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hopeboyce's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Pros : concept, scope, theme, writing, pace
Cons : the female characters oscillated between stereotypical “men writing women” and moderately compelling, but by the end they each had aspects that left a bad taste in my mouth.
It’s frustrating to read a story with such interesting themes, compelling emotional beats, and practically perfect pacing, and be repeatedly let down by this. And there are several POV female characters - each with distinct voices, motivations and lives - it wasn’t all terrible, it just became disappointing by the end how each arc revolved around sex in some way, either as a tool of agency, a way of measuring innocence, a scene of trauma, or a moment of reward for a male character. I kept giving it slack for being written a few decades ago to just being tired of reading each and every woman be framed through the lens of her sexuality in varying ways.
Also why the hell did Dianora love Brandin? Sure, it would be an interesting dynamic to explore but there’s no convincing development or explanation for why she falls in love. And she is horrified by what happens to Rhun but that doesn’t somehow affect her feelings or convictions?
Cons : the female characters oscillated between stereotypical “men writing women” and moderately compelling, but by the end they each had aspects that left a bad taste in my mouth.
It’s frustrating to read a story with such interesting themes, compelling emotional beats, and practically perfect pacing, and be repeatedly let down by this. And there are several POV female characters - each with distinct voices, motivations and lives - it wasn’t all terrible, it just became disappointing by the end how each arc revolved around sex in some way, either as a tool of agency, a way of measuring innocence, a scene of trauma, or a moment of reward for a male character. I kept giving it slack for being written a few decades ago to just being tired of reading each and every woman be framed through the lens of her sexuality in varying ways.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence
nettyice's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Hard to rate this one because it's technically pretty good (clever prose, intricate plot, and strong characters), but it's really everything I hate. It felt more like a sci-fi allegory than fantasy escapism, which generally isn't my preference, so that's my bias here. So if you like historical fiction with a dash of fantasy, convoluted plot, and pessimistic endings, then maybe it's for you. But for me, I haven't had a book make me this angry in a while.
SPOILERS - this is basically a rant. I needed to get it out of my system so I'd stop complaining to my friends about it:
- All of the women in this book! A heavy dose of kink shaming (where the shame is placed on Alienor and not really on Devin), unnecessary incest (what did that add to the plot? Dianora was then 'punished' for it with her tragic love story but Baerd got to find love with Elena? I hope he's the one the rusalka predicts dies), and an unexpected romance for Catriana (she struggles with ~becoming a woman~ because she can't enjoy anything until she proves her devotion to Tigana and then when she does and accepts that she has, then oh, surprise, she has earned the love of the Prince of Tigana? Seems counter to the point Alessan was trying to make. I just found it frustrating that all the women were fundamentally struggling with sex in some way (even Alais only went on the journey because of Devin) while the men were engaging in it just the same, but it wasn't defining them.
- The plot felt increasingly told me me rather than experienced through the characters. There can be a fun Sherlock Holmes element where you realize all these ties are coming together and, oh, that thing actually meant this thing the whole time. That's fun. And we had that at the beginning. It was a good draw into the world through Devin's eyes. But then we just kept doing that for half a year.
- I didn't like that there was no closure at the end, or that what was the closure was actually a lie. I get that dictatorships and struggles for power don't always end happily. But if the whole point was that everyone forgot about Tigana, then why didn't Dianora ever get to remember with anyone else? Because she technically lost (Brandin) in the end? I think that's also a bigger issue I had with it. Dianora ended up being one of the few I liked at the end and she had the worst ending. Yes, this book is supposed to make you think about the nature of power and the fine line of vengeance/justice, but I don't want to read 700 pages where I hate the good guys by the end and the only characters I like die.
SPOILERS - this is basically a rant. I needed to get it out of my system so I'd stop complaining to my friends about it:
- All of the women in this book! A heavy dose of kink shaming (where the shame is placed on Alienor and not really on Devin), unnecessary incest (what did that add to the plot? Dianora was then 'punished' for it with her tragic love story but Baerd got to find love with Elena? I hope he's the one the rusalka predicts dies), and an unexpected romance for Catriana (she struggles with ~becoming a woman~ because she can't enjoy anything until she proves her devotion to Tigana and then when she does and accepts that she has, then oh, surprise, she has earned the love of the Prince of Tigana? Seems counter to the point Alessan was trying to make. I just found it frustrating that all the women were fundamentally struggling with sex in some way (even Alais only went on the journey because of Devin) while the men were engaging in it just the same, but it wasn't defining them.
- The plot felt increasingly told me me rather than experienced through the characters. There can be a fun Sherlock Holmes element where you realize all these ties are coming together and, oh, that thing actually meant this thing the whole time. That's fun. And we had that at the beginning. It was a good draw into the world through Devin's eyes. But then we just kept doing that for half a year.
- I didn't like that there was no closure at the end, or that what was the closure was actually a lie. I get that dictatorships and struggles for power don't always end happily. But if the whole point was that everyone forgot about Tigana, then why didn't Dianora ever get to remember with anyone else? Because she technically lost (Brandin) in the end? I think that's also a bigger issue I had with it. Dianora ended up being one of the few I liked at the end and she had the worst ending. Yes, this book is supposed to make you think about the nature of power and the fine line of vengeance/justice, but I don't want to read 700 pages where I hate the good guys by the end and the only characters I like die.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Torture
Minor: Homophobia and Incest
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