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A review by wordsareworlds
Rose/House by Arkady Martine
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
I enjoy a book with interesting descriptions, that brings mystery and obsession and drama to things that I've never given all that much thought to. But this book reads like Martine wanted to see how many obscure words and over wrought phrases she could fit in the shortest number of pages, with the least amount of actual characterization. The best parts by far are the evocative descriptions of architecture and the effect it can have on mood.
This novella has 4 PoVs, and Martine jumps between them on "cliffhanger" moments, which after the first few became tiring rather than tension-building or intriguing. And since she never set up the depth of character or stakes that would make me care in the first place....it was just annoying. One of the PoVs has the habit of lampshading everything going on as noir tropes and then moving on, without those thoughts affecting his actions in any way. In fact, nothing the characters do makes sense, and then the novella ends with some classic horror outcomes without having earned a single one.
While A Memory Called Empire is an absolute gem of a book, there is almost no part of Rose/House that reflects the way Martine shone there. So glad I was able to get this in audio from my library rather than paying the frankly obscene price Subterranean Press charges for it.
This novella has 4 PoVs, and Martine jumps between them on "cliffhanger" moments, which after the first few became tiring rather than tension-building or intriguing. And since she never set up the depth of character or stakes that would make me care in the first place....it was just annoying. One of the PoVs has the habit of lampshading everything going on as noir tropes and then moving on, without those thoughts affecting his actions in any way. In fact, nothing the characters do makes sense, and then the novella ends with some classic horror outcomes without having earned a single one.
While A Memory Called Empire is an absolute gem of a book, there is almost no part of Rose/House that reflects the way Martine shone there. So glad I was able to get this in audio from my library rather than paying the frankly obscene price Subterranean Press charges for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder