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rebelbelle13's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The Surviving Sky is a beautiful, complicated, fantastical future world, mired down by marriage problems. That's unfortunately not a metaphor. The two main characters, Ahilya and Iravan, have been separated for months and are on the brink of divorce when the story opens. He is an architect; a human imbued with supernatural powers that can control plants and their growth, leading to floating cities above the destructive non-stop storms that have become the surface of the planet. She is an archaeologist and was not blessed with magical abilities. This is the basis of their anger, miscommunication and arguments. The narrative goes equally as deep into the history, magic system, and beliefs of the people as it does the relationship between the two main characters. We read from both of their perspectives; and while we can understand both of their stances, I was finding reading from Iravan's perspective to be a more pleasant reading experience.
This book drags in the middle, which probably would lead many to put the book down and walk away. The author also relies heavily on the reader learning about the world and the magic system through context, and that can be mentally draining at times. We hear multiple instances of the architects 'entering the moment' and 'creating mazes' but I still honestly have no idea what that means. I am still unsure about exactly what happened at the climax of the story. I have the gist of it, but not the specifics. It can be very frustrating plowing through a novel hoping the author will explain themselves, only to find out they never do.
It feels like Rao borrowed certain plot points from the Wheel of Time (people being reborn at a different age, being born with a power that comes from nature, having the ability to cut those off from the power and it being the worst thing ever, being connected to another person through the power, etc).
I really wish this was more about the magic system and the world rather than the dynamic between the two main characters. There was a time where I was considering putting this down and walking away because of it. If it instead was a slow burn romance, I think it would have been much more palatable to the average reader.
As it stands, I won't be continuing on in the series, and the ending of this novel is a perfect place to stop. It was well imagined and well written, but overly complicated at times and spent too many pages focusing on the wrong thing.
This book drags in the middle, which probably would lead many to put the book down and walk away. The author also relies heavily on the reader learning about the world and the magic system through context, and that can be mentally draining at times. We hear multiple instances of the architects 'entering the moment' and 'creating mazes' but I still honestly have no idea what that means. I am still unsure about exactly what happened at the climax of the story. I have the gist of it, but not the specifics. It can be very frustrating plowing through a novel hoping the author will explain themselves, only to find out they never do.
It feels like Rao borrowed certain plot points from the Wheel of Time (people being reborn at a different age, being born with a power that comes from nature, having the ability to cut those off from the power and it being the worst thing ever, being connected to another person through the power, etc).
I really wish this was more about the magic system and the world rather than the dynamic between the two main characters. There was a time where I was considering putting this down and walking away because of it. If it instead was a slow burn romance, I think it would have been much more palatable to the average reader.
As it stands, I won't be continuing on in the series, and the ending of this novel is a perfect place to stop. It was well imagined and well written, but overly complicated at times and spent too many pages focusing on the wrong thing.
brogancha's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Vomit
megbellinger's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mathiasaurous's review
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
chaithra's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
i really enjoyed this i have some thoughts on the whole “you need to be married with kids to have good bonds” situation
okay i have a laptop now, i can give a better review. i feel like i need to preface this by saying i did enjoy the book. i read it in a day, i was hooked! the magic system was unlike anything i had read before and so was the world. i also enjoyed reading a setting that was queer normative, kind of awesome
that being said, i want to delve into things i did not enjoy about this book and honestly, i'm not sure if i'll be continuing. the first being, our main characters are both 35-ish? yet they act a lot like erratic teenagers, their feelings go back and forth so fast it's like whiplash. it's part of the reason i veer away from ya books, i need more mature characters but this wasn't it. second, i feel like the end was too quick, too much needed to be set up for the sequel so the second half of the book just threw piece of information after piece of information at you so everything was set for book 2. third, thewhole “you need to be married with kids to have good bonds” situation . so the architects need to have good bonds in order to not fall into ectstacy which i understand to a certain degree. but why the focus on children. they outright say a spouse isn't enough, but friends? family? brothers? sisters? parents? cousins? grandparents? none of that is strong enough?? for a book based in south asian culture, i would expect more of an emphasis on family as a whole. and also! you're telling me they keep things hidden until a spouse is pregnant or an adoption is started but oh they can stop the adoption or abort the pregnancy once the secrets are shared?? thats really fucked, like i'm team your body your choice but you have to go that far to know everything your spouse could go through??? seriously??
anyways, idk if i'll read book 2 and 3, i may sometime down the line, but it won't be a read i seek out.
okay i have a laptop now, i can give a better review. i feel like i need to preface this by saying i did enjoy the book. i read it in a day, i was hooked! the magic system was unlike anything i had read before and so was the world. i also enjoyed reading a setting that was queer normative, kind of awesome
that being said, i want to delve into things i did not enjoy about this book and honestly, i'm not sure if i'll be continuing. the first being, our main characters are both 35-ish? yet they act a lot like erratic teenagers, their feelings go back and forth so fast it's like whiplash. it's part of the reason i veer away from ya books, i need more mature characters but this wasn't it. second, i feel like the end was too quick, too much needed to be set up for the sequel so the second half of the book just threw piece of information after piece of information at you so everything was set for book 2. third, the
anyways, idk if i'll read book 2 and 3, i may sometime down the line, but it won't be a read i seek out.
serranok's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
aneges's review
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Really hard for me to review this book, on many elements it was great: quite original with unique concepts and after the first few chapters, which were a bit hard to get into, I wanted to know how it ended and were able to read it fast.
There are various deeper themes beneath the story and we explore them through the lenses of the two MCs that are married and are having problems in their relationship.
The various themes and the mysteries about the history of this society and how can they use it to find a new way to survive for me were the best part of the story, it's probably what kept me going even when I had some trouble and was tempted to DNF.
The main problem for me were the two MCs, I did not care too much about them and from what we've seen I don't think that they are good for each other and their opinion about each other changes too often and too abruptly to make sense to me. They go from hating each other, or doing stupid things because they don't trust each other to professing love and wanting to make a baby in a matter of days without proper development for it to make sense.
Their back and forth and unreasonable reunion kind of ruined it all for me, and towards the end I was starting to resent this and just wanted it to end to find out the thruth.
The ending was interesting though some things were not fully developed and went too fast perhaps and others were unclear. I also did not like how it set up for the next book as it felt disjointed from all of the things that were revealed in the end and doesn't make too much sense.
I think that the premise was great and with some more polishing on the various reveals and a better developed relationship dynamic it could have been a new favorite.
There are various deeper themes beneath the story and we explore them through the lenses of the two MCs that are married and are having problems in their relationship.
The various themes and the mysteries about the history of this society and how can they use it to find a new way to survive for me were the best part of the story, it's probably what kept me going even when I had some trouble and was tempted to DNF.
The main problem for me were the two MCs, I did not care too much about them and from what we've seen I don't think that they are good for each other and their opinion about each other changes too often and too abruptly to make sense to me. They go from hating each other, or doing stupid things because they don't trust each other to professing love and wanting to make a baby in a matter of days without proper development for it to make sense.
Their back and forth and unreasonable reunion kind of ruined it all for me, and towards the end I was starting to resent this and just wanted it to end to find out the thruth.
The ending was interesting though some things were not fully developed and went too fast perhaps and others were unclear. I also did not like how it set up for the next book as it felt disjointed from all of the things that were revealed in the end and doesn't make too much sense.
I think that the premise was great and with some more polishing on the various reveals and a better developed relationship dynamic it could have been a new favorite.
melbotics's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Pros:
- Interesting world building and magic system
- Adult main characters with interesting dynamics / political intrigue
Cons:
- A lot of the descriptions of magic / trajecting were very confusing to me, which is quite a lot of the book
- Sometimes the internal monologue could be a bit repetitive
- Interesting world building and magic system
- Adult main characters with interesting dynamics / political intrigue
Cons:
- A lot of the descriptions of magic / trajecting were very confusing to me, which is quite a lot of the book
- Sometimes the internal monologue could be a bit repetitive
peripetia's review
3.5
I liked this book but I also have some criticism/complaints that lowered my rating.
Pros:
- The setting is interesting.
- The magic system is interesting.
- I liked the focus on the relationship between Ahilya and Iravan.
- Nice to sometimes have adult characters instead of teenagers and twenty-somethings.
- The world is not perfect (some have complained about the hierarchical society, but I don't think all fantasy needs to be an escapist utopia).
- The writing is (for the most part) good, worked very well for me.
Cons:
- The book is described as being perfect for fans of N.K. Jemisin, and sometimes this did seem too similar to the Broken Earth trilogy.
- I didn't get the magic in practice. I wasn't able to visualize it. I have read fantasy for a couple decades now so I don't believe it's me not being somehow incapable of understanding magic systems.
- The pacing was off. Several passages should have been cut, maybe entire chapters.
- The history of the world and the current situation is revealed very conveniently.
- The magic/tech system didn't fully make sense to me.
- TOO MANY DASHES. I know you're trying to write a realistic conversation where people interrupt each other, but this is too much. See an example below, contains a minor spoiler.
Ahilya,” he began, his voice hoarse. “Please,
listen—”
“It was you. You sent her
away—”
“I only wanted to spend some time
with—”
“You threatened my
expedition—”
“No,” he said quickly. “That wasn’t
my—”
“You were supposed to be at the
watchpost—”
“Yes,
but—”
So in conclusion, I don't think it was bad but it didn't manage to keep me entertained, which is basically the main function of fantasy. I honestly don't think I will continue with this series. Maybe. We will see.
Pros:
- The setting is interesting.
- The magic system is interesting.
- I liked the focus on the relationship between Ahilya and Iravan.
- Nice to sometimes have adult characters instead of teenagers and twenty-somethings.
- The world is not perfect (some have complained about the hierarchical society, but I don't think all fantasy needs to be an escapist utopia).
- The writing is (for the most part) good, worked very well for me.
Cons:
- The book is described as being perfect for fans of N.K. Jemisin, and sometimes this did seem too similar to the Broken Earth trilogy.
- I didn't get the magic in practice. I wasn't able to visualize it. I have read fantasy for a couple decades now so I don't believe it's me not being somehow incapable of understanding magic systems.
- The pacing was off. Several passages should have been cut, maybe entire chapters.
- The history of the world and the current situation is revealed very conveniently.
- The magic/tech system didn't fully make sense to me.
- TOO MANY DASHES. I know you're trying to write a realistic conversation where people interrupt each other, but this is too much. See an example below, contains a minor spoiler.
Ahilya,” he began, his voice hoarse. “Please,
listen—”
“It was you. You sent her
away—”
“I only wanted to spend some time
with—”
“You threatened my
expedition—”
“No,” he said quickly. “That wasn’t
my—”
“You were supposed to be at the
watchpost—”
“Yes,
but—”
So in conclusion, I don't think it was bad but it didn't manage to keep me entertained, which is basically the main function of fantasy. I honestly don't think I will continue with this series. Maybe. We will see.