A review by bookingitwithbri
Rose/House by Arkady Martine

mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

 Disclaimer: I received an ARC from NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

This is the second book I've read from Arkady Martine; in many ways, this novella is much different than A Memory Called Empire. Yet, similarly to A Memory Called Empire, the world that Martine builds feels *so* real. In this novella, a man is found dead in an empty house run by an AI. Except maybe the house *is* the AI and maybe the AI is the house.

Rose House belonged at one time and was built by a famous architect. After his death, he leaves the house and its archives to a student of his. For only seven days a year, Rose House will let her inside to look at the archives. But aside from her, no one is allowed inside the house. So when the local police precinct gets a call from Rose House itself saying that there is a dead man inside, everyone is confused how that's possible. Understandably. So unfolds a past-paced and short murder mystery novel centering around 2 dead men, one detective, a rather odd archivist, and Rose House--who is probably in love with its dead maker.

Even though this book was short, I read it (quickly) in small chunks. I wanted to savor the world and the mystery of what had happened. On the surface, it's a fairly standard "someone is found dead in a room with no windows or doors" mystery but with a twist. I really appreciated Martine's commentary on AI and emotion/intelligence. Now having read two of her books, I can confidently say that Martine's world-building is stunning. I would probably rank her in the top 3 for contemporary world-builders in the SF/F genre. The only reason that I didn't rate this a 5 star is because the ending left a *teeny* bit to be desired for. While interesting, the revelation of what happened and then the action after its revealed was too fast to have as much impact as it could have. But such is the way with novellas sometimes.

I would definitely recommend this book and this author. 

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