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A review by badmc
Seven Surrenders by Ada Palmer
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Rereading this in 2024, my perspective has definitely shifted. The Madame's eccentric place, while still over the top, strikes me as more of a comical set design now. The constant twists and turns felt excessive at times, and the characters remain emotionally distant. On the other hand, the core ideas resonate more clearly.
__________________________
Here, the plot thickens. Oh boy, how it thickens. We still follow the crisis in this utopian 25th century world, where conspiracy upon conspiracy is unveiled.
This is a book with many surprises, and surprises upon surprises - like some kind of perverted matryoshka doll of fucked up leaders, messy communication, and alien way of thinking. Main points of the story are nicely resolved, albeit I still don't buy some of the concepts. For example, in my opinion, if something is oppressed (as gender and religion are here), it is bound to find more than one way of expressing itself. Concentrating it all in one place is... improbable. Also, it's a pity I didn't connect to any of the characters - they are still like puppets in some play where the pupeeter is really overdoing it. I mean, one of the major characters dies... and I couldn't care less. The death doesn't seem real.
Albeit the characters are still unlikable, the plot was easier to follow, and I found this book much easier to digest than the first one. It is a wild ride, one I intend to follow to its end. It was quite some time a book containing gore and full of characters I don't much care about managed to grab me!
__________________________
Here, the plot thickens. Oh boy, how it thickens. We still follow the crisis in this utopian 25th century world, where conspiracy upon conspiracy is unveiled.
This is a book with many surprises, and surprises upon surprises - like some kind of perverted matryoshka doll of fucked up leaders, messy communication, and alien way of thinking. Main points of the story are nicely resolved, albeit I still don't buy some of the concepts. For example, in my opinion, if something is oppressed (as gender and religion are here), it is bound to find more than one way of expressing itself. Concentrating it all in one place is... improbable. Also, it's a pity I didn't connect to any of the characters - they are still like puppets in some play where the pupeeter is really overdoing it. I mean, one of the major characters dies... and I couldn't care less. The death doesn't seem real.
Albeit the characters are still unlikable, the plot was easier to follow, and I found this book much easier to digest than the first one. It is a wild ride, one I intend to follow to its end. It was quite some time a book containing gore and full of characters I don't much care about managed to grab me!