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tanyaivy 's review for:
The Isle in the Silver Sea
by Tasha Suri
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of The Isle in the Silver Sea.
The Isle in the Silver Sea is an incredible queer fairy tale-inspired story with a lot to say about Britain. It's worth bearing in mind that it's very different from Tasha Suri's previous books (which I also adore!). It's less about armies and empire, and more about fairytales and folklore. It's also much more romance-forward. But I can't recommend it enough.
Suri has created this incredible world in which Britain is quite literally as it is in all the stories, all at the same time. You get Elizabethan courtly fashions, Victorian factories and mediaeval forests sharing the same shape-shifting land.
And then Suri's used that to not just craft an entertaining romantasy novel with delightful characters, but also make powerful points about British identity and culture. This book is about the myths we tell about British identity and how some of them are incredibly flimsy but also used to maintain the systems of power. It's about xenophobia and racism, and about how immigrants not only make the UK what it is but also make it so much better. It's about being at home in Britain while also being "from Elsewhere".
This book is a resounding rebuttal to people who just want "the good old days" back (even though they never existed!). But it also reads to me as a love story to Britain. There's so much folklore, mythology and history, and so many references to local traditions and figures. You can tell that Tasha Suri is either is a folklore geek or did a ton of research for this book.
This is also a very queer book, with lots of beautiful representation. Queer love, queer community and queer history are so important in this book, as are family, friendship, and choosing the life you want and choosing to fight for it.
The Isle in the Silver Sea is an incredible queer fairy tale-inspired story with a lot to say about Britain. It's worth bearing in mind that it's very different from Tasha Suri's previous books (which I also adore!). It's less about armies and empire, and more about fairytales and folklore. It's also much more romance-forward. But I can't recommend it enough.
Suri has created this incredible world in which Britain is quite literally as it is in all the stories, all at the same time. You get Elizabethan courtly fashions, Victorian factories and mediaeval forests sharing the same shape-shifting land.
And then Suri's used that to not just craft an entertaining romantasy novel with delightful characters, but also make powerful points about British identity and culture. This book is about the myths we tell about British identity and how some of them are incredibly flimsy but also used to maintain the systems of power. It's about xenophobia and racism, and about how immigrants not only make the UK what it is but also make it so much better. It's about being at home in Britain while also being "from Elsewhere".
This book is a resounding rebuttal to people who just want "the good old days" back (even though they never existed!). But it also reads to me as a love story to Britain. There's so much folklore, mythology and history, and so many references to local traditions and figures. You can tell that Tasha Suri is either is a folklore geek or did a ton of research for this book.
This is also a very queer book, with lots of beautiful representation. Queer love, queer community and queer history are so important in this book, as are family, friendship, and choosing the life you want and choosing to fight for it.