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A review by tatere
The Broken Crown by Michelle West
4.0
If only some dramatic stuff would happen every once in a while here ... #joke
This was at least the third re-read for me. I found myself frequently comparing the Dominion to Krasia in Peter Brett's Demon Cycle, and it highlighted how important the Lady and the night are in broadening the culture of the Dominion, and making it more plausible to find yourself sympathizing with even some of the men there. The very seat of power is based at, and made possible by, the lake of the Lady. It's still a screwed-up system in many ways, but you can squint at it and see castles and Barons and Ladies and serfs instead of Tyrs and Serras and serafs without too much of a stretch. There truly is more than one kind of strength there.
Brett's Krasians, by contrast, have no alternative aspects. Everyone either is or wants to be an amoral murdering genderist psychopathic bully. Oh, but with "honor", and they kill the demon-type things as a national pastime, so it's OK.
Also, "The Broken Crown" has Jewel in it, so it wins hands-down for that alone.
This was at least the third re-read for me. I found myself frequently comparing the Dominion to Krasia in Peter Brett's Demon Cycle, and it highlighted how important the Lady and the night are in broadening the culture of the Dominion, and making it more plausible to find yourself sympathizing with even some of the men there. The very seat of power is based at, and made possible by, the lake of the Lady. It's still a screwed-up system in many ways, but you can squint at it and see castles and Barons and Ladies and serfs instead of Tyrs and Serras and serafs without too much of a stretch. There truly is more than one kind of strength there.
Brett's Krasians, by contrast, have no alternative aspects. Everyone either is or wants to be an amoral murdering genderist psychopathic bully. Oh, but with "honor", and they kill the demon-type things as a national pastime, so it's OK.
Also, "The Broken Crown" has Jewel in it, so it wins hands-down for that alone.