Scan barcode
A review by ejopet
The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard
(All explicit spoilers are marked, but I'm going to talk about the end of the book in some detail, so be warned).
I really loved the first 3/4 of this.
The setting is interesting: Paris that was decimated decades ago by a magical equivalent of WWI but with fallen angels. The technology is still early 20th century levels. The city is presided over by Great Houses, who want their own power, no matter who else they destroy for it.
The characters are complex and cool: Selene, the ruthless head of House Silverspires who can never live up to her predecessor Morningstar (yes, that one). Madeleine, a haunted alchemist addicted to ground angel bones. And Philippe, a former immortal who loathes all houses after he was conscripted from Vietnam to fight in the Great Houses War sixty plus years ago.
My favorite parts of the novel were the interactions with the other house leaders. Claire, the only human house head, and violent, ambitious Asmodeus are both so deliciously malevolent. The moments where Selene has to pretend not to hate their guts are so so good.
So what went wrong with the last 1/4?
The first problem is that the book set up a mystery: who wants to destroy Silverspires (and with that knowledge, how can they be stopped?). But the resolution to that didn't work for me at all. It was a huge shrug, because a) the reader doesn't have enough clues to figure it out, so there's no feeling of "of course", and b) the knowledge doesn't change anything, since the readers and characters already knew the general outline, so there's no feeling of "oh shit".
Maybe this is my fault for expecting a mystery, but I still feel like that arc could have been better handled.
The other problem is that Philippe has nothing to do. I loved Philippe--the scene where he made me tear up on the bus. And to me, he felt like the protagonist: he's the one who wants something from the start of the novel (to get the fuck out of Silverspires). But the problem is that his desire to be free of Silverspires doesn't work when the ultimate plot of the book is "Silverspires is in danger".
Every other major character--Selene, Madeleine, Isabelle (who I realized I haven't mentioned, perhaps because she didn't interest me that much)--get to make a tough choice that matters at the climax of the plot, and that creates an awesome moment. Philippe makes a choice but it doesn't matter! And I really wanted him to be awesome, since he's spent the whole book pushed around and used, but I guess I have to wait for the sequels.
I am glad I read this, and I do recommend it, even if the ending doesn't live up to the promise of the beginning and middle. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series
I really loved the first 3/4 of this.
The setting is interesting: Paris that was decimated decades ago by a magical equivalent of WWI but with fallen angels. The technology is still early 20th century levels. The city is presided over by Great Houses, who want their own power, no matter who else they destroy for it.
The characters are complex and cool: Selene, the ruthless head of House Silverspires who can never live up to her predecessor Morningstar (yes, that one). Madeleine, a haunted alchemist addicted to ground angel bones. And Philippe, a former immortal who loathes all houses after he was conscripted from Vietnam to fight in the Great Houses War sixty plus years ago.
My favorite parts of the novel were the interactions with the other house leaders. Claire, the only human house head, and violent, ambitious Asmodeus are both so deliciously malevolent. The moments where Selene has to pretend not to hate their guts are so so good.
So what went wrong with the last 1/4?
The first problem is that the book set up a mystery: who wants to destroy Silverspires (and with that knowledge, how can they be stopped?). But the resolution to that didn't work for me at all. It was a huge shrug, because a) the reader doesn't have enough clues to figure it out, so there's no feeling of "of course", and b) the knowledge doesn't change anything, since the readers and characters already knew the general outline, so there's no feeling of "oh shit".
Maybe this is my fault for expecting a mystery, but I still feel like that arc could have been better handled.
The other problem is that Philippe has nothing to do. I loved Philippe--the scene where he
Spoiler
is rescued by the dragon princessEvery other major character--Selene, Madeleine, Isabelle (who I realized I haven't mentioned, perhaps because she didn't interest me that much)--get to make a tough choice that matters at the climax of the plot, and that creates an awesome moment. Philippe makes a choice
Spoiler
to return to SilverspiresSpoiler
And I think it could have been impactful that his decision was made too late to matter and he lost Isabelle, but I just didn't feel that regret.I am glad I read this, and I do recommend it, even if the ending doesn't live up to the promise of the beginning and middle. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series