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rainsynch 's review for:
Foundryside
by Robert Jackson Bennett
I was really pleasantly surprised by this book! Not because I expected otherwise, but because I chose the book from the library shelf at random when I was trying to get a stack of books to occupy me for a while. I liked the title and the inner flap seemed like something I'd like so I picked it out without thinking much of it or doing any research into other reviews on the book.
What I found was a book and characters and a plot I thoroughly enjoyed!
"Foundryside" is about Sancia, a thief who works out of the city of Trevanne. This city has four distinct campos/companies inside who only protect and rule over their own territories, leaving the rest of the city lawless and without much in the way of progress. The campos are mostly responsible for the magic technology of the world, scrivings. Scrivings are basically runes etched onto objects that persuade them reality is different from what it actually is. For example, floating lanterns might believe they are attached to a balloon when actually they're not.
The characters all have distinct personalities and motivations, and more than that there's a surprising amount of representation. Most of the characters are POC, and the main character is a woman who is interested in women (or one woman in particular). I actually was surprised when this occurred because I'm so used to the formula of "the first person of the opposite sex you meet is the love interest" and I'm used to having to seek out LGBT+ fiction specifically when I want it. Coming across it naturally is still new and exciting.
The plot was tightly written and has a good cliff hanger ending while still wrapping up the events of the first book satisfactorily. I'm very much looking forward to book two!
What I found was a book and characters and a plot I thoroughly enjoyed!
"Foundryside" is about Sancia, a thief who works out of the city of Trevanne. This city has four distinct campos/companies inside who only protect and rule over their own territories, leaving the rest of the city lawless and without much in the way of progress. The campos are mostly responsible for the magic technology of the world, scrivings. Scrivings are basically runes etched onto objects that persuade them reality is different from what it actually is. For example, floating lanterns might believe they are attached to a balloon when actually they're not.
The characters all have distinct personalities and motivations, and more than that there's a surprising amount of representation. Most of the characters are POC, and the main character is a woman who is interested in women (or one woman in particular). I actually was surprised when this occurred because I'm so used to the formula of "the first person of the opposite sex you meet is the love interest" and I'm used to having to seek out LGBT+ fiction specifically when I want it. Coming across it naturally is still new and exciting.
The plot was tightly written and has a good cliff hanger ending while still wrapping up the events of the first book satisfactorily. I'm very much looking forward to book two!