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thinkingrobot's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Gore, Violence, Grief, and Transphobia
hanz's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Death of parent, Kidnapping, and War
Minor: Transphobia
lucystolethesky's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Slavery, Confinement, and Violence
Minor: Transphobia
hailstorm3812's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I read this because it's based on Hamlet but I almost feel like it could have contained less Hamlet. The strongest aspects are the mysterious 2nd person POV and the flashbacks to the time of gods in the North. I feel like the original pitch was Hamlet and as it developed it could have been cut more instead of hitting beats for the sake of hitting them. I did really like Eolo and The Strength and Patience of the Hill. I feel like Eolo and Mawat and Eolo and Tikaz's relationships could have developed more. The Hamlet cast felt a little flat, relying on what we know about them instead of who they are in this story. The Gods and mythollogy was so interesting and I loved the world building. The ending was rushed. I kind of wanted to see what would happen after.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
Minor: Transphobia
szuum's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and War
Minor: Transphobia and Slavery
evelphysicist's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I really enjoyed this book for its premise, plot and the unusual narration style. The story is engaging and I was eager to know what happened. The last quarter of the book in particular was tense and fast paced. The story is really good and told for a unique perspective and Ann Leckie brings in some unusual premises that drive the plot in an interesting way.
I’m unsure how I feel about the queer representation in the book, but I’m also quite new to queer fantasy. i thought the issues and identities were written in a very hamfisted way that was quite jarring given that there is little to no character development or relationships in the book. I would have preferred for there to have been a more natural feel to how this was approached if the author isn’t going to delve into queer experiences.
I’m unsure how I feel about the queer representation in the book, but I’m also quite new to queer fantasy. i thought the issues and identities were written in a very hamfisted way that was quite jarring given that there is little to no character development or relationships in the book. I would have preferred for there to have been a more natural feel to how this was approached if the author isn’t going to delve into queer experiences.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness and Death
Moderate: Transphobia, Violence, and War
Minor: Child death
quirkykayleetam's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
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
4.5
This is an extremely cool book for an extremely niche audience. Do you love Shakespeare, specifically Hamlet? Do you love creative forms of storytelling? Do you love fantasy books that involve epic world building? If you said yes to ALL those questions, then you will love this book. If not, stay away. Why? Because The Raven Tower is a retelling of Hamlet set in a fantasy world and told through both first and second person point of view SIMULTANEOUSLY in which "you" are a transgender version of Horatio being watched over by a god who is also a rock. I loved it! It got me out of a three week reading slump and falls into the category of books written by people whose favorite Shakespearean character is obviously also Horatio, but it is not for everyone.
This is a slow-build of a book as the storyteller reveals the world building and their place in it gradually until everything slots into place at the very last second. It envisions Ophelia as an incredibly implacable badass who both Hamlet and Horatio are at least a little bit in love with and in awe of while turning Rosencrantz and Guildenstern into interchangeable cronies devoid of any and all of the humor from the original play. Unlike The King of Infinite Space, the novel does not reword or rework any of Hamlet's original soliloquies or speeches, instead commenting on the scope of the play and how personal the action is to its characters. While it may not have added anything profoundly new to conversations about Hamlet (which it is hard to do these days), I nevertheless found it engaging and engrossing. Both the novel's last line and its meditation on the connection between living and caring will stick with me for a very long time.
This is a slow-build of a book as the storyteller reveals the world building and their place in it gradually until everything slots into place at the very last second. It envisions Ophelia as an incredibly implacable badass who both Hamlet and Horatio are at least a little bit in love with and in awe of while turning Rosencrantz and Guildenstern into interchangeable cronies devoid of any and all of the humor from the original play. Unlike The King of Infinite Space, the novel does not reword or rework any of Hamlet's original soliloquies or speeches, instead commenting on the scope of the play and how personal the action is to its characters. While it may not have added anything profoundly new to conversations about Hamlet (which it is hard to do these days), I nevertheless found it engaging and engrossing. Both the novel's last line and its meditation on the connection between living and caring will stick with me for a very long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Confinement, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Transphobia
gladiolus17's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This is a slow-paced book that goes between two alternative points of view (or is it only one, technically?).
I enjoyed the worldbuilding and how the gods worked in the story. I also liked how the narrative took a short time and made it into a whole arc of its own.
I found that the Millstone’s story overshadowed Aeolo’s (read on audiobook, sorry for spelling). Although I was happy to be vibing with the god in the beginning and later, I wish that Aeolo’s backstory and character were more explored, as well as the side character’s relationship to him. I wonder if that were purposeful, since the Millstone is the narrator, and it can only guess the feelings between characters, but still, I would’ve liked more development.
I enjoyed the worldbuilding and how the gods worked in the story. I also liked how the narrative took a short time and made it into a whole arc of its own.
I found that the Millstone’s story overshadowed Aeolo’s (read on audiobook, sorry for spelling). Although I was happy to be vibing with the god in the beginning and later, I wish that Aeolo’s backstory and character were more explored, as well as the side character’s relationship to him. I wonder if that were purposeful, since the Millstone is the narrator, and it can only guess the feelings between characters, but still, I would’ve liked more development.
Content Warnings
Minor: Transphobia
laurareads87's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Having previously read and loved Leckie's science fiction, I was happy to pick up her fantasy novel The Raven Tower and thoroughly enjoyed it. The Raven Tower contains so much of what I've really loved in Leckie's other work -- skillful and innovative multi-POV storytelling, compelling worldbuilding that feels unlike anything I've ever read before, and power politics on a grand scale. The religious/political intrigue really worked for me. I feel like Leckie's done something quite interesting here with time scale -- with the story spanning a few different time periods, I feel like Leckie's really effectively incorporated the divergences in experiences of time between the human character and the god characters (who vary in lifespan but who are far far more long-lived than humans). I will note that much of this book is told in second person, which isn't my favourite (and I know some readers really don't enjoy) but in this book, for me, it worked: it is a choice that has a clear reason behind it in the context of the book itself which makes complete sense to me. Definitely recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Death of parent, War, Murder, Violence, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Transphobia
magicalgirlmel's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The best part of this book is definitely the narrator explaining their history. The way gods gained their power and made contracts with human’s was incredibly interesting much more than the plot going on in the current day. Even though I did not love this book I would be very interested in more books set in this world.
Mawat made it soooo hard to get through the audiobook. I understand that Eolo felt like he owed him his life but I didn’t understand the loyalty he still had for him after his most dangerous actions towards the end of the back. He didn’t deserve the bench anymore than his uncle.
The second person didn’t bother me at all due to me listening the audiobook and the context of the story. Which is funny bc if DNF’ed Harrow the Ninth because of the second person was so irritating but in that case it made no sense. But it makes sense for the Raven’s Tower because the narrator is an observer. But this book took way too long to unfold. What was happening in the present day should have unfolded much quicker. Like I had to suffer through Mawat and his idiotic issues for over ten hours so the ending was not really satisfying considering how it was only starting to get interesting. I think if Mawat was a intresting, complex character instead of just being an irredeemable asshole it would have helped. An interesting character doesn’t have to be a saint, but I think in this case it would’ve helped to have the reader be conflicted on whether or not Mawat deserved the bench. It’s a no for me.
Mawat made it soooo hard to get through the audiobook. I understand that Eolo felt like he owed him his life but I didn’t understand the loyalty he still had for him after his most dangerous actions towards the end of the back. He didn’t deserve the bench anymore than his uncle.
The second person didn’t bother me at all due to me listening the audiobook and the context of the story. Which is funny bc if DNF’ed Harrow the Ninth because of the second person was so irritating but in that case it made no sense. But it makes sense for the Raven’s Tower because the narrator is an observer. But this book took way too long to unfold. What was happening in the present day should have unfolded much quicker. Like I had to suffer through Mawat and his idiotic issues for over ten hours so the ending was not really satisfying considering how it was only starting to get interesting. I think if Mawat was a intresting, complex character instead of just being an irredeemable asshole it would have helped. An interesting character doesn’t have to be a saint, but I think in this case it would’ve helped to have the reader be conflicted on whether or not Mawat deserved the bench. It’s a no for me.
Content Warnings
Minor: Transphobia