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telegramsam 's review for:
Stormdancer
by Jay Kristoff
I really would like to give this book four stars but there was one glaring problem for me which I will get to after all the praise.
The setting was very well thought out and, I felt, unique. The folklore and costuming of Japan was well researched and expressed. The characters were very well fleshed out. I loved how the main character was more than just an strong angry woman.
I loved how the steampunk was expressed and found it very creative. In fact, of the steampunk books I have read, this is likely the best of them. For me at least. I loved the hints of Dune in the Guildsmen.
The author's prose was very nicely paced and his descriptions were visceral, though at times they became redundant or tedious.
Now the problem. As I was reading this book, I never felt I was reading of another culture. It felt like Japan's greatest hits painted over a story from Victorian England. As well researched as the costuming and spirits were, I expected the culture to feel new or different and not Western. This felt too close to cultural appropriation and colored the story for me.
The setting was very well thought out and, I felt, unique. The folklore and costuming of Japan was well researched and expressed. The characters were very well fleshed out. I loved how the main character was more than just an strong angry woman.
I loved how the steampunk was expressed and found it very creative. In fact, of the steampunk books I have read, this is likely the best of them. For me at least. I loved the hints of Dune in the Guildsmen.
The author's prose was very nicely paced and his descriptions were visceral, though at times they became redundant or tedious.
Now the problem. As I was reading this book, I never felt I was reading of another culture. It felt like Japan's greatest hits painted over a story from Victorian England. As well researched as the costuming and spirits were, I expected the culture to feel new or different and not Western. This felt too close to cultural appropriation and colored the story for me.