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A review by just_hebah
The House of Binding Thorns by Aliette de Bodard
5.0
It was lovely to return to the world of the Dominion of the Fallen. I think I liked this one even better than its predecessor, House of Shattered Wings.
Relationships took more of a center stage here, like those of Fallen angel Berith and her mortal lover, Francoise, mother to their child; the complicated relationships between Fallen Asmodeus and, well, pretty much anyone in his orbit; dragon kingdom spy Thuan and both his family as well as the House Hawthorn dependents he comes to know in his tenure in the house. There are still inter-house and inter-kingdom politics and power-plays galore, but I think the balance between the personal and the broader conflicts is well done.
Once again, I just love the world Bodard has created here. I wouldn't want to live in it, mind you, but I thoroughly enjoy my time there as a reader. The dragon kingdom beneath the Seine is just as complicated--and prone to corruption from within--as the Fallen houses above, and the relationship between the two is messy and fraught. The dangers of addictive angel essence, touched on through the character of Madeleine in the first book, have bigger implications in this one, and as in history, drug trafficking is leveraged for political advantage.
This one can, I think, be read without reading the first book, but I do recommend reading them in order, so character arcs and reveals have more impact.
Relationships took more of a center stage here, like those of Fallen angel Berith and her mortal lover, Francoise, mother to their child; the complicated relationships between Fallen Asmodeus and, well, pretty much anyone in his orbit; dragon kingdom spy Thuan and both his family as well as the House Hawthorn dependents he comes to know in his tenure in the house. There are still inter-house and inter-kingdom politics and power-plays galore, but I think the balance between the personal and the broader conflicts is well done.
Once again, I just love the world Bodard has created here. I wouldn't want to live in it, mind you, but I thoroughly enjoy my time there as a reader. The dragon kingdom beneath the Seine is just as complicated--and prone to corruption from within--as the Fallen houses above, and the relationship between the two is messy and fraught. The dangers of addictive angel essence, touched on through the character of Madeleine in the first book, have bigger implications in this one, and as in history, drug trafficking is leveraged for political advantage.
This one can, I think, be read without reading the first book, but I do recommend reading them in order, so character arcs and reveals have more impact.