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thereadingrambler's reviews
1148 reviews
Seven Surrenders by Ada Palmer
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
On the surface, The Traitor Baru Cormorant seems like it is a fairly standard science fiction or fantasy (although this is not set in the future or space as far as I can tell nor is there any magic as of yet but it is set in a secondary world so I hesitate to taxonomize) adventure: a young girl who is the best to ever do it takes it upon herself to free her people from the oppressive regime of a colonizing empire. This is the basic premise for unknown numbers of young adult dystopian and fantasy novels. But quickly this book transforms into something else entirely: a complex exploration of imperialism and the insidious ways that the colonizer changes the cultures and thoughts of the colonized. For example, the Empire of Masks (or Masquerade) brings technologies of hygiene, particularly plumbing and sewers, to its colonies. This is quite obviously a positive; we know that from our history that proper management and disposal of waste is crucial to a healthier society. But they also bring diseases that the colonized population have no defense against, causing a severe pandemic, killing thousands. No moment of this book is ever simple; there is no definitive good or evil, rather everything carries pros and cons.
Unlike the YA dystopian and fantasy novels centered on a teenage girl who is the best to ever do it, this book does not lean into black-and-white thinking or classifying. While the Masquerade is clearly the oppressive force, erasing native cultures, languages, religions, and traditions, Baru also works very hard to be part of that very empire, as might be guessed from the "traitor" part of the title. She is obsessed with power—yes, in having it for herself, but also the workings of power, why some people have it, keep it, use it. She wants it for herself, but she wants it in part to understand the why of power.
This is not a simple book. This is a book of political complications, of questionable or even reprehensible choices on the part of our "hero," and a book that never lets the reader (or the characters) rest easy in questions of morals and ethics. But this is a book worth the challenge and struggle.
Unlike the YA dystopian and fantasy novels centered on a teenage girl who is the best to ever do it, this book does not lean into black-and-white thinking or classifying. While the Masquerade is clearly the oppressive force, erasing native cultures, languages, religions, and traditions, Baru also works very hard to be part of that very empire, as might be guessed from the "traitor" part of the title. She is obsessed with power—yes, in having it for herself, but also the workings of power, why some people have it, keep it, use it. She wants it for herself, but she wants it in part to understand the why of power.
This is not a simple book. This is a book of political complications, of questionable or even reprehensible choices on the part of our "hero," and a book that never lets the reader (or the characters) rest easy in questions of morals and ethics. But this is a book worth the challenge and struggle.
Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Okay but why was I shipping them?