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A review by e_flah
The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The Curse of Chalion is a slow-paced, character-driven fantasy novel with all of the benefits and draw-backs that come with this type of story. It took over 100 pages for me to start to feel invested in the story and even longer than that for the plot to get truly interesting. The story centers on Cazaril's journey to recover from the horrors of his past and protect his charge, the Royesse Iselle, as she heads to court for the first time.
A lot of the plot hinges upon the politics both within Chalion and the larger external conflicts it is mired in. It could be very confusing to keep track of the key players as there are many with similar names and little detail is given of the other countries besides just general stereotypes. The internal politics were a bit clearer though I still found myself wishing for some kind of a character guide to keep track of the various factions and important positions.
The main characters in The Curse of Chalion were easy to root for but stayed relatively stagnant throughout the book. Cazaril, Iselle, and Betriz were all fundamentally decent though lacking in any real flaws that would have made them more interesting to read about. I kept hoping for some major character development that never materialized. Of the three, Caz is the most changed by his experiences but his character growth seems to make him an even more perfect character, which quickly grew boring.
Despite all of these complaints, there were times when I found myself really swept up in this story of people trying to do good despite facing misfortune on all sides. The portrayal of religion in Chalion was interesting and unlike anything else I'd read. It was also great to read a fantasy novel where the romance plays a very minor role in the story. I'm definitely open to trying the next book in the series as I found Ista's character compelling.
A lot of the plot hinges upon the politics both within Chalion and the larger external conflicts it is mired in. It could be very confusing to keep track of the key players as there are many with similar names and little detail is given of the other countries besides just general stereotypes. The internal politics were a bit clearer though I still found myself wishing for some kind of a character guide to keep track of the various factions and important positions.
The main characters in The Curse of Chalion were easy to root for but stayed relatively stagnant throughout the book. Cazaril, Iselle, and Betriz were all fundamentally decent though lacking in any real flaws that would have made them more interesting to read about. I kept hoping for some major character development that never materialized. Of the three, Caz is the most changed by his experiences but his character growth seems to make him an even more perfect character, which quickly grew boring.
Despite all of these complaints, there were times when I found myself really swept up in this story of people trying to do good despite facing misfortune on all sides. The portrayal of religion in Chalion was interesting and unlike anything else I'd read. It was also great to read a fantasy novel where the romance plays a very minor role in the story. I'm definitely open to trying the next book in the series as I found Ista's character compelling.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death, Animal death, and Slavery
Minor: Infertility and Suicidal thoughts