dirva's da's death 🫠 the last two especially feels like the story failing to follow through on itself.
Honestly? I would like to rescue Ariah from almost everyone around him, especially Dirva. Seriously, eff that guy. Look, I don't think a book is bad because a character does a bad thing but I'm going to rant about this anyway because it felt like the narrative forgot about its own power structures in it.
So Ariah is, what, the equivalent of a 20 year old, entirely dependent on his mentor. They're in the City for Dirva's sake, they went on an incredibly dangerous journey to get there, as evidenced by Ariah's later detainment and abuse/torture (which Dirva is fully aware can happen), Ariah has no money, has been unceremoniously dumped at the squat house (with no warning that he would have his ear pierced against his will) instead of, oh idk, staying with Dirva and Liro, and he is left completely to his own devices. Then Dirva's brother assaults him, then Ariah loses control of his magic and bends to Sorcha's desire for him and runs in a panic to Dirva, the older person who he. Is. Dependent. On. The person who is his magic teacher. Ariah parrots internalised homophobic attitudes and slurs in the context of him having been assaulted by the person that Dirva left him with and Dirva... Decides to take this personally? And abandon his barely adult mentee to a world that is preeeetty hostile and dangerous to people like him? A quite young person hasn't examined his internalised homophobia and now deserves to be dumped far from home in a world where authories can and will abuse him for their own gains because he... Said a slur after being assaulted? And he is the one who should apologise? Hell no. Dirva sucks ass and deserves nothing in my book.
Review full of spoilers.
Pretty disappointing that something promised in the blurb only happens in the last quarter of the book. And Ariah's whole .. thing about being so taken in by the songs of the enslaved people with brown skin and kinky hair and wishing he "looked as Droma as he felt" feels... Uncomfortable, to say the least. Maybe could've been three stars if not for those two things.
A lot of things just had no weight or importance, like Abira trading her drums for Ariah. Drums that she hasn't used at all or that haven't even been just described.. If it wasn't for Dirva's comment, I'd assume she just brought them to have something to trade at the border, that she's not actually a drummer and that her sacrifice was not that at all.
When the context of things are only explained when they happen, the scene ends up lacking weight and tension for me. Eg Ariah's birthmark being mentioned for the first time when Sorcha is trying to find him means the recognition has no impact for me.
And if the empire is expanding because they're struggling to fill the factories with "full citizens" (full citizens who?) why is Ariah's conscription the first we ever hear about it? He worked in a factory. Iirc, Nisa worked in a factory. Why was the lack of factory workers not explored earlier, especially given that the narrative implies that it is not difficult to end up there? The consequences of refusing conscription would have had so much more weight, too, if it had been explored beforehand, if we had seen someone getting conscripted, refused and received bad consequences. Maybe Shayat's dad.
For big, important chunks of the story, I felt left out as reader, being told about important things rather than shown. Sorcha and Ariah apparently dancing around each other, how Ariah, Sorcha and Shayat compliment each other, the family dinners and the emotional stress they cause Ariah or Ariah's time at the border. Bummed to be just told about these things instead of actually exploring them, getting to feel them. I want to read about the family dinners and feel suffocated, not just told that Ariah felt suffocated. And Ariah standing before a classroom of Qin just... Do not have the same weight that it could have had, if we had been really shown Ariah's time being detained, tortured and used, if it had been given any space actually worthy of the implied impact that it had on him.
The little inconsistencies got grating. Making up a word for "godfather" and then having a character say godfather. Nobody but Ariah was surprised when Sorcha began lactating — and then Sorcha is surprised that he starts lactating. Ariah is secured while working for the army because he's... Important? No, he isn't. They might not know that he's sabotaging the Qin officers' learning but since the officers apparently are incapable of learning, and they've known this for 1.5 years, he is... Not important. His skills are useless to them.
Or the dinners with Dirva's family being deeply private but Ariah can come because of this position as Dirva's mentee (ok fine) and as Sorcha's budding friend (they... barely know each other at that point). Okay, fine, he's there as Dirva's mentee. And going to one means he's basically adopted into the family. But he can't be there for Dirva's da's death 🫠 the last two especially feels like the story failing to follow through on itself.
Honestly? I would like to rescue Ariah from almost everyone around him, especially Dirva. Seriously, eff that guy. Look, I don't think a book is bad because a character does a bad thing but I'm going to rant about this anyway because it felt like the narrative forgot about its own power structures in it.
So Ariah is, what, the equivalent of a 20 year old, entirely dependent on his mentor. They're in the City for Dirva's sake, they went on an incredibly dangerous journey to get there, as evidenced by Ariah's later detainment and abuse/torture (which Dirva is fully aware can happen), Ariah has no money, has been unceremoniously dumped at the squat house (with no warning that he would have his ear pierced against his will) instead of, oh idk, staying with Dirva and Liro, and he is left completely to his own devices. Then Dirva's brother assaults him, then Ariah loses control of his magic and bends to Sorcha's desire for him and runs in a panic to Dirva, the older person who he. Is. Dependent. On. The person who is his magic teacher. Ariah parrots internalised homophobic attitudes and slurs in the context of him having been assaulted by the person that Dirva left him with and Dirva... Decides to take this personally? And abandon his barely adult mentee to a world that is preeeetty hostile and dangerous to people like him? A quite young person hasn't examined his internalised homophobia and now deserves to be dumped far from home in a world where authories can and will abuse him for their own gains because he... Said a slur after being assaulted? And he is the one who should apologise? Hell no. Dirva sucks ass and deserves nothing in my book.
This was not what I expected and not quite like anything I’ve read before. Think meandering bildungsroman with loads of extremely vague high fantasy politics and vaguer magic, quiet interpersonal drama, rumination on gender & sexuality & polyamory… I understand the people who hate it and I understand the people who love it. I felt both at different turns . It’s moving, frustrating, challenging at points, in ways that I think will be different for every reader, as sometimes it’s about the writing style/craft itself and sometimes it’s about the broader ideals.
But I’m always excited when I find indie books that feel like how indie as a marketplace was pitched to me. weird & indulgent & queer af.
A review in here called it an “idea fantasy” and that’s really what it feels like especially once you catch on that there is literally no plot at all. B.R. Sanders is essentially giving you a world tour—a culture here, a political conflict there—through events kind of just happening to Ariah. People, too, just seem to happen to Ariah, and then vanish when he doesn’t need to be pulled anywhere in the world by them (RIP Dor, ily forever). He’s such a……..he’s such a pest, that Ariah, as everyone puts so much love and effort into him and he wastes it all by getting high and not trying to get his magic sorted.
Ideologically we clashed in a couple places. Mainly the drugs, sex,. It does start to feel long at a point, in my opinion, but it’s really a big emotional exploration too, and if that’s your jam, then the atypical backdrop of quasi-telepathic elves and a fantasy desert and a bunch of horny, horny bisexual people makes it stand out.
Spoiler
that last 15% tested meBut I’m always excited when I find indie books that feel like how indie as a marketplace was pitched to me. weird & indulgent & queer af.
A review in here called it an “idea fantasy” and that’s really what it feels like especially once you catch on that there is literally no plot at all. B.R. Sanders is essentially giving you a world tour—a culture here, a political conflict there—through events kind of just happening to Ariah. People, too, just seem to happen to Ariah, and then vanish when he doesn’t need to be pulled anywhere in the world by them (RIP Dor, ily forever). He’s such a……..he’s such a pest, that Ariah, as everyone puts so much love and effort into him and he wastes it all by getting high and not trying to get his magic sorted.
Spoiler
dude you were a godfather and know literally nothing about that kid!!!!Ideologically we clashed in a couple places. Mainly the drugs, sex,
Spoiler
and rock & roll
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
Ariah is an interesting book, and it was very little like I expected upon reading the synopsis. What is presented on the surface as a sweeping, magical, romance, with a plot to drive it forward, is quite another thing entirely. Ariah is instead the coming-of-age story of a man (well, elf) who learns that he is nothing at all like he thought he was, and that the world outside of his sheltered upbringing is colorful and beautiful, with much to offer that he once was happy to live without.
The romance is a bittersweet thing, pulling at your heartstrings at moments when you least expect it, and the plot of the book is really just a thin vehicle to move that along. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, depending on the kind of reader you are. The story is incredibly character driven, and wouldn't have functioned any other way. I personally wouldn't have had it any other way even if it could have. A character driven novel gives you an opportunity to really dig deep into the hearts of the characters and ferret out all their secrets. You get the chance to see them truly grow and change, and in this instance it was beautiful to watch.
The style of story and the writing put me strongly in mind of Katherine Addision's The Goblin Emperor, and the carefully laid out, alluded to without being hammered over your head world-building reminded me of Elizabeth Bear's fantasy novels. Since these are two of my favorite authors, I was absolutely delighted to come across someone else who fit in with them. It's a rare breed that can paint you a beautiful fantasy world in bits and pieces, letting it unfold without dumping exposition into your lap, while leaving you enchanted and mesmerized just watching it exist.
The breadth of gender and sexuality so carefully explored in this book was also a joy to read. Never was I made to feel like characters were token representations of their labels. It was a part of them, not what defined them, and that's something that doesn't come up often in novels, much less in the fantasy genre.
It was superb, and I am glad to have read it. I wasn't ready to leave Ariah, Sorcha, and Shayat for a long time yet, but sadly, the book is done and read. I look forward to reading more by Sanders in the future.
* I was provided a review copy of this title in exchange for an honest review. *
The romance is a bittersweet thing, pulling at your heartstrings at moments when you least expect it, and the plot of the book is really just a thin vehicle to move that along. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, depending on the kind of reader you are. The story is incredibly character driven, and wouldn't have functioned any other way. I personally wouldn't have had it any other way even if it could have. A character driven novel gives you an opportunity to really dig deep into the hearts of the characters and ferret out all their secrets. You get the chance to see them truly grow and change, and in this instance it was beautiful to watch.
The style of story and the writing put me strongly in mind of Katherine Addision's The Goblin Emperor, and the carefully laid out, alluded to without being hammered over your head world-building reminded me of Elizabeth Bear's fantasy novels. Since these are two of my favorite authors, I was absolutely delighted to come across someone else who fit in with them. It's a rare breed that can paint you a beautiful fantasy world in bits and pieces, letting it unfold without dumping exposition into your lap, while leaving you enchanted and mesmerized just watching it exist.
The breadth of gender and sexuality so carefully explored in this book was also a joy to read. Never was I made to feel like characters were token representations of their labels. It was a part of them, not what defined them, and that's something that doesn't come up often in novels, much less in the fantasy genre.
It was superb, and I am glad to have read it. I wasn't ready to leave Ariah, Sorcha, and Shayat for a long time yet, but sadly, the book is done and read. I look forward to reading more by Sanders in the future.
* I was provided a review copy of this title in exchange for an honest review. *
I'm not even sure what to say about this book. I loved it, I devoured it in a few days, I couldn't stop thinking about it whenever I wasn't reading it. It's a story about magic and powers and learning to use it without getting lost in it, but in a very passive, contemplative, introspective way that I had never really encountered in a fantasy setting until now. The books is a long, in depth character study about empathy, the good and the bad that it can do to an empath, about building boundaries, about growing into the person we need to be while trying to unlearn the unfair expectations we're born into. It's about the different types of love, about sexuality and gender and bonds, and the way the lines often get blurred, the ways some lines are or aren't crossed, about coming of age in an oppressive society, about how liberating it is once we decide to make the leap. I want to recommend this book because it moved me in a deep and personal way, but I realize it's not your average fantasy book, that it's not your average coming of age story, that it's a story that might not interest everyone. The writing is beautiful and poetic and flows so wonderfully (I'll admit I got choked up a few times simply from how gorgeous the words were), and never have I identified with a character more, strengths and especially flaws and all, than I have with Ariah. I was curious about this book and its premise, and I had every reason to be.