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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
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
moldy_bread's review
dark
inspiring
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Toxic relationship and Abortion
timac's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Homophobia, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
mals_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This was an exceptional adult debut. METAL FROM HEAVEN is a ravenous fantasy about a class struggle revolving around a toxic, malleable natural resource that kickstarts an industrial revolution, weaving a story of the elite's insatiable hunger for more, always more, with a voracious revenge plot. Clarke's sharp writing style packs a punch, and the execution of their characters' decisions and motivations was nothing short of phenomenal. Finally, the world is affixed by a distinctive magic system focusing on a malleable natural resource that is brought to its limits, pushing forward the threat of a destructive war and mobilizing the oppressed.
METAL FROM HEAVEN checks every one of my boxes for a powerful queer political fantasy, and it rightfully left its mark on me - I hope those who need this story can find it, and find themselves in it.
METAL FROM HEAVEN checks every one of my boxes for a powerful queer political fantasy, and it rightfully left its mark on me - I hope those who need this story can find it, and find themselves in it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, War, and Classism
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Xenophobia, Abortion, and Toxic friendship