Scan barcode
A review by theeuphoriczat
Silk Fire by Zabé Ellor
3.0
Thanks to Rebellion for making this book available to me via #Netgalley
This book! First I enjoyed it and why did I enjoy it you might ask even after attempting to DNF it? Because of the ambitious plot. Yes I said that. This book really tried everything. SCI-FI, FANTASY, DRAGONS, POWERS, POLITICS, MATRIARCHY, SEX WORK, QUEER CHARACTERS, RIVARLY etc. This book had everything and sometimes it felt a bit much and I was sometimes left wanting the author to pick up the pace and other times slow it down.
The main issue that I had was that, similar to Dune we are thrown in head first and expected to just go along with the flow. However, once I got a good understanding of the society, the politics, powers and want our main character wanted to do, I became a happy camper.
If you loved Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon and the matriarchal society, then this is a book that might be right up your alley. The writing is so vivid and the imagination of the author is really wild. An entirely new world, with allegorical elements that points to current political and socioeconomic climate.
Just when you think women being in the position of 'men in our patriarchal society' might be the solution, this book presents that regardless of gender, power has a way of twisting and destroying even the 'most' nurturing!
Similar to Jade City by Fonda Lee, in this universe there is something called Essence, that people risk their lives trying to get as it grants the user strength and power. We follow Koreshiza who is trying to sabotage his father's campaign for political power. He knows that just having 'sex for information' and having a sugar mummy will not get him far but he knows that using his dragon-fire abilities will get him noticed and most definitely killed for his Essence!
I really enjoyed it, I just wished it explored few themes which would have made it easier to read and enjoy.
This book! First I enjoyed it and why did I enjoy it you might ask even after attempting to DNF it? Because of the ambitious plot. Yes I said that. This book really tried everything. SCI-FI, FANTASY, DRAGONS, POWERS, POLITICS, MATRIARCHY, SEX WORK, QUEER CHARACTERS, RIVARLY etc. This book had everything and sometimes it felt a bit much and I was sometimes left wanting the author to pick up the pace and other times slow it down.
The main issue that I had was that, similar to Dune we are thrown in head first and expected to just go along with the flow. However, once I got a good understanding of the society, the politics, powers and want our main character wanted to do, I became a happy camper.
If you loved Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon and the matriarchal society, then this is a book that might be right up your alley. The writing is so vivid and the imagination of the author is really wild. An entirely new world, with allegorical elements that points to current political and socioeconomic climate.
Just when you think women being in the position of 'men in our patriarchal society' might be the solution, this book presents that regardless of gender, power has a way of twisting and destroying even the 'most' nurturing!
Similar to Jade City by Fonda Lee, in this universe there is something called Essence, that people risk their lives trying to get as it grants the user strength and power. We follow Koreshiza who is trying to sabotage his father's campaign for political power. He knows that just having 'sex for information' and having a sugar mummy will not get him far but he knows that using his dragon-fire abilities will get him noticed and most definitely killed for his Essence!
I really enjoyed it, I just wished it explored few themes which would have made it easier to read and enjoy.