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A review by jackshaftoe21
The Broken Crown by Michelle West
5.0
I discovered Michelle West a few months ago. I started with The Hidden City which was an incredibly gripping, very personal, story. The next two volumes of the House War series increased the scope of the story but I found them a little too long and the action scenes somewhat difficult to follow. Still, I wanted to keep reading the larger Essalieyan series because I enjoy the author's approach to characterization very much. I decided to leave The Sacred Hunt duology for later because apparently lots of its plot developments are shown in the House War series anyway.
So I started reading The Broken Crown thinking it might take me a while to get used to the new cast and wondering when I will get back to Jewel and company. I was wrong. Michelle West has the marvelous ability to put you "in the head", so to speak, of every character. From the start I was enthralled by Teresa, Diora, Sendari and the rest. Everyone has a radically different point of view, everyone's actions make total sense from their perspective, everyone has flaws. Some of the bad guys commit monstrous acts but you catch yourself feeling bad for them from time to time. Just wonderful characterization with some really tragic moments that will hit you hard if you like certain characters.
The worldbuilding is interesting - the country where most of the action takes place is basically a mixture of Arabia and Japan - there is a huge emphasis on honor and combat prowess and strict segregation of sexes. But unlike most stories with similar settings where female characters can only shine if they openly defy the sexist system, here we have the likes of Teresa and Diora working from within. Instead of hating all other inhabitants of the harems where they live and vying for the men's attention, they cherish the bonds they create with the lower ranked women in these harems. But while they are mostly sympathetic, they still abuse their serfs occasionally and don't fully realize own privilege.
The contrast with the neighboring Essalieyan empire is also interesting. Essalieyan is a lot more egalitarian but hardly a paradise, either, especially for the poor. There is a long history of enmity between the two countries and it seems like the main challenge in the series will be finding a way of uniting their forces to face their common enemy.
The main plot hinges on intrigues. Lots and lots of intrigues. Demons plot against humanity. Humans plot against other humans with the help of demons. Nobles plot against their rulers and against each other. Priests clash with secular authorities. Intricate plans upon intricate plans, plots within plots.
If Goodreads allowed it, my rating would be 4.5 stars rather than 5 because West seems to have the tendency to show some really important scenes only in dialogue after they have occurred or in short flashbacks - after spending lots and lots of pages meticulously setting up these same scenes. Sure, sometimes less is more but not always. Also, the use of seer abilities for driving the plot forward can feel a little too convenient sometimes.
All in all, an underrated book. If you are a fan of Robin Hobb, Lois Bujold, Kate Elliott or character-driven fantasy in general this might be right up your alley.
So I started reading The Broken Crown thinking it might take me a while to get used to the new cast and wondering when I will get back to Jewel and company. I was wrong. Michelle West has the marvelous ability to put you "in the head", so to speak, of every character. From the start I was enthralled by Teresa, Diora, Sendari and the rest. Everyone has a radically different point of view, everyone's actions make total sense from their perspective, everyone has flaws. Some of the bad guys commit monstrous acts but you catch yourself feeling bad for them from time to time. Just wonderful characterization with some really tragic moments that will hit you hard if you like certain characters.
The worldbuilding is interesting - the country where most of the action takes place is basically a mixture of Arabia and Japan - there is a huge emphasis on honor and combat prowess and strict segregation of sexes. But unlike most stories with similar settings where female characters can only shine if they openly defy the sexist system, here we have the likes of Teresa and Diora working from within. Instead of hating all other inhabitants of the harems where they live and vying for the men's attention, they cherish the bonds they create with the lower ranked women in these harems. But while they are mostly sympathetic, they still abuse their serfs occasionally and don't fully realize own privilege.
The contrast with the neighboring Essalieyan empire is also interesting. Essalieyan is a lot more egalitarian but hardly a paradise, either, especially for the poor. There is a long history of enmity between the two countries and it seems like the main challenge in the series will be finding a way of uniting their forces to face their common enemy.
The main plot hinges on intrigues. Lots and lots of intrigues. Demons plot against humanity. Humans plot against other humans with the help of demons. Nobles plot against their rulers and against each other. Priests clash with secular authorities. Intricate plans upon intricate plans, plots within plots.
If Goodreads allowed it, my rating would be 4.5 stars rather than 5 because West seems to have the tendency to show some really important scenes only in dialogue after they have occurred or in short flashbacks - after spending lots and lots of pages meticulously setting up these same scenes. Sure, sometimes less is more but not always. Also, the use of seer abilities for driving the plot forward can feel a little too convenient sometimes.
All in all, an underrated book. If you are a fan of Robin Hobb, Lois Bujold, Kate Elliott or character-driven fantasy in general this might be right up your alley.