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shelfofunread's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Cadenza is the City of Words. Its Renaissance splendour comes from the spiralling towers of its many libraries whilst its taverns and streets sing with the lyrical offering of poets and thrum to the beat of the Printing Quarter’s presses. Even its shadows are filled with the scandalous offerings of the Ink Maids. revered and reviled in equal measure. Picking up Tom Beckerlegge’s adult debut, The Carnival of Ash, is to be drawn into this enthralling world, although I have to admit that, what I found when I arrived there wasn’t quite what I expected going in!
From the blurb, I was expecting a historical fantasy novel that followed young wordsmith Carlo Mazzoni as he becomes embroiled in the intrigues of Cadenza. The Carnival of Ash is, however, a more layered affair than the blurb would suggest. Divided into twelve cantos, each of which is told from the perspective of a different character, the world of Cadenza is instead gradually unveiled to the reader and, in the second half of the novel, the stories and characters begin to weave together to reveal a wider portrait of a city which threatens to destroy itself from within.
To be honest, this style threw me when I first began reading. The first half of the novel does, at times, feel like reading connected short stories more than a single coherent narrative and I did spend some time wondering when the wider plot would begin to emerge. And whilst I really liked the way in which the novel developed as an alternative history, filled with political intrigue, social nuance, and some light fantastical elements, I think anyone going into this book and expecting a fantasy along the lines of Caraval will be disappointed. Instead, The Carnival of Ash is more akin to Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell or The Night Circus, with its blend of history and magical realism, and its focus upon layered storytelling rather than pacy plot.
The Carnival of Ash is also a much darker book than I expected. The opening canto features a character who expresses suicide ideation at times whilst another early section contained some dubious sexual consent and emotional manipulation that left me feeling a little uncomfortable. Readers should also be aware that the book does feature some scenes of sexual and physical violence, references to torture, rape, blood, and murder, and some medical content. There are also several abusive families in the book and some of the characters express or demonstrate ableism, sexism, misogyny, and fatphobia. This really is a late medieval/Renaissance world portrayed in all its messy and problematic glory.
Personally, I didn’t mind the dark tone but I did have some issues with the way in which the female characters were described and treated at times. As a scholar of the Early Modern period, I am all too aware of the patriarchal structures of many Western medieval and Renaissance societies however, as an alternative history, it would have been nice to see revisions to this view. Whilst I loved the concept of the Ink Maids – literary courtesans who, for a fee, will write letters that fulfil a client’s wildest desires – I found the section told from the perspective of one of them, Hypatia, quite uncomfortable. Despite holding a position of prominence and power, Hypatia is portrayed as frail and delicate and she continues to be objectified by those around her. A woman being the target of both desire and violence is, unfortunately, far from unusual – and is a theme often explored in fiction – but I felt that the ‘short story’ aspect of the narrative worked against a full and nuanced exploration of these themes. As a reader, I didn’t get to stay with Hypatia long enough to feel that she became anything more than a symbolic object.
All of that said, I am glad I stuck with The Carnival of Ash. The writing, although dense, is undoubtedly beautiful and the way in which the city is portrayed really is enthralling. Tom Beckerlegge has created a marvellous alterative world and has peopled it with interesting characters who, as the book goes on, are revealed to have complex motivations and emotions. It also has some whip-smart dialogue and a fine line in gallows humour, especially from the character of the gravedigger, Ercole. Many of the uncomfortable elements are also revealed to be part of wider corruption within the city, and I do feel the author is deliberately exploring themes of power and depravity by highlighting these.
Ultimately, The Carnival of Ash was a bit of a marmite book for me. The premise, world-building, and writing is fantastic but the narrative structure of the ‘cantos’ made the first half of the novel feel disjointed and it did take some perseverance to make it through to the second half which, for me, was when the story really began to take flight. Whilst characters do gain dimensions as the book progresses, I also felt that in the early cantos some characters featured more as cyphers than as rounded and relatable people.
Readers who head into this book expecting a traditional SFF are likely to be disappointed as that isn’t what The Carnival of Ash offers. Fans of alternative historical fiction and literary magical realism, however, will find much to enjoy in this lush literary tale about a city of poets that never was.
NB: This review also appears on my blog at https://theshelfofunreadbooks.wordpre.... My thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
From the blurb, I was expecting a historical fantasy novel that followed young wordsmith Carlo Mazzoni as he becomes embroiled in the intrigues of Cadenza. The Carnival of Ash is, however, a more layered affair than the blurb would suggest. Divided into twelve cantos, each of which is told from the perspective of a different character, the world of Cadenza is instead gradually unveiled to the reader and, in the second half of the novel, the stories and characters begin to weave together to reveal a wider portrait of a city which threatens to destroy itself from within.
To be honest, this style threw me when I first began reading. The first half of the novel does, at times, feel like reading connected short stories more than a single coherent narrative and I did spend some time wondering when the wider plot would begin to emerge. And whilst I really liked the way in which the novel developed as an alternative history, filled with political intrigue, social nuance, and some light fantastical elements, I think anyone going into this book and expecting a fantasy along the lines of Caraval will be disappointed. Instead, The Carnival of Ash is more akin to Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell or The Night Circus, with its blend of history and magical realism, and its focus upon layered storytelling rather than pacy plot.
The Carnival of Ash is also a much darker book than I expected. The opening canto features a character who expresses suicide ideation at times whilst another early section contained some dubious sexual consent and emotional manipulation that left me feeling a little uncomfortable. Readers should also be aware that the book does feature some scenes of sexual and physical violence, references to torture, rape, blood, and murder, and some medical content. There are also several abusive families in the book and some of the characters express or demonstrate ableism, sexism, misogyny, and fatphobia. This really is a late medieval/Renaissance world portrayed in all its messy and problematic glory.
Personally, I didn’t mind the dark tone but I did have some issues with the way in which the female characters were described and treated at times. As a scholar of the Early Modern period, I am all too aware of the patriarchal structures of many Western medieval and Renaissance societies however, as an alternative history, it would have been nice to see revisions to this view. Whilst I loved the concept of the Ink Maids – literary courtesans who, for a fee, will write letters that fulfil a client’s wildest desires – I found the section told from the perspective of one of them, Hypatia, quite uncomfortable. Despite holding a position of prominence and power, Hypatia is portrayed as frail and delicate and she continues to be objectified by those around her. A woman being the target of both desire and violence is, unfortunately, far from unusual – and is a theme often explored in fiction – but I felt that the ‘short story’ aspect of the narrative worked against a full and nuanced exploration of these themes. As a reader, I didn’t get to stay with Hypatia long enough to feel that she became anything more than a symbolic object.
All of that said, I am glad I stuck with The Carnival of Ash. The writing, although dense, is undoubtedly beautiful and the way in which the city is portrayed really is enthralling. Tom Beckerlegge has created a marvellous alterative world and has peopled it with interesting characters who, as the book goes on, are revealed to have complex motivations and emotions. It also has some whip-smart dialogue and a fine line in gallows humour, especially from the character of the gravedigger, Ercole. Many of the uncomfortable elements are also revealed to be part of wider corruption within the city, and I do feel the author is deliberately exploring themes of power and depravity by highlighting these.
Ultimately, The Carnival of Ash was a bit of a marmite book for me. The premise, world-building, and writing is fantastic but the narrative structure of the ‘cantos’ made the first half of the novel feel disjointed and it did take some perseverance to make it through to the second half which, for me, was when the story really began to take flight. Whilst characters do gain dimensions as the book progresses, I also felt that in the early cantos some characters featured more as cyphers than as rounded and relatable people.
Readers who head into this book expecting a traditional SFF are likely to be disappointed as that isn’t what The Carnival of Ash offers. Fans of alternative historical fiction and literary magical realism, however, will find much to enjoy in this lush literary tale about a city of poets that never was.
NB: This review also appears on my blog at https://theshelfofunreadbooks.wordpre.... My thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexism, Sexual content, and Torture
Minor: Fatphobia and Ableism
whatjaninareads's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I received an advanced reader copy of The Carnival of Ash in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this opportunity.
Due to The Carnival of Ash's blurb about a city of libraries and it being labelled as fantasy, I had a certain type of book in mind and - although I try not to do that - went into this book with some ideas of what I might expect. Well, I was wrong. This book was nothing like what I expected nor what the blurb seemed to promise.
The book is split into 12 Cantos narrated from the perspectives of different inhabitants of Cadenza. The first Canto is indeed about a character by the name of Carlo Mazzoni, who arrives in Cadenza on the day the Artifex (the city's political leader, and also a poet) is found dead under a toppled bookshelf. However, the second Canto focuses on a so-called "ink maid" who gets paid to write letters of a certain nature to her correspondents. The book circles through the perspectives of poets, political leaders, and other inhabitants of the town and one by one, more of the corruption and intrigues that are going on in the shadows are revealed.
This still sounds fairly good (I'd say), but in contrast to that my rating is very low for the following reasons:
1. I wasn't invested in any of the characters at all. It took me a while to get through the first Canto due to the pretentious language and the lack of plot, but I was relatively interested in what would happen next, which was - nothing. We meet Carlo and the grave digger Ercole, and then they are barely mentioned for the rest of the book. The same was true for the other characters, and it prevented me from really liking any of them (or even remembering their names, frankly).
2. It was just so drawn-out and boring. It must be in part due to not caring for the characters, but either way I also didn't care who profited or suffered from the intrigues and thus the whole ordeal was plainly boring to read.
3. The male gaze and problematic language. Everything that concerned women was blatantly focused on their bodies, and there was so much over-sexualisation mixed with dubious consent. It made me feel extremely uncomfortable, and so did the ways in which POC or even the Venetians were described. Yes, this is alternate historical fiction, but "alternate" means you can very well choose not to write a male, eurocentric focus.
4. This book is labelled as "fantasy", when I'd say the furthest stretch would be to say that it has paranormal elements - which were absolutely and utterly unnecessary and didn't add to the plot in the least. This is such a pet peeve of mine. Whenever these elements came into play, they just confused me and, as I said, didn't enhance the story in any way.
5. The ending was both disappointing and perfect - disappointing because it was very anticlimatic and didn't help to wrap the story up in my opinion, and perfect because the same can be said for the rest of the book, so it fit the plot well.
The only thing I can say in favour of The Carnival of Ash was that the writing style was good and the world building was done slowly but well. Had it not been for either of these points, I would probably have DNF'd the book at 15% - which, looking back, I should have done anyway.
1.5/5 stars.
Due to The Carnival of Ash's blurb about a city of libraries and it being labelled as fantasy, I had a certain type of book in mind and - although I try not to do that - went into this book with some ideas of what I might expect. Well, I was wrong. This book was nothing like what I expected nor what the blurb seemed to promise.
The book is split into 12 Cantos narrated from the perspectives of different inhabitants of Cadenza. The first Canto is indeed about a character by the name of Carlo Mazzoni, who arrives in Cadenza on the day the Artifex (the city's political leader, and also a poet) is found dead under a toppled bookshelf. However, the second Canto focuses on a so-called "ink maid" who gets paid to write letters of a certain nature to her correspondents. The book circles through the perspectives of poets, political leaders, and other inhabitants of the town and one by one, more of the corruption and intrigues that are going on in the shadows are revealed.
This still sounds fairly good (I'd say), but in contrast to that my rating is very low for the following reasons:
1. I wasn't invested in any of the characters at all. It took me a while to get through the first Canto due to the pretentious language and the lack of plot, but I was relatively interested in what would happen next, which was - nothing. We meet Carlo and the grave digger Ercole, and then they are barely mentioned for the rest of the book. The same was true for the other characters, and it prevented me from really liking any of them (or even remembering their names, frankly).
2. It was just so drawn-out and boring. It must be in part due to not caring for the characters, but either way I also didn't care who profited or suffered from the intrigues and thus the whole ordeal was plainly boring to read.
3. The male gaze and problematic language. Everything that concerned women was blatantly focused on their bodies, and there was so much over-sexualisation mixed with dubious consent. It made me feel extremely uncomfortable, and so did the ways in which POC or even the Venetians were described. Yes, this is alternate historical fiction, but "alternate" means you can very well choose not to write a male, eurocentric focus.
4. This book is labelled as "fantasy", when I'd say the furthest stretch would be to say that it has paranormal elements - which were absolutely and utterly unnecessary and didn't add to the plot in the least. This is such a pet peeve of mine. Whenever these elements came into play, they just confused me and, as I said, didn't enhance the story in any way.
5. The ending was both disappointing and perfect - disappointing because it was very anticlimatic and didn't help to wrap the story up in my opinion, and perfect because the same can be said for the rest of the book, so it fit the plot well.
The only thing I can say in favour of The Carnival of Ash was that the writing style was good and the world building was done slowly but well. Had it not been for either of these points, I would probably have DNF'd the book at 15% - which, looking back, I should have done anyway.
1.5/5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Sexual violence, Murder, Sexism, Sexual content, and Torture
laurareads87's review against another edition
I’ve opted to DNF this book; I made it to 65%. It was difficult to push through as far as I did; I had resolved to finish the book for the purposes of writing a full and complete review, but ultimately some of the body horror content led me to put it down.
What I appreciate about this book: I appreciate when a book’s world-building is so intricate that the city becomes, in a sense, the lead character of the book: Cadenza was developed in this way, and the multiple POV storytelling gave a thorough and multi-faceted portrayal of the city. Beckerlegge’s writing style is, I think, well suited to a book in which many of the characters are poets.
What didn’t work for me: A section which very graphically described a plague quarantine building in which various forms of torture, including sexual torture, were occurring led me to put it down. This book calls for pretty much every content warning one can come up with. It was also not what I expected at all based on the description – maybe I just didn’t read far enough, but in the first 65% there were really no fantasy elements in the book; it was a historical fiction novel focused on the power politics of a fictionalized Italian city. The premise – the politics of a city of poetry – I was very much intrigued by, but ultimately the book didn’t quite live up to my excitement for the premise.
A POV is never returned to as far as I can tell, which was an interesting storytelling strategy; I ultimately thought it worked, giving many angles on the city, though I did think that some of the POVs were far more compelling than others – some I thought could’ve been entire books unto themselves, while others I could’ve done without.
Finally, and most seriously, I have some deep reservations with how gender is depicted in this book. The city depicted is deeply patriarchal and most of the POV characters are men – neither of these factors is necessarily a problem in and of itself; however, these combined with a few other issues do add up to a serious problem as far as I’m concerned. The female characters in the book are consistently sexually objectified, often described in terms of body parts and physical appearance and little else. Women in this book are not developed into multi-faceted individual personalities at all. On top of this, a significant number of the male characters in the book are sexually violent and predatory, with women for the most part only present in the book as victims of male characters’ violence. The result is a pervasive sense that women, in this book / city, exist only to be subject to violence and are described almost exclusively by way of misogynist commentary. On this basis, I cannot recommend this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Stalking, Torture, Violence, Vomit, and War
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