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A review by chirson
Buried Heart by Kate Elliott
3.0
It was an utter page turner, and while at first I had some problems re-immersing myself in Jes's headspace, I was ultimately drawn in. I guess I'm beginning to think clearly I have strange/unusual textual preferences. I read all the advice about how characters should have agency and influence action, and how important it is for readers to see the emotion and feelings characters experience and then I read a book and I think - I'd like it better if the character's feelings were less obvious, because either her emotions are too extreme for me (and I like angry protagonists! It's just that she keeps telling me and showing me she's angry, and being angry at the wrong person) or the book is clubbing me over the head with them, as though I can't understand after being told once. The agency the protagonist has feels excessive - I think she shouldn't have this many clever ideas, this much say, this extent of influence on the outcome.
Maybe I need a break from genre fiction ;)
But that was mainly the beginning of the volume. Later on, the book was really great about showing consequences, bodily trauma, complexities of politics and culture. I even quite liked how sports fit in with the themes and mysteries, although I found the way they figured into the plot less interesting. I am that reader who died of boredom reading Quidditch in Harry Potter; I'm not into sports. I'd rather watch a progress bar on a computer doing drive defragmentation.
Some quibbles: I found the coyness with which the two canonical (I guess) queer couples are shown to be annoying. I'm not sure if it was meant to reflect Jes's blithe lack of interest or be a bawdlerisation that makes this book more teen-friendly (if you don't want to see / remember about queerness, we won't make it too apparent!), but it came off queer-baity.
I had problems with Kiya's plotline. It felt a little too convenient and the entire Kiya-as-Efea imagery has bad connotations for me.
That said, the book was significantly better than the previous volume. Really well-paced and gripping. I wish mythology and dynastic scheming had been given more space, and I could have used less military enthusiasm (Jes's descriptions of the army in particular read like propaganda-lite), and less teen romance. The ending is almost too neat, but the moment in the narrative at around 1/3 of the book, when the protagonist changes her path, was really well-played. And there's some very real emotion in the relationships between the characters, particularly Maraya and Jes.
A strong 3.5 stars and now I hope Elliott can finish the Black Wolves continuation next ;)
Maybe I need a break from genre fiction ;)
But that was mainly the beginning of the volume. Later on, the book was really great about showing consequences, bodily trauma, complexities of politics and culture. I even quite liked how sports fit in with the themes and mysteries, although I found the way they figured into the plot less interesting. I am that reader who died of boredom reading Quidditch in Harry Potter; I'm not into sports. I'd rather watch a progress bar on a computer doing drive defragmentation.
Some quibbles: I found the coyness with which the two canonical (I guess) queer couples are shown to be annoying. I'm not sure if it was meant to reflect Jes's blithe lack of interest or be a bawdlerisation that makes this book more teen-friendly (if you don't want to see / remember about queerness, we won't make it too apparent!), but it came off queer-baity.
Spoiler
All it would have taken is Jes taking two-three sentences to think more closely about Denya's relationship with Amaya or how fortunate it was who loved Inarsis.I had problems with Kiya's plotline. It felt a little too convenient and the entire Kiya-as-Efea imagery has bad connotations for me.
That said, the book was significantly better than the previous volume. Really well-paced and gripping. I wish mythology and dynastic scheming had been given more space, and I could have used less military enthusiasm (Jes's descriptions of the army in particular read like propaganda-lite), and less teen romance
Spoiler
I find the ending utterly unbelievable in that while Kalliarkos might have a hope of escaping recognition as a soldier in the army, I think that might disappear if he's seen in public with Jes, who is known to have been the king's mistressSpoiler
That moment when Maraya tells Jes about the trip the family took years ago and about how Jes took father's side believing him to be the one with power - I found it very believable but also the reason I found Jes so difficult to root for at times. I hate it when female characters side with fathers against their mothers. It is ultimately reversed here, and written in a very believable way, but it's a thing I find difficult to read about or even to comprehend more viscerally.A strong 3.5 stars and now I hope Elliott can finish the Black Wolves continuation next ;)