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A review by nicktommasini
A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
What I liked: Arkady Martine is an expert at fusing complex themes and ideas with relatable and fascinating characters (particularly Mahit and Three Seagrass). The prose is elegant without being overly flowery or verbose, and I found the pacing of this book improved over the first given the expansion of viewpoints to a variety of other perspectives. I particularly enjoyed Nine Hibiscus’ addition. The romance also felt organic without overpowering the main plot. On the whole, this was a continuation of what I liked about book one with some tightening of the plot and pacing — very enjoyable read and I will look out for more from this author.
What I didn’t like: The ending was satisfying if a bit anticlimactic just given the scope of the rest of the novel — was hoping for a bit more of a cathartic ending to the scheming on Teixcalaan, in a similar vein to book one. This book wasn’t as world building-heavy also as the first given much of the heavy lifting had been done already, so I missed the feeling of exploring this very unique universe
What I didn’t like: The ending was satisfying if a bit anticlimactic just given the scope of the rest of the novel — was hoping for a bit more of a cathartic ending to the scheming on Teixcalaan, in a similar vein to book one. This book wasn’t as world building-heavy also as the first given much of the heavy lifting had been done already, so I missed the feeling of exploring this very unique universe