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titusfortner's review against another edition
3.0
One of the 2017 Hugo nominations for best novelette.
The back story and the world and the mechanics of the magic doesn't fully make sense. I think this is an instance where the story is too ambitious to be contained in a novelette. The writing and the characters are both enjoyable and could easily have sustained more pages. The "present day author" premise is also great, but the author doesn't integrate it into the story the way I expected.
The back story and the world and the mechanics of the magic doesn't fully make sense. I think this is an instance where the story is too ambitious to be contained in a novelette. The writing and the characters are both enjoyable and could easily have sustained more pages. The "present day author" premise is also great, but the author doesn't integrate it into the story the way I expected.
aprilbooksandwine's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
kdheart's review against another edition
3.0
I really wish I could give this four stars, but the plot feels drowned out by worldbuilding and it's too short for that.
The premise is interesting - a kingdom where rulers draw their power from gems and they need a lapidary to keep them under control. Unfortunately, we only get to witness the downfall of this and, despite most of the novella being spent on worldbuilding, we don't really get a clear picture of how that power works.
The premise is interesting - a kingdom where rulers draw their power from gems and they need a lapidary to keep them under control. Unfortunately, we only get to witness the downfall of this and, despite most of the novella being spent on worldbuilding, we don't really get a clear picture of how that power works.
pearlc's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
planetarypan's review against another edition
4.0
The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is because it was too short! In less than 100 pages, Wilde built an interesting world. I'd love to see more stories in it.
ghosthermione's review
3.0
I felt like this could have been longer and the ending could have been more developed. Sadly feels unfinished.
crtsjffrsn's review against another edition
3.0
Lin is a young princess, never destined to rule over the kingdom. Sima, her lapidary, was never trained on how to use the powerful gems and their magic for anything beyond what a princess may need. So when a massacre of the royal family leaves Lin as the only hope for her kingdom, both find themselves running into new territory with high-stakes consequences--not just for the two of them, but for an entire people.
There is a lot to the concept and the world that Fran Wilde has created here. The traditions, the history, the people--it hearkens to an epic fantasy story, though this is delivered in a single, novella-length installment. The story is fast-moving, with little time to stop for intentional character development and backstory, with everything coming through via the characters' actions. And that can be a good thing at times, though there are moments in this story where things move so quickly that I felt a few things may have been lost. The story is well-written, and I would say my only complaint is that I would have like to see this developed over the course of more pages (or even multiple books) to really immerse myself as a reader.
There is a lot to the concept and the world that Fran Wilde has created here. The traditions, the history, the people--it hearkens to an epic fantasy story, though this is delivered in a single, novella-length installment. The story is fast-moving, with little time to stop for intentional character development and backstory, with everything coming through via the characters' actions. And that can be a good thing at times, though there are moments in this story where things move so quickly that I felt a few things may have been lost. The story is well-written, and I would say my only complaint is that I would have like to see this developed over the course of more pages (or even multiple books) to really immerse myself as a reader.
cherrycoke's review against another edition
2.75
Most boring fantasy book I’ve read this year. Someone else said “it spent so long explaining and not enough time convincing me to care” and I agree
qrschulte's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
4.0
This book had a really interesting concept for magic, but I didn’t love it for a couple of reasons. I read the audiobook, and I think that was a mistake. There were frequently errors in the audio, where the same sentence would be repeated twice in a row (I swear this happened like a dozen times). There were no chapters, so it was harder to know when we were switching between Lin and Sima quicker. I think if I’d read the ebook or a physical copy, I wouldn’t have had those complaints, and I wouldn’t have kept getting pulled out of the story. I did absolutely love the in-world epigraphs, which are 100% my shit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Confinement, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Murder, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Grief
Minor: Vomit, War, and Child death