Reviews

In the Vanisher's Palace by Aliette de Bodard

thebookishunicorn's review against another edition

4.0

"What happens now?"
Cold seized Yên's fingers, and descended all the way into her spine. "Everything," Vu Côn said, and her smile was dazzling.
"Everything." Yên mouthed the syllables again, felt them like saltwater on her tongue, like a spell, slowly coming together to changed the ruined world they lived in. "I think I'd like that."

This f/f Vietnamese retelling of Beauty and the Beast is a book I didn't know I needed in my life until now. I am a fan of all of the retellings authors are putting out but a lot of them still adhere to the original straight relationships. It was so refreshing to read a LGBTQ+ relationship without any of the usual tropes one sees.

The post apocalyptic-fantasy world blend that de Bodard created is really fresh in our fantasy saturated market right now. At first you think it is just a fantasy version of Vietnam, but some of the magic is explained by science while other magic is just magic. The prose reads slightly whimsical/magical and it added a lot to the story, especially the descriptions of the magic being a combination of different words. It was an interesting take since a lot of authors go for either one or the other when explaining their magic system.

mary_soon_lee's review against another edition

3.0

This short book lies somewhere in the borderland between fantasy and science fiction. The prose is often beautiful, the alien technology is strange and unsettling, the magic strange and appealing, and I liked the Vietnamese elements. Spoilers ahead.

Spoiler

On the plus side, I very much liked how neither Vu Côn, nor Yên, nor the author condemned Thông and Lien on account of their Vanisher heritage. On the down side, the attraction between the main character and her captor made me uncomfortable. To me, it read as though Yên was quickly attracted to Vu Côn even though the captor/captive relationship was coercive if not abusive. In order to give my reasons in more articulate fashion, I'd need to re-read this, but, since the experience wasn't a happy one for me, I don't want to do so.

Overall I'd rank this as 2.5 stars, but I'm rounding it up to 3 stars because it is written with skill and passion, even though it is not my cup of tea. (For the record, the previous book I read by de Bodard, "The Tea Master and the Detective," was, appropriately and exactly, my cup of tea.)

On a much more minor note, I stumbled twice at the beginning of this book. In the opening paragraph, I thought Oanh was the point of view character, and it took me a couple of tries to sort that out. Then I mistook Yên for a young child, perhaps ten years old, and it took me longer to realize she was an adult.

About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).

distgenius's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

rainbowcircus's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

3.0

The setting was interesting and I wish there had been more opportunity to explore the world, I didn't particularly form any connection with any of the characters which is why this is a solid 3*.

alegerdemain's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

ryon's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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

3.75

lezreadalot's review against another edition

4.0

The dragon’s eyes were a light grey, the color of storm clouds gathering. She was looking straight at Yên with an expression that was half-irritation, half-hunger, as if she would gobble Yên whole, given half a chance. 

And what scared Yên most? This might, in the end, be just what she longed for.

A hugely imaginative fantasy tale (with a good dose of sci-fi) that tackles colonialism, imperialism and a Beauty and the Beast-esque narrative in a Vietnam-inspired world. It's got magic! It's got romance! It's got a really hot dragon! I wanted for nothing.

Or, well, I wanted for a little bit, but that's honestly more my fault than the book's. Nothing is over-explained, and there's no huge info-dumping or exposition about the world, which is a very good thing. But it did mean that it kind of took me a while to grasp the threads of the plot and the world that the story was taking place in. (I probably didn't help matters by not having read the blurb.) I was fuzzy on a lot of details and while I really enjoyed the book my mood/mind has been all over the place, so I don't think I took in everything as well as I could? I already want to reread this.

But I did really really enjoy it. I loved the creativity that was put into the world, the casual gender diversity, all the nuances of language that were spoken about. I loved that pronouns and forms of address in Vietnamese (and the levels of intimacy implied) were highlighted. I really REALLY enjoyed the romance. It's not the main focus of the plot, but it did get more screen time than expected, which I was thrilled about. Vu Côn is a dreamboat, and I love romances where the parties are attracted to each other even in situations where it's definitely not advisable, so it was easy to identify and sympathise with Yên. "This dragon lady might want to eat me... but oh no, she's hot!" It was super intense and romantic, and maybe a little too fast, but I was wholly invested. I loved all the secondary characters and just the lushness in general of this broken world. The plot did lose me a few times, but it was easy enough to pick up the thread.

I definitely recommend this to fans of queer sff. Great read.

allimann's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

• 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? It's complicated

3.5

I honestly didn’t totally understand what was happening during some of this- it was all very magical in a way that made it hard to picture the scenes. And the characters were pretty simple. But for a short novel doing as much as it was- it was very good. Loved the romance. Sapphic dragons for the win! 

stacyaj's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

marigale's review against another edition

5.0

4.5 stars. I wish this had been maybe a hundred pages longer and that the twins' had had chapters of their own. The world of this story is so interesting and I love a good, gay, retelling of a fairy tale (Beauty and the Beast! Beast is a dragon!). But it felt like the world and the characters didn't have enough time to really get fleshed out. I'll definitely reread and see if I like it more when I know more about what to expect.