A review by natcat
The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I love Bujold’s writing, I think she writes great people, and has a really keen eye for asking what drives people, and what makes us people, and what makes people strive to be the best they can, and ruminations on faith (in people, in causes, in gods). Her characters are vivid, and her characters here are no different; I love Cazaril as both character and perspective, and I love everyone else too. Her worldbuilding is also fantastic, and the weaving of the setting and the politics and particularly the theology of this book is so good. This is a fantasy book but the magic is reserved for the gods and is very subtle, and mostly this book is about politics and people and faith, and it is excellent.

I started rereading this book on a whim just for a couple of scenes, and ended up staying up too late and reading the whole book!
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