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A review by kittenmittons
A Fire Born of Exile by Aliette de Bodard
3.5
The 3 star rating is a bit disingenuous - this is definitely a high 3 stars, a 3.5 stars, if you will. And I enjoyed it quite a bit, but there were a few things tempering my enjoyment a bit. But we'll get to that.
I had read The Red Scholar's Wake, so I was familiar with the world already, with the most jarring piece of world building being the mind ships. You can tell that Aliette de Bodard has thought a lot about her world and its society, but she throws the reader right into it and doesn't hold your hand. Which is cool! And also more than a bit confusing at times - sometimes, laying out a bit of the history, just laying it out flat, can be appreciated. The society is very obviously deeply and richly imagined, and unlike anything I've encountered before, so it's a credit to say that I would like to explore it more. But de Bodard isn't super interested in things like "answers."
While this book is a standalone, it's hard not to compare it to The Red Scholar's Wake, as they're set in the same world and my feelings on both are actually pretty similar. That is to say, the creativity of the world and the politics of the plot are standouts, but the characters are missing something.
I'm not sure exactly what the characters are missing, but I never got fully invested in them. By all rights, I should have! I can't pinpoint why this is the case, but I felt a detachment to all of the characters. On paper (. . . metaphorically), they all sounded like characters I would connect with or be interested in, but the presentation of them left me pretty emotionally empty, sadly.
I wanted to end on a high note, so I'll say the plot is wonderful. I love a good revenge plot, and the minute details and twists, along with all of the politics of this world, made it a good time. I didn't always love the execution of the plot or perhaps the pacing, but I think there were definitely good bones for this book and I was pretty well-engaged throughout.
Thank you to the publishers, Independent Publishers Group and JAB Books, and to NetGalley for the ARC.
I had read The Red Scholar's Wake, so I was familiar with the world already, with the most jarring piece of world building being the mind ships. You can tell that Aliette de Bodard has thought a lot about her world and its society, but she throws the reader right into it and doesn't hold your hand. Which is cool! And also more than a bit confusing at times - sometimes, laying out a bit of the history, just laying it out flat, can be appreciated. The society is very obviously deeply and richly imagined, and unlike anything I've encountered before, so it's a credit to say that I would like to explore it more. But de Bodard isn't super interested in things like "answers."
While this book is a standalone, it's hard not to compare it to The Red Scholar's Wake, as they're set in the same world and my feelings on both are actually pretty similar. That is to say, the creativity of the world and the politics of the plot are standouts, but the characters are missing something.
I'm not sure exactly what the characters are missing, but I never got fully invested in them. By all rights, I should have! I can't pinpoint why this is the case, but I felt a detachment to all of the characters. On paper (. . . metaphorically), they all sounded like characters I would connect with or be interested in, but the presentation of them left me pretty emotionally empty, sadly.
I wanted to end on a high note, so I'll say the plot is wonderful. I love a good revenge plot, and the minute details and twists, along with all of the politics of this world, made it a good time. I didn't always love the execution of the plot or perhaps the pacing, but I think there were definitely good bones for this book and I was pretty well-engaged throughout.
Thank you to the publishers, Independent Publishers Group and JAB Books, and to NetGalley for the ARC.