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rcsreads's review
I was really excited to read this but it really needed a good edit. The world building is just poorly written information dump a lot of which doesn't make sense, people constantly have really forced, unnatural conversations which are clearly just there to give me information. The city planet has no sense of scale or geography and seemed to descend down a long way in ruins, it reminded me of mega city 1 but more nonsensical. Also, one district has been lost for like 10,000 years but they somehow haven't changed in anyway and still speak the same language.
The planet is a matriarchy but they've just given the women the most stereotypical toxic male behaviour and vice versa. I think they were trying to be clever and make a point but they have failed.
The sex scenes are badly written and terrible and I think the main character is supposed to be using sex for political purposes but they're really bad at it.
A good premise, badly executed.
The planet is a matriarchy but they've just given the women the most stereotypical toxic male behaviour and vice versa. I think they were trying to be clever and make a point but they have failed.
The sex scenes are badly written and terrible and I think the main character is supposed to be using sex for political purposes but they're really bad at it.
A good premise, badly executed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Violence, Trafficking, Sexual content, Sexism, and Misogyny
vaniavela's review
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This was a very heavy read. Throughout it, I didn't feel a connection to the characters, maybe because of how complicated their names were to remember, or simply because there wasn't something that hooked me to them. The plot was very interesting, and I was eager to know this world, but the truth is that I was about 20% into the book and I still didn't understand/enjoy many aspects of it. There were a lot of elements, and perhaps that was one of the mistakes; so much was attempted to be covered that nothing ever came to fruition, and so it all feels half-baked. Hopefully I can pick up this read again in the future, but for now it strikes me as a book with great potential that wasn't fully tapped.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Murder and Death
Minor: Homophobia
anniereads221's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Child abuse, Murder, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Vomit, War, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
foreverinastory's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-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
Thank you to Netgalley and Rebellion for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Damn this was brutal, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Y'all this book is incredibly. There is so much going on and I was thrilled by it. But also there are lots of sex scenes and very graphic ones so if that's not your thing, you probably don't want to read this. There is a shit ton of slow moving action, political intrigue, betrayal etc so you will need to strap in for this read. Think in terms of The Unbroken or The Priory of the Orange Tree.
Silk Fire is an epic fantasy world with a matriarchal society. This story follows Koré, a bastard to his aristocratic father. Koré has had to make his own way in a city that caters to the elite and wealthy. Disowned from his biological family, Koré has worked as a sex worker/courtesan and has made a reputation for himself as one of the best. When the Judge of the city begins to fall ill, Koré knows he'll stop at nothing to keep his father from being appointed the next judge. But a chance encounter with a dying god imbues him with magic-breathing powers and Koré finds himself hunted.
This was so good. I cannot sing enough praises about this book. I loved it so much. I will admit it did take a bit to get familiar with the names and the way this society worked. I wish I knew it was matriarchal from the get go, because once I figured that out so many things made so much more sense!!
There was so much betrayal though and damn it hurt me a little bit. I can't believe this is only a standalone. I have so many questions about what happens next. I loved the journey Koré went on with dealing with all the trauma he's suffered. I want to see more of him being happy. His triad makes me so happy and soft. I want more of it.
Also there be dragons here. You're welcome.
Rep: Mainly BIPOC cast. Polyamorous bisexual male MC, female love interest, achillean male love interest, trans female side character, various queer side characters.
CWs from the author: violence against sex workers, including threatened SA, groping, and one scene of dubcon. Discussions of historical colonization and genocide, cyclical violence. Child neglect, emotional and physical
CWs from me: Emotional abuse, sexual content (there are a lot of sex scenes), toxic relationship, violence, sexism, misandry, sexual assault, classism, child abuse, death, sexual violence, death of parent, murder, sexual harassment, war, violence, alcohol consumption, alcoholism, addiction, generalized trauma. Moderate: fire that doesn't burn, infertility, colonisation, genocide, child neglect. Minor: transphobia/transmisia, queerphobia/queermisia.
Damn this was brutal, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Y'all this book is incredibly. There is so much going on and I was thrilled by it. But also there are lots of sex scenes and very graphic ones so if that's not your thing, you probably don't want to read this. There is a shit ton of slow moving action, political intrigue, betrayal etc so you will need to strap in for this read. Think in terms of The Unbroken or The Priory of the Orange Tree.
Silk Fire is an epic fantasy world with a matriarchal society. This story follows Koré, a bastard to his aristocratic father. Koré has had to make his own way in a city that caters to the elite and wealthy. Disowned from his biological family, Koré has worked as a sex worker/courtesan and has made a reputation for himself as one of the best. When the Judge of the city begins to fall ill, Koré knows he'll stop at nothing to keep his father from being appointed the next judge. But a chance encounter with a dying god imbues him with magic-breathing powers and Koré finds himself hunted.
This was so good. I cannot sing enough praises about this book. I loved it so much. I will admit it did take a bit to get familiar with the names and the way this society worked. I wish I knew it was matriarchal from the get go, because once I figured that out so many things made so much more sense!!
There was so much betrayal though and damn it hurt me a little bit. I can't believe this is only a standalone. I have so many questions about what happens next. I loved the journey Koré went on with dealing with all the trauma he's suffered. I want to see more of him being happy. His triad makes me so happy and soft. I want more of it.
Also there be dragons here. You're welcome.
Rep: Mainly BIPOC cast. Polyamorous bisexual male MC, female love interest, achillean male love interest, trans female side character, various queer side characters.
CWs from the author: violence against sex workers, including threatened SA, groping, and one scene of dubcon. Discussions of historical colonization and genocide, cyclical violence. Child neglect, emotional and physical
CWs from me: Emotional abuse, sexual content (there are a lot of sex scenes), toxic relationship, violence, sexism, misandry, sexual assault, classism, child abuse, death, sexual violence, death of parent, murder, sexual harassment, war, violence, alcohol consumption, alcoholism, addiction, generalized trauma. Moderate: fire that doesn't burn, infertility, colonisation, genocide, child neglect. Minor: transphobia/transmisia, queerphobia/queermisia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Murder, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, and Infertility
Minor: Transphobia and Homophobia
elizajaquays's review
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
When I heard bisexual dragon with a poly endgame relationship, I knew I had to pick this book up! It has absolutely gorgeous world-building and a whole cast of morally grey characters trying their best.
This is not a quick-paced action packed read, but rather one where you will need time to immerse yourself into the world. While Koré was quick to throw himself into the action, the book has a slow buildup in tension and I was about halfway in before I was completely hooked and at that point I wasn’t able to put it down.
Silk Fire’s strengths are definitely in the storytelling and the intricate weaving of motivations and goals that shift with every piece of new information. It’s primary weakness would be that the characters feel like cardboard props for the world building for the first third of the novel and the sex scenes manage to be both gratuitous and clinical at the same time.
Overall, I did really enjoy reading it and am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.
This is not a quick-paced action packed read, but rather one where you will need time to immerse yourself into the world. While Koré was quick to throw himself into the action, the book has a slow buildup in tension and I was about halfway in before I was completely hooked and at that point I wasn’t able to put it down.
Silk Fire’s strengths are definitely in the storytelling and the intricate weaving of motivations and goals that shift with every piece of new information. It’s primary weakness would be that the characters feel like cardboard props for the world building for the first third of the novel and the sex scenes manage to be both gratuitous and clinical at the same time.
Overall, I did really enjoy reading it and am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, and Sexism
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Violence, Infidelity, Murder, War, and Alcoholism
Minor: Vomit
sophiareads_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
1.0
Rating: 1/5 stars
Content Warnings: Violence, murder, on page sex scenes, sexual assault, slut shaming
Reading the blurb for this book had me really excited - it sounded fascinating and definitely my kind of thing. Unfortunately, in reality I really struggled to get through it. If I hadn't been going to review it, I likely would have given up and DNFed because I just found it quite exhausting to read. I was often confused about what was going on, and too much of what I did understand I wasn't a huge fan of.
Silk Fire is a real sci-fi/fantasy mashup, with world-building combining magical and technological elements. In this matriarchal society, Koré is a courtesan hell bent on getting revenge on his wealthy father, by sabotaging his run for political office. By chance, Koré is imbued with draconic power by a dying god, making him the last dragon - a new source of the previously finite supply of 'essence'. Koré navigates a world of political intrigue, with stakes rising with the appearance of a necromantic threat.
Though overall I really struggled with this book, there were some elements I enjoyed. This was mostly in the world-building. I thought the concept of essence was quite unique and interesting. I also appreciated the incorporation of queer characters. Koré, the main character, is bisexual, and many other leading characters are queer. Their queerness is important to their characters, but not all-encompassing, which was nice to see. I particularly liked the explanation of how trans characters fit in this world. The characters are complex (though sometimes a little too complex - all the back and forth double-crossing and betrayal was tough to follow at times) and I particularly liked Ria and Faziz, the two love interests.
However, I did have a fair few issues with the book. The story takes place in a matriarchal society, which had me a little on edge, since the author is a man. I do think women are better placed to write an effective matriarchal society, as we inherently better understand the nuances of patriarchy better than a man can. I definitely did have some issues with the portrayal of this type of gender power balance. I thought a lot of it was very on-the-nose, just taking the exact experiences of patriarchy and gender-swapping them. For example, there is talk of 'male representation in media' which is very much just taking criticisms of misogyny in media and swapping the pronouns. I just feel this is an inherently uninteresting way to portray a matriarchal society. It also grated on me a little that plenty of the nastier elements of real-life patriarchy are portrayed in this book, only gender swapped. Knowing that these descriptions of women perpetuating the terrible things that happen in real life TO women was written by a man made me a bit uncomfortable.
Silk Fire has a very complex plot, but the way it's written only serves to make it more confusing. This was a book I didn't find myself wanting to pick up to continue, because it felt like such a slog just trying to understand what was happening. Some other elements made it an awkward read - the dialogue is a real mix of the kind of language you'd usually find in fantasy books and also very modern, colloquial dialogue. I thought this was an interesting idea, but ultimately not well enough executed to make it anything more than disjointed and disorientating. While I definitely liked the concept of including fantasy elements alongside things like cameras, hoverships, and bad movies, I also felt like this just made the book feel like it didn't know what it wanted to be.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Sexual assault
bkwrm1317's review
Big thanks to NetGalley + Rebellion Publishing for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Really interesting premise with a beautiful cover (dragons + dinosaurs + spaceships? + matrilineal/matriarchal society + political intrigue + polyamory + trans folk + sex work + magic of a sort + lots more) and interesting universe. Unfortunately, this is a DNF for me due to pacing + muddled narrative (some chapters kept me on the line/made me turn the page, but then I'd stumble into one that felt chaotic and incredibly difficult to follow). This is an ambitious book whose execution felt lacking for me and/or could benefit from intensive editing for greater clarity for the reader.
Some additional that had me struggling with this read included:
- lots of info dumping that didn't end up providing clarity about the universe or setting (as a reader I want to know the things I need to know, and am happy with unfamiliar/universe-specific words for things that I'll figure out with context but that balance was off with this one)
- execution of the gender role reversal bit (love the concept here, but the execution felt like a simple 180 of clichéd understandings of gender roles for this reader)
Also note: not for the faint of heart (please read TWs before picking this one up), but potentially the right fit for folks who enjoy heavier SFF and are comfortable with the type of content covered by TWs.
Really interesting premise with a beautiful cover (dragons + dinosaurs + spaceships? + matrilineal/matriarchal society + political intrigue + polyamory + trans folk + sex work + magic of a sort + lots more) and interesting universe. Unfortunately, this is a DNF for me due to pacing + muddled narrative (some chapters kept me on the line/made me turn the page, but then I'd stumble into one that felt chaotic and incredibly difficult to follow). This is an ambitious book whose execution felt lacking for me and/or could benefit from intensive editing for greater clarity for the reader.
Some additional that had me struggling with this read included:
- lots of info dumping that didn't end up providing clarity about the universe or setting (as a reader I want to know the things I need to know, and am happy with unfamiliar/universe-specific words for things that I'll figure out with context but that balance was off with this one)
- execution of the gender role reversal bit (love the concept here, but the execution felt like a simple 180 of clichéd understandings of gender roles for this reader)
Also note: not for the faint of heart (please read TWs before picking this one up), but potentially the right fit for folks who enjoy heavier SFF and are comfortable with the type of content covered by TWs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Murder
Sex worker protagonist, lots of consent + sexual violence issues (not implied with a sex worker protagonist obvi, but was of issue in Silk Fire).
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