A review by studio_rat04
Silk Fire by Zabé Ellor

adventurous dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Not gonna Lie, I was really excited about this book. A sci-fi-fantasy about a male courtesan in a matriarchal society enters a polyamorous relationship along with a high stakes and fast pace plot. Seems like it would be a perfect book for me.

But honestly I felt the writing style felt very abrupt yet unclear at moments that should have been more understandable. I know some people make this book out as completely unreadable, and I just don't see that. I felt I understood quite a lot about the world and plot, I was simply uninterested because information about the world and plot only became clear after we needed to know them.

This book has so munch potential, and parts of it land very well. Other times I felt genuinely bored. And that's not the fault of the author. The story itself is really good and the emotional beats land hard. With more experience writing high fantasy I think this could have been really good. I'd definitely continue reading from the author because these are things that improve over time. It's impressive for a first fantasy sci-fi novel for the best moments to land hard and the weak moments to be just alright. Overall I'd recommend reading this with some patience and an open mind.