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A review by lmckensie
The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard
5.0
This book is definitely not for everyone, and I can see why others might find it slow or dislike the grey morality of the characters, but... wow, did I love this book.
It was not a quick read. Admittedly, I read most of it on the train, which lends itself to all kinds of distractions, but the prose is dense and rich enough that I wanted to take my time with it. de Bodard's writing is beautiful and atmospheric, and I found myself completely immersed in her vision of a destroyed and decaying Paris.
It's hard for me to even put into words why I loved this as much as I did. Part of it is the characters: all of them have major faults and make bad choices and cause others pain, but they were so richly developed that I couldn't help being compelled by their stories. Part of it is just the concept itself--the Fallen angels, the warring houses, the hidden dragon kingdom. I could read about this world for ages. Part of it was just the masterful execution of the building plot. Even though it got so intense that I had to put it down at some points, I always wanted to go back to it.
If you enjoy dark, lush fantasy with complex characters, warring houses, and difficult questions about sacrifice and allegiance, you're going to enjoy this book.
Also, a disclaimer: there are many parts of this book that are violent, emotionally intense, or some combination of the two, so I wouldn't recommend it to readers who are squeamish about those sorts of things.
It was not a quick read. Admittedly, I read most of it on the train, which lends itself to all kinds of distractions, but the prose is dense and rich enough that I wanted to take my time with it. de Bodard's writing is beautiful and atmospheric, and I found myself completely immersed in her vision of a destroyed and decaying Paris.
It's hard for me to even put into words why I loved this as much as I did. Part of it is the characters: all of them have major faults and make bad choices and cause others pain, but they were so richly developed that I couldn't help being compelled by their stories. Part of it is just the concept itself--the Fallen angels, the warring houses, the hidden dragon kingdom. I could read about this world for ages. Part of it was just the masterful execution of the building plot. Even though it got so intense that I had to put it down at some points, I always wanted to go back to it.
If you enjoy dark, lush fantasy with complex characters, warring houses, and difficult questions about sacrifice and allegiance, you're going to enjoy this book.
Also, a disclaimer: there are many parts of this book that are violent, emotionally intense, or some combination of the two, so I wouldn't recommend it to readers who are squeamish about those sorts of things.