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happybirb's review
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-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
1.5
This book has such an interesting premise and summary that you think it can’t possibly be boring. Then you start reading it and it’s about 400+ pages of this kid talking about how he’s a monster, no really, there’s a darkness inside him you really wouldn’t get. I skimmed the last 100 pages because I just wanted to know what happened.
Characters: interesting! I like the three main characters, even despite what I just said about kore. I liked watching them orbit each other and their interactions and relationship growth did feel very natural. We love a polycule, and this one actually seemed healthy so pop off.
Plot: I lost the plot. Not really, bc I kept being beat over the head with it, but my god. The more interesting necromancer plot was relegated to b plot while “I’m trying to get an endorsement for this politician” was 2/3 of the book. Slow. I didn’t really care about it
Writing: overall pretty good, I appreciated the attempt to use the matriarchal society to highlight how stupid some fantasy books sound in regards to female characters, but this was just too heavy handed. It came off very “and now a word from our sponsors: feminism”. I do think there’s an interesting discussion to be had here though about deconstructing thoughts that a matriarchal society would be a wonderland of loving equality, but I don’t think that’s what this book was trying to do.
Side note: the sex scenes were fine. Which honestly is pretty good, they weren’t horrible to read, even if I was jumpscared by the first one bc I didn’t expect this book to have multiple intense sex scenes in it.
Overall: 1.5 stars. I wouldn’t read it again and I wouldn’t recommend it to any one. Might rant about it while drunk at midnight
Characters: interesting! I like the three main characters, even despite what I just said about kore. I liked watching them orbit each other and their interactions and relationship growth did feel very natural.
Plot: I lost the plot. Not really, bc I kept being beat over the head with it, but my god. The more interesting necromancer plot was relegated to b plot while “I’m trying to get an endorsement for this politician” was 2/3 of the book. Slow. I didn’t really care about it
Writing: overall pretty good, I appreciated the attempt to use the matriarchal society to highlight how stupid some fantasy books sound in regards to female characters, but this was just too heavy handed. It came off very “and now a word from our sponsors: feminism”. I do think there’s an interesting discussion to be had here though about deconstructing thoughts that a matriarchal society would be a wonderland of loving equality, but I don’t think that’s what this book was trying to do.
Side note: the sex scenes were fine. Which honestly is pretty good, they weren’t horrible to read, even if I was jumpscared by the first one bc I didn’t expect this book to have multiple intense sex scenes in it.
Overall: 1.5 stars. I wouldn’t read it again and I wouldn’t recommend it to any one. Might rant about it while drunk at midnight
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Alcoholism, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, and Kidnapping
Minor: Drug use, Infertility, Genocide, Pregnancy, Stalking, Medical trauma, and Torture
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
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