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A review by shanaqui
Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame by Neon Yang
adventurous
emotional
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Received to review via Netgalley
Neon Yang's Brighter Than Scale, Swifter Than Flame is a book I'm definitely getting for my sister once it's out -- which, to those who know me/my sister tells you something right up front, but I'll elaborate for the rest of the world! There are dragons, a female protagonist, and a lesbian relationship, which also meets her criteria that the lesbians don't come to a tragic end.
It's also a story of belonging, of dislocation from culture and finding your way back into it, which I'm sure will resonate for a lot of readers, even if the stakes aren't as high as these for most people. Yeva is initially very divorced from her body and her "foreign" appearance, hiding it all to make her own place among the guildknights, but rest assured: that isn't allowed to stand unchallenged (while at the same time she maintains some bond to her adopted home, in the form of her one friendship).
It's a novella, so we don't get large-scale worldbuilding or a very slow build relationship, but what we do get works well for me: Yeva's fumbling attempts to fit into her new place, her confused loyalties, and her growing feelings for Lady Sookhee.
I predicted the twist of the story fairly swiftly, but it was still satisfying to see it play out. I'd have loved a little more play with the strangeness of... well, a certain character (not Yeva), but maybe that would've given the game away too much.
Overall, I really liked it.
Neon Yang's Brighter Than Scale, Swifter Than Flame is a book I'm definitely getting for my sister once it's out -- which, to those who know me/my sister tells you something right up front, but I'll elaborate for the rest of the world! There are dragons, a female protagonist, and a lesbian relationship, which also meets her criteria that the lesbians don't come to a tragic end.
It's also a story of belonging, of dislocation from culture and finding your way back into it, which I'm sure will resonate for a lot of readers, even if the stakes aren't as high as these for most people. Yeva is initially very divorced from her body and her "foreign" appearance, hiding it all to make her own place among the guildknights, but rest assured: that isn't allowed to stand unchallenged (while at the same time she maintains some bond to her adopted home, in the form of her one friendship).
It's a novella, so we don't get large-scale worldbuilding or a very slow build relationship, but what we do get works well for me: Yeva's fumbling attempts to fit into her new place, her confused loyalties, and her growing feelings for Lady Sookhee.
I predicted the twist of the story fairly swiftly, but it was still satisfying to see it play out. I'd have loved a little more play with the strangeness of... well, a certain character (not Yeva), but maybe that would've given the game away too much.
Overall, I really liked it.