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kadomi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
3.0
WTF did I just read? Finishing this book left me quite confounded. It had a strong start, a confusing middle, and an absolute what the fuckery ending. I haven't been so confused by a book since reading Harrow the Ninth. Speaking of that series, the middle part vaguely reminded me of Gideon the Ninth, but way less cool.
In any case, this is a challengingly written sapphic revenge story that is very anti-capitalist. The first person narrator Marney (a terrible narrator, I kinda hated her) loses her family as a kid at a peaceful worker protest. Her family all worked in the ichorite industry, a mysterious metal that is driving industry, and Marney is a so-called lustertouched, highly sensitive to this metal to the point it makes her ill, but also able to manipulate it. Marney then runs into a band of bandits, let's say they're communist, as they're also plotting to overthrow evil nobility and capitalists. Oh, and just about everyone is a 'crawly', a lesbian.
Eventually, Marney falsely pretends to be a baron's daughter, in the running to marry the ichorite industrial's daughter, so she can finally move in and kill him to avenge her family. And then it gets weird...er, I should say.
I'll give it 3 stars because it was fascinating, but I can't honestly say I would recommend it to anyone, other than admiring that such queer literature exists today.
In any case, this is a challengingly written sapphic revenge story that is very anti-capitalist. The first person narrator Marney (a terrible narrator, I kinda hated her) loses her family as a kid at a peaceful worker protest. Her family all worked in the ichorite industry, a mysterious metal that is driving industry, and Marney is a so-called lustertouched, highly sensitive to this metal to the point it makes her ill, but also able to manipulate it. Marney then runs into a band of bandits, let's say they're communist, as they're also plotting to overthrow evil nobility and capitalists. Oh, and just about everyone is a 'crawly', a lesbian.
Eventually, Marney falsely pretends to be a baron's daughter, in the running to marry the ichorite industrial's daughter, so she can finally move in and kill him to avenge her family. And then it gets weird...er, I should say.
I'll give it 3 stars because it was fascinating, but I can't honestly say I would recommend it to anyone, other than admiring that such queer literature exists today.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Sexual content, and Classism
Minor: Child abuse
krystaldelusion's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My life for crawlies.
Acknowledgment for such great influences as Karl Marx, Evangelion, Stone Butch Blues, and Tamsyn Muir.
10/10 no notes.
Acknowledgment for such great influences as Karl Marx, Evangelion, Stone Butch Blues, and Tamsyn Muir.
10/10 no notes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, and Genocide
lemilysnikda's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is a complicated book to review because I loved many things but also really did NOT enjoy others. This was not an easy read. The writing style is unusual, blurry, and rambling at times, but it works well when the reader is supposed to be disoriented with our main character Marney. Ultimately I’m still debating if it was worth the struggle for me?
The beginning gripped me immediately. We follow Marney, a child laborer who escapes a protest gone violent and joins an all women gang of anti-capitalist bandits called the Choir. She vows to get revenge against the industry leader responsible. Marney is “lustertouched” from her exposure to the resource ichorite, which gives her the ability to harness (kinda gross) magic but at a cost.
Unfortunately, the story fell off a bit during the second quarter. It’s been a couple days since I finished the book now, and at this point I don’t think I could tell you much that happened in that quarter of the book. I do remember being very distracted by the prose then, but it was not an issue for me at all in the second half.
As other reviews have said, the events in the book’s description didn’t really pick up until the second half of the book. It almost feels like the start of a sequel—so much so that I wonder if this would’ve been better as a duology, which would’ve given us more time to experience the Choir and appreciate Marney’s relationships with those characters more.
At the halfway point, the reader meets a whole new cast of characters—all at the same time via dialogue from one of said new characters. Each of these characters had their own religion, background, political goals, and past romantic relationships with other characters. This was all very hard to keep track of because the characters have such similar seductive and brash personalities. It also didn’t help to be stuck in Marney’s head because Marney is attracted to pretty much everyone. Marney’s reverence for women is an essential part of the character (and was so refreshing to read!) BUT, when everyone is crazy and hot, they all kinda blur together.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention that there are also clearly parallels/nods to lesbian culture specifically, but I am sure I missed many of these because I’m not a member of the community. I’m leaving the review of this aspect to people who know what they’re talking about.
This is absolutely not a crowd-pleaser fantasy, but I do think it has the potential (and deserves) to garner a devoted following from the right readers. I’m seeing comparisons to Gideon the Ninth, and I think that’s right to an extent, but the tones are a bit different. I would also throw out a sprinkle of Arcane and A League of Their Own, but there’s something grittier here.
This is not a romance, but note there are sex scenes. Some relationships and scenes are quite toxic and even abusive, which was hard to read. Check content warnings.
eARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review
The beginning gripped me immediately. We follow Marney, a child laborer who escapes a protest gone violent and joins an all women gang of anti-capitalist bandits called the Choir. She vows to get revenge against the industry leader responsible. Marney is “lustertouched” from her exposure to the resource ichorite, which gives her the ability to harness (kinda gross) magic but at a cost.
Unfortunately, the story fell off a bit during the second quarter. It’s been a couple days since I finished the book now, and at this point I don’t think I could tell you much that happened in that quarter of the book. I do remember being very distracted by the prose then, but it was not an issue for me at all in the second half.
As other reviews have said, the events in the book’s description didn’t really pick up until the second half of the book. It almost feels like the start of a sequel—so much so that I wonder if this would’ve been better as a duology, which would’ve given us more time to experience the Choir and appreciate Marney’s relationships with those characters more.
At the halfway point, the reader meets a whole new cast of characters—all at the same time via dialogue from one of said new characters. Each of these characters had their own religion, background, political goals, and past romantic relationships with other characters. This was all very hard to keep track of because the characters have such similar seductive and brash personalities. It also didn’t help to be stuck in Marney’s head because Marney is attracted to pretty much everyone. Marney’s reverence for women is an essential part of the character (and was so refreshing to read!) BUT, when everyone is crazy and hot, they all kinda blur together.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention that there are also clearly parallels/nods to lesbian culture specifically, but I am sure I missed many of these because I’m not a member of the community. I’m leaving the review of this aspect to people who know what they’re talking about.
This is absolutely not a crowd-pleaser fantasy, but I do think it has the potential (and deserves) to garner a devoted following from the right readers. I’m seeing comparisons to Gideon the Ninth, and I think that’s right to an extent, but the tones are a bit different. I would also throw out a sprinkle of Arcane and A League of Their Own, but there’s something grittier here.
This is not a romance, but note there are sex scenes. Some relationships and scenes are quite toxic and even abusive, which was hard to read. Check content warnings.
eARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
a_blue_stocking's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
1.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Gore, Vomit, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Drug use, Torture, and Alcohol
dehydratedfarmer's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
tense
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
5.0
[Metal From Heaven is recommended for fans of Gideon the Ninth by the publisher but really should have been recommended specifically for fans of Harrow the Ninth. You'll know what I mean if you've read both and start this book, since some readers loved Gideon but disliked Harrow due to considerably different stylistic and structural writing choices. Thankfully I loved Harrow the Ninth in all its painful glory, and I loved this book as well.]
Metal From Heaven abounds with literal gender outlaws, a unique in-universe queer culture, and so many butches I felt like this book had scanned my brain and conjured up everything I could have asked for in a fictional work — not to mention the incredible world building and electrifying plot. I wish I could read twenty more books like this, yesterday. Definitely check out the content warnings before reading, but if the official synopsis or any of the things previously mentioned sound interesting, it is so worth the wild ride.
Metal From Heaven abounds with literal gender outlaws, a unique in-universe queer culture, and so many butches I felt like this book had scanned my brain and conjured up everything I could have asked for in a fictional work — not to mention the incredible world building and electrifying plot. I wish I could read twenty more books like this, yesterday. Definitely check out the content warnings before reading, but if the official synopsis or any of the things previously mentioned sound interesting, it is so worth the wild ride.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Genocide and War
squid_rl's review against another edition
A fun read until chapter 11, which included a very violent, very long sex scene that seemed to portray the violence as sexy, even though clearly not consensual
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism
bookgirlie_unbound's review against another edition
4.0
Hidden away in the socialist utopia of The Fingerbluffs, Marnie dreams of exacting her revenge on the industry leader who ordered her family’s death. The best part of this book is how the reader is forced to participate actively through Marnie’s first-person narration, breaking the fourth wall. We the reader, are “you,” her first love lost in the same brutal killing that took away her parents. This literary trick heightened my enjoyment and investment in the book and was one of the best literary surprises I’ve encountered.
Overall, this book is solid. The plot is moderately paced, like Marnie’s assured confidence that she WILL kill Yann Industry Chauncy and does not need to rush. This has its pros and cons, as several parts of the book that I felt were excruciatingly drawn out as a way to belabor the moral and philosophical superiority of the Highwayman’s Choir and the “Hereafter”- a glorious period in which the universe is freed from the yoke of capitalism.
Readers should be aware that sex is used as an allegory for greed and overconsumption, and is omnipresent in the last third of the book. I understand its use as a literary device, and I still think the book had strong enough characters, sub-stories, and mysticism to carry on to the finish without so much gratuitous, abusive, and graphic sex. I would gladly trade several of the sex scenes for more information about the magic Marnie wields or the complex religious codes observed by the many nations and communities within this sprawling world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
charlieeew's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Body horror, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Animal death, Drug use, Genocide, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
steponme_yam's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
An excellent choice for my 69th book of the year. Two things especially impressed me about Metal from Heaven:
1. The worldbuilding: The author has put in a ton of effort to create a world with many distinct cultures, religions, naming systems, etc. - not just the existence of these things, but the ways that these cultures affect everything that the characters do. It was extremely immersive and felt very rich to me in a way that most fantasy novels don’t.
2. There’s a great payoff moment at the book’s emotional climax that really made the whole thing feel worth it to me.
My only dislike is the writing style, which is artistic, beautiful, and not really for me. The writing made it hard for me to get into the first half of the book, but with that said I am doing an immediate reread so I did end up liking it by the end.
(disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in a exchange for an unbiased review)
1. The worldbuilding: The author has put in a ton of effort to create a world with many distinct cultures, religions, naming systems, etc. - not just the existence of these things, but the ways that these cultures affect everything that the characters do. It was extremely immersive and felt very rich to me in a way that most fantasy novels don’t.
2. There’s a great payoff moment at the book’s emotional climax that really made the whole thing feel worth it to me.
My only dislike is the writing style, which is artistic, beautiful, and not really for me. The writing made it hard for me to get into the first half of the book, but with that said I am doing an immediate reread so I did end up liking it by the end.
(disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in a exchange for an unbiased review)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Sexual content, Violence, and Police brutality
Minor: Homophobia, Abortion, Lesbophobia, and Dysphoria
nittiotvaan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Classism
Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and War