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A review by roganshannon
The Unbalancing by R.B. Lemberg
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy to review.
Represenation: Queer MC, queer and trans MC, many QTBIPOC supporting characters
Stars are alive. They dance, talk, and breathe. Except for the one that fell near Gelle-Geu, that one sleeps restlessly. Generations of starkeepers have kept watch, and now Ranra, the newest starkeeper is left to worry about the increasing tremors that her predecessor ignored. Lilún, a poet who wants to live a simple life alone, has been visiting their ancestor, Semberí. Their ancestor was the first starkeeper, and insists that Lilún should be the starkeeper to be there when it wakes. Semberí also tells them stories of the stars' deliverance by Bird, their goddess, as the island shakes more and more often. Ranra and Lilún meet, sparks fly, and they both work together to figure out a solution to the restless star before it's too late.
Rating: 4.5/5 Lemberg's writing is gorgeous and very poetic. I really love the magic system in this universe, and I enjoyed this more than The Four Profound Weaves. Not to say that I didn't like it, I simply felt this had a much clearer and better paced story and the stakes were far higher. I loved the system, if that's the right word, for how trans people (called ichidi in this) identify themselves with tokens that represent what type of ichidi they are. I liked Ranra and Lilún's relationship, but it did feel like it moved VERY fast for people who supposedly knew nothing of each other up until that day they meet at the starkeeper's ascension party. I wish we could have seen far more of the supporting cast, I really liked some of them and felt like they had so much more story to be told. There's not much more I can say that wasn't said in the summary without spoiling the story too much.
Represenation: Queer MC, queer and trans MC, many QTBIPOC supporting characters
Stars are alive. They dance, talk, and breathe. Except for the one that fell near Gelle-Geu, that one sleeps restlessly. Generations of starkeepers have kept watch, and now Ranra, the newest starkeeper is left to worry about the increasing tremors that her predecessor ignored. Lilún, a poet who wants to live a simple life alone, has been visiting their ancestor, Semberí. Their ancestor was the first starkeeper, and insists that Lilún should be the starkeeper to be there when it wakes. Semberí also tells them stories of the stars' deliverance by Bird, their goddess, as the island shakes more and more often. Ranra and Lilún meet, sparks fly, and they both work together to figure out a solution to the restless star before it's too late.
Rating: 4.5/5 Lemberg's writing is gorgeous and very poetic. I really love the magic system in this universe, and I enjoyed this more than The Four Profound Weaves. Not to say that I didn't like it, I simply felt this had a much clearer and better paced story and the stakes were far higher. I loved the system, if that's the right word, for how trans people (called ichidi in this) identify themselves with tokens that represent what type of ichidi they are. I liked Ranra and Lilún's relationship, but it did feel like it moved VERY fast for people who supposedly knew nothing of each other up until that day they meet at the starkeeper's ascension party. I wish we could have seen far more of the supporting cast, I really liked some of them and felt like they had so much more story to be told. There's not much more I can say that wasn't said in the summary without spoiling the story too much.