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A review by tani
Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeannette Ng
3.0
Going for the full-on spoiler review because I can't figure out how to talk about this without talking spoilers.
My husband encouraged me to pick this up on a recent book-shopping trip. I had heard of it, and was intrigued by the premise. I tend to enjoy historical fantasy, and although my background in actual Gothic fiction isn't great, it was enough that I was able to enjoy the setting of this, as well as some of the tropes, quite a bit. I thought it was as really intriguing riff on some of the classical works, and I appreciated that.
I also appreciated the setting. It is great. Arcadia is crafted with such loving care and detail that I found myself drawn in by the descriptions of it. Likewise with the descriptions of the Fae who live there. If there are going to be Fae around, this is definitely how I want them to be. The world was imaginative and unique, and the Fae were likewise. A+ for that.
However. Here's my problem, and the real spoiler. It's the incest that really got me. It is a theme in this book, and it wasn't one I enjoyed. I won't say I was shocked when it was revealed, as I'd picked up on some hints, but I wasn't pleased, either. Mostly, I think this is a problem with connection. I didn't particularly care for Laon, and so I had a hard time seeing what was appealing about him to the point that incest is the answer. I like Cathy OK, but again, I didn't feel the connection that I would have needed to in order to sympathize with her plight on this. I can see where Ng made an effort to create that connection with the backstory that she gave and the interactions that she crafted, but it just didn't work for me. I did appreciate that she tied it into the religious themes that also permeate the book. I thought that was a pretty deft touch, and made the incest a bit less annoying. But I still didn't really appreciate it. What can you do?
I did appreciate the play with the changeling concept, and I was really happy with the twist at the end regarding that. However, it wasn't enough to help me recover from the incest.
My husband encouraged me to pick this up on a recent book-shopping trip. I had heard of it, and was intrigued by the premise. I tend to enjoy historical fantasy, and although my background in actual Gothic fiction isn't great, it was enough that I was able to enjoy the setting of this, as well as some of the tropes, quite a bit. I thought it was as really intriguing riff on some of the classical works, and I appreciated that.
I also appreciated the setting. It is great. Arcadia is crafted with such loving care and detail that I found myself drawn in by the descriptions of it. Likewise with the descriptions of the Fae who live there. If there are going to be Fae around, this is definitely how I want them to be. The world was imaginative and unique, and the Fae were likewise. A+ for that.
However. Here's my problem, and the real spoiler. It's the incest that really got me. It is a theme in this book, and it wasn't one I enjoyed. I won't say I was shocked when it was revealed, as I'd picked up on some hints, but I wasn't pleased, either. Mostly, I think this is a problem with connection. I didn't particularly care for Laon, and so I had a hard time seeing what was appealing about him to the point that incest is the answer. I like Cathy OK, but again, I didn't feel the connection that I would have needed to in order to sympathize with her plight on this. I can see where Ng made an effort to create that connection with the backstory that she gave and the interactions that she crafted, but it just didn't work for me. I did appreciate that she tied it into the religious themes that also permeate the book. I thought that was a pretty deft touch, and made the incest a bit less annoying. But I still didn't really appreciate it. What can you do?
I did appreciate the play with the changeling concept, and I was really happy with the twist at the end regarding that. However, it wasn't enough to help me recover from the incest.