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moh's review
This is the kind of SFF I have a lot of trouble following for reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of the writing. Overall, I liked it, but I'm not right reader for this book.
peytonm's review
4.0
This story had a very interesting setting based on Vietnamese myths, and I, of course, enjoyed having a dragon as a main character. Vu Côn, the aforementioned dragon, takes Yên as the price of a healing spell, so she can be the tutor of her two children, Thông and Liên. Thông goes by they/them (awesome!). Very Beauty and the Beast plus two precocious kids! The blend of sci-fi tech and magic was clever and gave the worldbuilding an interesting foundation.
Probably a 3.5 but rounding up. The plot and inclusive storytelling were wonderful, but something about the pacing didn't quite drawn me in.
Probably a 3.5 but rounding up. The plot and inclusive storytelling were wonderful, but something about the pacing didn't quite drawn me in.
estanceveyrac's review against another edition
5.0
What an amazing worldbuilding. And I like the ethics. And the characters. And the queerness. Basically I like all of it.
mikime's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
booksarebetter's review against another edition
4.0
Short, weird, and I'm not sure how I feel about this book. 3.5
fruitcd's review against another edition
I was really looking forward to this Vietnamese inspired lesbian Beauty and the Beast retelling (with dragons), but it just fell flat for me. Although this novella has less unnecessary side plots than Fireheart Tiger, it still doesn't feel like it uses its page time wisely. Yên is such an internal character that it's difficult to feel like she's actually influencing the action of the story, yet all her self-analysis and internal thoughts never change or grow over the course of the story. I felt like her whole backstory of being a failed scholar was not implemented well and despite the twins ending up being important characters I never really felt like Yên came to know or love them. Similarly, Yên and Vu Côn's romance fell flat, as it only ever feels like mutual lust that comes out of nowhere. Listen, I'm not against lust fueled hatesex, but overall their relationship felt too tepid for that. Vu Côn doesn't want to cross Yên's boundaries and Yên is pretty much never able to get over the fact that Vu Côn technically kidnapped her and just admit that she likes her. But it takes a lot to get me invested in a romance in the first place, so if insta-love doesn't turn you off then you might really like this.
However, I loved the setting (esp the portrayal of gender) and thought the ending was pretty unique and interesting. I'm not going to write this author off completely, because I think she has a lot of great concepts that are just too complex for novellas.
However, I loved the setting (esp the portrayal of gender) and thought the ending was pretty unique and interesting. I'm not going to write this author off completely, because I think she has a lot of great concepts that are just too complex for novellas.
solly's review against another edition
3.0
I have very weird feelings about this novella.
The thing is, objectively, I loved most things about it.
I loved the secondary characters, especially the children, Yên's Mother (and Elder Giang, kinda). I loved the times where Aliette de Bodard mentionned things about the language, the characters speaking Vietnamese and how two words in English would be one in Vietnamese, or the gender of pronouns (I'm a language nerd, this was so interesting and most of all I loved how unapologetic it was about mentioning differences in languages). I loved how gender was handled and that there were TWO important non-binary characters. The magic system was really interesting, and I really liked the plot around the Vanishers and the palace.
See? I liked most things about this story. But I overall wasn't into it.
I think it's due to the fact I didn't like any of the main characters very much? I LOVED the children, but I didn't feel much for Yên and Vu Côn. Or their relationship. I felt like there wasn't enough place left for their relationship to progress of for us to see what it really looked like when they were together. I don't know, I wasn't really into the romance part of the book?
Plus, the writing was good, but sometimes complex, especially when describing the palace. And I read this after college and studying, and I feel like I might have enjoyed the story more if I had read it at another time, maybe? When my brain was less all over the place. But I didn't. So I never got really into the story, despite it having a lot of things I really like.
The thing is, objectively, I loved most things about it.
I loved the secondary characters, especially the children, Yên's Mother (and Elder Giang, kinda). I loved the times where Aliette de Bodard mentionned things about the language, the characters speaking Vietnamese and how two words in English would be one in Vietnamese, or the gender of pronouns (I'm a language nerd, this was so interesting and most of all I loved how unapologetic it was about mentioning differences in languages). I loved how gender was handled and that there were TWO important non-binary characters. The magic system was really interesting, and I really liked the plot around the Vanishers and the palace.
See? I liked most things about this story. But I overall wasn't into it.
I think it's due to the fact I didn't like any of the main characters very much? I LOVED the children, but I didn't feel much for Yên and Vu Côn. Or their relationship. I felt like there wasn't enough place left for their relationship to progress of for us to see what it really looked like when they were together. I don't know, I wasn't really into the romance part of the book?
Plus, the writing was good, but sometimes complex, especially when describing the palace. And I read this after college and studying, and I feel like I might have enjoyed the story more if I had read it at another time, maybe? When my brain was less all over the place. But I didn't. So I never got really into the story, despite it having a lot of things I really like.
nicolagua's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
e_oneita's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book to review.
There is A LOT to love about this book. The world of In the Vanisher's Palace is absolutely beautifully crafted, and I was so thrilled that it drew nearly exclusively from Vietnamese culture. It hardly needs to be stated that in fantasy/sci-fi a very narrow range of cultures are drawn from. For example, even if a novel is "Asian"-influenced, that often tends to mean Japanese/Chinese. I love, therefore, that Vietnam's lush heritage and culture is celebrated within this book. Furthermore, the language is lovely, and it is easy to picture the twisted (and perhaps twistedly beautiful?) world.
Additionally, I loved that the novel, dealing as it does with a once vibrant post-apocalyptic "hellscape", parallels the current concerns within Vietnam of rapid industralization leaving people behind and irrevocably devastating the landscape. I'm not sure how intentional this parallel was, but intentional or not it's a well-crafted echo of the modern Vietnamese landscape.
Spoilers from here
However, I struggled with the relationships within the novel and with the main character. The main character, Yên, is difficult to gain a connection with. Although she has moments of bravery and does come into her own near the end, I felt that praise was heaped on her too quickly and for very little. Saying that, Beauty and the Beast does have that aspect as well- however, in an updated retelling I would have hoped for a little bit more dynamism to be given to "Beauty".
Additionally, I thought that much more attention should have been given to developing the relationships Yên has with the dragon and her family. Again, closer to the end the connection Yên has with the children appears less random, but in my opinion too little was devoted near the outset to showing the actual progression of this relationship. The same went for the romance that is the crux of the novel. Although the dragon, Vu Côn, is a compelling character, her affection for Yên seems to happen out of nowhere, and again for very little reason. Whereas Yên clearly desires Vu Côn, the same can't be said for the dragon- at one point she tells her child that Yên isn't there solely to share her bed, but during the novel that does seem to be the only logical factor influencing her own affection.
Having said that, I think these kinds of problems are both: the result of the story of Beauty and the Beast itself, which let's be honest is a rather superficial tale, as well as the result of being an early career author. I have every faith that these kinds of content problems will resolve themselves through continued writing and honing by the author. I will absolutely read Aliette's next novels, and look forward to diving into more of her lush and vibrant worlds.
There is A LOT to love about this book. The world of In the Vanisher's Palace is absolutely beautifully crafted, and I was so thrilled that it drew nearly exclusively from Vietnamese culture. It hardly needs to be stated that in fantasy/sci-fi a very narrow range of cultures are drawn from. For example, even if a novel is "Asian"-influenced, that often tends to mean Japanese/Chinese. I love, therefore, that Vietnam's lush heritage and culture is celebrated within this book. Furthermore, the language is lovely, and it is easy to picture the twisted (and perhaps twistedly beautiful?) world.
Additionally, I loved that the novel, dealing as it does with a once vibrant post-apocalyptic "hellscape", parallels the current concerns within Vietnam of rapid industralization leaving people behind and irrevocably devastating the landscape. I'm not sure how intentional this parallel was, but intentional or not it's a well-crafted echo of the modern Vietnamese landscape.
Spoilers from here
However, I struggled with the relationships within the novel and with the main character. The main character, Yên, is difficult to gain a connection with. Although she has moments of bravery and does come into her own near the end, I felt that praise was heaped on her too quickly and for very little. Saying that, Beauty and the Beast does have that aspect as well- however, in an updated retelling I would have hoped for a little bit more dynamism to be given to "Beauty".
Additionally, I thought that much more attention should have been given to developing the relationships Yên has with the dragon and her family. Again, closer to the end the connection Yên has with the children appears less random, but in my opinion too little was devoted near the outset to showing the actual progression of this relationship. The same went for the romance that is the crux of the novel. Although the dragon, Vu Côn, is a compelling character, her affection for Yên seems to happen out of nowhere, and again for very little reason. Whereas Yên clearly desires Vu Côn, the same can't be said for the dragon- at one point she tells her child that Yên isn't there solely to share her bed, but during the novel that does seem to be the only logical factor influencing her own affection.
Having said that, I think these kinds of problems are both: the result of the story of Beauty and the Beast itself, which let's be honest is a rather superficial tale, as well as the result of being an early career author. I have every faith that these kinds of content problems will resolve themselves through continued writing and honing by the author. I will absolutely read Aliette's next novels, and look forward to diving into more of her lush and vibrant worlds.