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A review by bookaneer
The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley
4.0
Reread with SFBC folks (November 2019)
Still loved it! Found another thing I like from this book i.e. it has several POV characters who are mature, older women. As I am in my 30s now, it's great to see the women in my age group (or beyond) represented in the books I read.
First read (March 2016)
Kameron Hurley's books always blew my mind with her gender reversed roles. Maybe because I live in a country/region in which women are still widely marginalized in every strata. In this first salvo of the Worldbreaker Saga, a reminiscence of the Bel Dame Apocrypha series (which are excellent!), she completely reconstructed what it means to be a woman or a man, or even a person. In this book, I read about a society with five gender roles, husband-consorts/slaves, unusual polyandry/gamy/multipartnership, and other interesting combinations. The interactions, the customs, the taboos (or non-taboos) captivates me completely.
And the magic system. Holy crap, it was marvelous. Magic that controls the element or whatever living being is not new in fantasy. Or even magic that draws power from celestial beings (I could only think of Sailor Moon, so sue me). But here, the description of how it works and what can the magic-user can do with their power is so vivid and enthralling. Someone who is gifted can call on the power of his or her star. Just in case you ask, I'm a tirajista.
Plot, characters, action scenes, dialogue, and obviously worldbuilding, I guarantee you'll love them. Hurley is a master of all of these important factors; factors that all readers must take into account when reading and rating a book, not just fantasy.
My only complaint is that the many clan and people's long names sometimes confused me. There is a glossary at the back, though, maybe that would be helpful. I found out late. And like the A Song of Ice and Fire series, expect LOTS of names. With vowels. No annoying apostrophes though, thank Oma.
I'll definitely continue reading the next novel, which is already available, yippee!
Still loved it! Found another thing I like from this book i.e. it has several POV characters who are mature, older women. As I am in my 30s now, it's great to see the women in my age group (or beyond) represented in the books I read.
First read (March 2016)
Kameron Hurley's books always blew my mind with her gender reversed roles. Maybe because I live in a country/region in which women are still widely marginalized in every strata. In this first salvo of the Worldbreaker Saga, a reminiscence of the Bel Dame Apocrypha series (which are excellent!), she completely reconstructed what it means to be a woman or a man, or even a person. In this book, I read about a society with five gender roles, husband-consorts/slaves, unusual polyandry/gamy/multipartnership, and other interesting combinations. The interactions, the customs, the taboos (or non-taboos) captivates me completely.
And the magic system. Holy crap, it was marvelous. Magic that controls the element or whatever living being is not new in fantasy. Or even magic that draws power from celestial beings (I could only think of Sailor Moon, so sue me). But here, the description of how it works and what can the magic-user can do with their power is so vivid and enthralling. Someone who is gifted can call on the power of his or her star. Just in case you ask, I'm a tirajista.
Plot, characters, action scenes, dialogue, and obviously worldbuilding, I guarantee you'll love them. Hurley is a master of all of these important factors; factors that all readers must take into account when reading and rating a book, not just fantasy.
My only complaint is that the many clan and people's long names sometimes confused me. There is a glossary at the back, though, maybe that would be helpful. I found out late. And like the A Song of Ice and Fire series, expect LOTS of names. With vowels. No annoying apostrophes though, thank Oma.
I'll definitely continue reading the next novel, which is already available, yippee!