karlycay's review
5.0
Oh no. What have I done? I really shouldn't sign up for this series. But it's like my favorite parts of Robin Hobb's Liveship Traders series, but with queer people. I love it. And it's free on serialbox.com
lindick's review
4.0
Ok I'm pretty/very obsessed with this now, will maybe consume all the "episodes" in one day??
declaired's review
5.0
I AM SO EXCITED TO BE BACK IN THE CITY. There are so many ways I have longed for the cobbled cramped streets of Riverside, with its danger and blood; the hungry ravens of the University; the bitchy finery and refinery of the Hill.
There are 3 ongoing plot lines, one following my very favorite Duchess Tremontaine, known and loved from Swordspoint and the stories in The Privilege of the Sword, another with Micah, a neuro-atypical math savant kid getting into trouble at the University, and my new fave, a foreign trader named Ixkaab Balam, who wants to be a swordswoman and is itching for trouble, and who got one of the top lines of this "episode"-- "The agent laughed with the patronizing amusement of one not used to hearing his language imperfectly understood. What a hick!" (AMAZING. WHAT A TURNABOUT OF A LINE)
Anyway! So much diversity in storytelling main characters, so much casual queerness, so many subtle noble power games and passive aggression, so many promises of FURTHER SWORDS, LADIES LADIES EVERYWHERE, etc etc, I knew this would be amazing based on the authors and the premise and it IS.
The format is also AMAZING I love serial writing, can't wait to read this over the next couple months!
There are 3 ongoing plot lines, one following my very favorite Duchess Tremontaine, known and loved from Swordspoint and the stories in The Privilege of the Sword, another with Micah, a neuro-atypical math savant kid getting into trouble at the University, and my new fave, a foreign trader named Ixkaab Balam, who wants to be a swordswoman and is itching for trouble, and who got one of the top lines of this "episode"-- "The agent laughed with the patronizing amusement of one not used to hearing his language imperfectly understood. What a hick!" (AMAZING. WHAT A TURNABOUT OF A LINE)
Anyway! So much diversity in storytelling main characters, so much casual queerness, so many subtle noble power games and passive aggression, so many promises of FURTHER SWORDS, LADIES LADIES EVERYWHERE, etc etc, I knew this would be amazing based on the authors and the premise and it IS.
The format is also AMAZING I love serial writing, can't wait to read this over the next couple months!
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review
3.0
This entry into the Tremontaine series is to set up the characters. I enjoy the fact that Micah is a girl, and a character type that is usually done as a boy. Enjoyable start by fantasy's Jane Austen (with more swords than weddings).
bichito_feo's review
3.0
Love the concept of a serial novel... The first part was intriguing enough that I want to read the second.
chrisk's review
5.0
This story is so good! Tremontaine is from the point of view of three women each trying to be something else. The Duchess is keeping up appearances, the Trader wants to wield a sword, and the Farmer wants to be a Scholar... or Card Sharp. It's hard to tell with her. Tremontaine is set in the same world as Swordspoint. In just this short chapter the characters, their histories, and their motivations are all well established. As with Swordspoint, there are several gay and lesbian characters, and they are treated no better or worse than anyone else. In this installment the POV characters do not know each other or intersect, and I'm really interested to find out how they eventually meet and what happens when they do.
The audio version is read by a different person for each point of view. This is not my favorite type of reading since it makes listening feel choppy and takes a while to acclimate to each reader. They also have hired actors instead of narrators. Actors focus on the performance while narrators convey the story, so sometimes the performance gets in the way of understanding what's going on. That said, the readers are all very professional and so far the story stays with each POV long enough for me to sink in.
Arrivals is part 1 of the serialized novel Tremontine available through Serialbox.com. The first episode is free in audio or e-form.
The audio version is read by a different person for each point of view. This is not my favorite type of reading since it makes listening feel choppy and takes a while to acclimate to each reader. They also have hired actors instead of narrators. Actors focus on the performance while narrators convey the story, so sometimes the performance gets in the way of understanding what's going on. That said, the readers are all very professional and so far the story stays with each POV long enough for me to sink in.
Arrivals is part 1 of the serialized novel Tremontine available through Serialbox.com. The first episode is free in audio or e-form.
pers's review
3.0
An intriguing start... Some characters interested me more than others, but I'm eager to see how all their arcs pan out.