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intothevolcano's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
A Fire Born of Exile contains some beautiful prose, but at times felt a bit slow for me. Whilst I was completely absorbed in the world de Bodard has built, and enjoyed my time reading it, I didn't always feel inclined to pick the book up again - especially during the first half. The third quarter of this book is certainly strongest, and where I felt the most invested in the characters and plot. The Xuya universe remains endlessly intriguing, but I this wasn't my favourite installment so far.
3.5 rounded up to 4.
Thanks to Orion / Gallancz and Netgalley for the ARC.
3.5 rounded up to 4.
Thanks to Orion / Gallancz and Netgalley for the ARC.
spacedlaw's review
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
kvedja's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
plottrysts's review
4.0
A Fire Born of Exile is a standalone novel set in Aliette de Bodard's Xuya Universe. This is a far future setting where a Sino-Vietnamese Empire rules much of space, "mindships" are born from human mothers and maintain familial relationships with their relatives, and "bots" are ubiquitous extensions of regular citizens' senses. This entry focuses on Quynh, a charming, intelligent newcomer to the outlying space station where the book takes place. She inserts herself into the power structure of the station when she saves the children of its ruling officials: the General, providing martial rule, and the Prefect, representative of the Empire's justice system. She's there for revenge against the two corrupt officials, who once upon a time condemned her to death. Quynh's plans will be complicated by the relationships she is forming, both romantic and otherwise.
The plot is relatively straightforward: Quynh wants revenge, and she needs to manipulate the ruling powers of the Empire to bring down two of its favored children. But the character relationships make her goals complex. She cultivates relationships with the officials' children, knowing very well that her expressions of care will just add to the betrayal when her plans come to fruition. And though she tries to keep her romantic relationship out of her revenge plot, her lover turns out to be working for just those officials' children that Quynh is manipulating.
The book is a little slow to start, as De Bodard sets the scene. Even for a reader familiar with the Xuya Universe, it takes some settling in time to assimilate to the bots, overlays, mindship projections, and more. But once the players are established and the ultimate revenge plot is fully unveiled, the reading moves more swiftly. This is definitely a speculative SF book. At the same time, it is a sapphic romance with the HEA required by the genre. A Fire Born in Exile is a book about the corruption of power, the inevitable emptiness of revenge, and (yeah it sounds cheesy) the power of love.
If you're prepared to take your time easing into the world, this would be a great place to start reading Aliette de Bodard.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
The plot is relatively straightforward: Quynh wants revenge, and she needs to manipulate the ruling powers of the Empire to bring down two of its favored children. But the character relationships make her goals complex. She cultivates relationships with the officials' children, knowing very well that her expressions of care will just add to the betrayal when her plans come to fruition. And though she tries to keep her romantic relationship out of her revenge plot, her lover turns out to be working for just those officials' children that Quynh is manipulating.
The book is a little slow to start, as De Bodard sets the scene. Even for a reader familiar with the Xuya Universe, it takes some settling in time to assimilate to the bots, overlays, mindship projections, and more. But once the players are established and the ultimate revenge plot is fully unveiled, the reading moves more swiftly. This is definitely a speculative SF book. At the same time, it is a sapphic romance with the HEA required by the genre. A Fire Born in Exile is a book about the corruption of power, the inevitable emptiness of revenge, and (yeah it sounds cheesy) the power of love.
If you're prepared to take your time easing into the world, this would be a great place to start reading Aliette de Bodard.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
cakt1991's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
4.0
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
A Fire Born of Exile is the second in Aliette de Bodard’s Xuya Universe novels. This book stands alone, and there’s enough world building here that I don’t believe you need to read the prior book. And given my critiques of that book, while I did like what it had to offer, I do think that this is the stronger of the two, even if I do still have some critiques.
The plot has a lot going on, making up for the comparably empty/filler prior book. The central themes of revenge and family ties made the story interesting, and I enjoyed following the evolving complex relationships between characters, with all the scheming and plotting.
Quynh is a pretty memorable character, given that the story concerns her path for revenge, as a result of her dark past. She also has vulnerabilities, making her a nuanced character. Both Minh and Hoa kind of pale in comparison to her, but they do have good things to offer the narrative.
Minh is also interesting, given she reckons with her stepmother’s abuse, creating a fresh take on familiar archetype. Hoa is somewhat of a weak link at times, as she doesn’t have as much depth, but she does provide a nice dose of lightness to balance the others out. And while the romance between Quynh and Hoa didn’t blow me away, compared to the rest of the story, it’s still sweet.
These books do keep getting better and better, with the minor quibble for me being that the romance wasn’t as interesting as the rest of it. But I really enjoyed this book, and I’d recommend it to readers looking for a romantic multicultural sapphic space opera.
kittenmittons's review
3.5
The 3 star rating is a bit disingenuous - this is definitely a high 3 stars, a 3.5 stars, if you will. And I enjoyed it quite a bit, but there were a few things tempering my enjoyment a bit. But we'll get to that.
I had read The Red Scholar's Wake, so I was familiar with the world already, with the most jarring piece of world building being the mind ships. You can tell that Aliette de Bodard has thought a lot about her world and its society, but she throws the reader right into it and doesn't hold your hand. Which is cool! And also more than a bit confusing at times - sometimes, laying out a bit of the history, just laying it out flat, can be appreciated. The society is very obviously deeply and richly imagined, and unlike anything I've encountered before, so it's a credit to say that I would like to explore it more. But de Bodard isn't super interested in things like "answers."
While this book is a standalone, it's hard not to compare it to The Red Scholar's Wake, as they're set in the same world and my feelings on both are actually pretty similar. That is to say, the creativity of the world and the politics of the plot are standouts, but the characters are missing something.
I'm not sure exactly what the characters are missing, but I never got fully invested in them. By all rights, I should have! I can't pinpoint why this is the case, but I felt a detachment to all of the characters. On paper (. . . metaphorically), they all sounded like characters I would connect with or be interested in, but the presentation of them left me pretty emotionally empty, sadly.
I wanted to end on a high note, so I'll say the plot is wonderful. I love a good revenge plot, and the minute details and twists, along with all of the politics of this world, made it a good time. I didn't always love the execution of the plot or perhaps the pacing, but I think there were definitely good bones for this book and I was pretty well-engaged throughout.
Thank you to the publishers, Independent Publishers Group and JAB Books, and to NetGalley for the ARC.
I had read The Red Scholar's Wake, so I was familiar with the world already, with the most jarring piece of world building being the mind ships. You can tell that Aliette de Bodard has thought a lot about her world and its society, but she throws the reader right into it and doesn't hold your hand. Which is cool! And also more than a bit confusing at times - sometimes, laying out a bit of the history, just laying it out flat, can be appreciated. The society is very obviously deeply and richly imagined, and unlike anything I've encountered before, so it's a credit to say that I would like to explore it more. But de Bodard isn't super interested in things like "answers."
While this book is a standalone, it's hard not to compare it to The Red Scholar's Wake, as they're set in the same world and my feelings on both are actually pretty similar. That is to say, the creativity of the world and the politics of the plot are standouts, but the characters are missing something.
I'm not sure exactly what the characters are missing, but I never got fully invested in them. By all rights, I should have! I can't pinpoint why this is the case, but I felt a detachment to all of the characters. On paper (. . . metaphorically), they all sounded like characters I would connect with or be interested in, but the presentation of them left me pretty emotionally empty, sadly.
I wanted to end on a high note, so I'll say the plot is wonderful. I love a good revenge plot, and the minute details and twists, along with all of the politics of this world, made it a good time. I didn't always love the execution of the plot or perhaps the pacing, but I think there were definitely good bones for this book and I was pretty well-engaged throughout.
Thank you to the publishers, Independent Publishers Group and JAB Books, and to NetGalley for the ARC.
graculus's review
3.0
A Fire Born of Exile is the second full-length novel set in this author's Xuya universe that I've read - heavily influenced by Vietnamese culture with a lot of other things going on alongside that in terms of world-building which make it perhaps not the most accessible read for someone coming in cold.
This one was being blurbed with Nirvana in Fire as one of its comparisons and that both piqued my interest but also possibly set it up for inevitable difficulties in terms of comparison as that's a) one of my favourite c-drama shows ever and b) a show where I'm currently reading the novel its based on. The basic premise, if you don't know that show, is about someone coming back from a traumatic experience dramatically changed and taking advantage of that (even though it's also accompanied by relative physical weakness) to adopt a new identity and wreak revenge on the people who caused that to happen.
Three stars feels a bit mean, to be honest, because it's not a bad book and there's plenty about it to like. For me, though, our protagonist's pretty-much-immediate romantic relationship with the little sister of someone she had known before just didn't quite work - I found her love interest pretty two-dimensional - and wasn't sold on the whole thing.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley. This is my honest review of the book in question.
This one was being blurbed with Nirvana in Fire as one of its comparisons and that both piqued my interest but also possibly set it up for inevitable difficulties in terms of comparison as that's a) one of my favourite c-drama shows ever and b) a show where I'm currently reading the novel its based on. The basic premise, if you don't know that show, is about someone coming back from a traumatic experience dramatically changed and taking advantage of that (even though it's also accompanied by relative physical weakness) to adopt a new identity and wreak revenge on the people who caused that to happen.
Three stars feels a bit mean, to be honest, because it's not a bad book and there's plenty about it to like. For me, though, our protagonist's pretty-much-immediate romantic relationship with the little sister of someone she had known before just didn't quite work - I found her love interest pretty two-dimensional - and wasn't sold on the whole thing.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley. This is my honest review of the book in question.
mariebrunelm's review
In which I strongly recommend a book I DNFd. Don't run!
This Sci-fi novel with strong feminist and queer vibes was everything it promised it would be. Fun, with depth and intricate world-building. I loved how the author blended Vietnamese culture into this far future, especially with the way pronouns are handled.
The reason I stopped at the 25% point was entirely the fault of my tired brain, nothing else. I just couldn't keep track of who was who and exactly what was happening, but I know for sure that Sci-fi enthusiasts will have no problem following those endearing characters and their adventures. I loved that Aliette de Bodard included characters deemed older. Not everyone wielding bots has to be 18,you know? Here's to featuring older characters in genre fiction.
I absolutely intend to come back to this book when I have more mental space for it. In the meantime, I'll recommend it to readers who enjoy a relatively (but not too much) fast-pace adventure focused on characters, with detailed and intriguing world-building that makes people question their perceptions.
library_rift's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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? It's complicated
3.5
Thank you IAG who provided me an ARC of this novel via NetGalley.
In general, I enjoy the Xuya Universe, and in general, I enjoyed A Fire Born of Exile. However, and although I understand why this wouldn't have worked the same if it hadn't been a Romance book, I straight up did not like the Romance in this book. I didn't get the underlying reasoning for why the two halves of this pairing even had or felt an emotional connection that was romantic in nature from pretty much the very beginning.
Even as the story progressed, I still didn't get what fueled the romance for either of them. After years of planning a revenge Quyhn just suddenly threatens it all for the sister of someone she used to know, especially after having only known Hoa for a few days - maybe a week? (I didn't get a sense of exactly how many days/weeks/months the story was supposed to have spanned, it was all quite vague but it didn't seem like a lot of time passed between the beginning and ending of the book.) Not only did she risk her revenge, she risked her child's life just so Hoa could meet her.
Am I missing something or not suspending my belief enough? Possibly. I doubt it would change how I feel about this pairing though.
Romance aside, I liked the rest of the book and characters. Though I do think more could have been done with the plotting and political intrigue. We saw some of it, but not enough for it to be compared to Monte Cristo, I think. (I haven't read the book and don't plan to, but I've seen a few adaptations and know there's far more on screen/page politics than this book had.) As far as political games and suspense, Red Scholar's Wake did a much better job.
In terms of the characters, as I said I generally liked them (or liked to not like them) but they aren't characters I'm interested in reading more about, except maybe Hearts Sorrow and Guts of the sea. All of the humans are characters who's stories took them on a path I couldn't fully connect with. There was characterization that was somewhat more told than seen, and even though what was seen lent credence to the told, it wasn't enough to really make me feel like I was supposed to, probably.
There were also choices made by characters that I couldn't understand the reasoning behind. Minh's decision at the end to have a child - a mindship even - baffled me, because she just got out from being under her mother's abuse and instead of taking the time to find out who she is and can be away from that, let alone deconstruct all the ways in which her mother and attempted murderer of a step-mother fucked her up, she ties herself to motherhood. Is it supposed to be some kind of amazing show of perseverance and strength?
This review took me way too long to actually put into words, because for how excited I was to read it, it’s definitely ended up my least favourite Xuya story, and putting into words why that was, ended up being a bit more difficult than expected.
laurareads87's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
A Fire Born in Exile is the latest installment in Aliette de Bodard’s Xuya Universe series, a collection of works of varying lengths set in a Vietnamese-inspired space opera future where sentient mindships and humans live as family. Having previously enjoyed quite a few works from this universe and having seen this novel described as “a sapphic Count of Monte Cristo set in space,” I was very excited to pick this up.
The worldbuilding in this series is consistently excellent, and while the works share a setting they do function as standalones so there is no need to have read prior Xuya installments to enjoy this novel, which may be my favourite in the series thusfar. A Fire Born in Exile combines mastermind scheming, revenge plots, shifting motivations, complicated familial relationships, and a fantastic cast of characters.
Thank you to the author, Independent Publishers Group, JAB Books, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC for review.
Content warnings: violence, torture (not graphic / off page), war (background context / off page), emotional abuse
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: War, Torture, and Violence