no_frigate_like_a_book 's review for:

The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard

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Aliette de Bodard created a dark, enticing world filled with delightfully ruthless characters. I will (and have) read anything written in this setting, regardless of how often de Bodard repeats descriptions — god editors save us all from the scents of mold and bergamot. The series explores power, privilege, and colonialism with complexity and nuance, and an impressive lack of preaching. 

The plot of The House of Shattered Wings never sucked me in and I zoned out for large chunks of the audiobook, but I was still able to keep up with the storyline and thoroughly enjoyed whatever was happening when I tuned back in. It was a good background listen with the perfect balance between dark, gritty realism and a high drama romp.