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A review by jayseejewel
Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
3.0
A love story within a tale of war and political intrigue. While I enjoyed this fresh twist on romance, with two middle-aged adults unexpectantly falling for each other while in the midst of war, the plot just didn't interest me and I found myself speeding through the ending just to finish it. While it's well written and would interest some (especially those into space operas and talk of political betrayal), it just wasn't for me. [Warning: attempted rape, though nothing is done.]
What I liked:
- The romance is what really stood out to me. I liked that they'd both been scorned in different ways in their past and had given up on love, only to gradually fall for each other. It was refreshing and the highlight of the story.
- The characters were level-headed and proactive. They were somewhat morally grey as well. I've grown tired of characters who act sassy instead of smart so this was a nice change.
- The writing is great. It feels a little old but not in a bad way. I could picture everything well without requiring pages of descriptions for each room.
- I am sure the plot and politics would interest people who are fans of them. For me, the princes and presidents felt so impersonal and there were so many of them that I just didn't care.
What I didn't like:
- As I said, the plot didn't grab me. It was fine but I wasn't emotionally invested or curious about anything at all.
- The ending was a bit too long but I liked that it called back to earlier scenes to wrap them up nicely.
Overall, an enjoyable read but I just didn't feel myself caring about anything beside the romance, which was barely a quarter of the content. I would recommend it to people who specifically love space operas and politics but no one else.
What I liked:
- The romance is what really stood out to me. I liked that they'd both been scorned in different ways in their past and had given up on love, only to gradually fall for each other. It was refreshing and the highlight of the story.
- The characters were level-headed and proactive. They were somewhat morally grey as well. I've grown tired of characters who act sassy instead of smart so this was a nice change.
- The writing is great. It feels a little old but not in a bad way. I could picture everything well without requiring pages of descriptions for each room.
- I am sure the plot and politics would interest people who are fans of them. For me, the princes and presidents felt so impersonal and there were so many of them that I just didn't care.
What I didn't like:
- As I said, the plot didn't grab me. It was fine but I wasn't emotionally invested or curious about anything at all.
- The ending was a bit too long but I liked that it called back to earlier scenes to wrap them up nicely.
Overall, an enjoyable read but I just didn't feel myself caring about anything beside the romance, which was barely a quarter of the content. I would recommend it to people who specifically love space operas and politics but no one else.