labocat's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 but struggling whether to round up or down.
It's always nice to see a magical setting and society that takes familiar trappings and expectations but really lets the worldbuilding shine through the characters and their experiences. I loved the setting and differences in the different cities and cultures represented, but I wish more had come from the characters' journeys.
We follow two different plot lines for most of the book - they intersect much later than I was expected, something like 4/5 of the way through - and their intersection feels more like something that /should/ happen than something organic or that enriches the other for it.
The "plot" of the murders and solving them is flimsy at best and backdrop at worst - red herrings exist for character development and not much more, and it's almost easy to forget there is a murder mystery to be solved at times. That said, the characters are engaging and the setup interesting enough to overcome some of the more contrived setups.
It's always nice to see a magical setting and society that takes familiar trappings and expectations but really lets the worldbuilding shine through the characters and their experiences. I loved the setting and differences in the different cities and cultures represented, but I wish more had come from the characters' journeys.
We follow two different plot lines for most of the book - they intersect much later than I was expected, something like 4/5 of the way through - and their intersection feels more like something that /should/ happen than something organic or that enriches the other for it.
The "plot" of the murders and solving them is flimsy at best and backdrop at worst - red herrings exist for character development and not much more, and it's almost easy to forget there is a murder mystery to be solved at times. That said, the characters are engaging and the setup interesting enough to overcome some of the more contrived setups.
justalex614's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it didn't love it.I will start by saying I'm not a fan of mystery books so that might be why it fell flat for me. The story line was very interesting but it was so slow paced I was bored a lot of the time reading it. The names and cities were so hard to pronounce it was distracting. I was more partial to Tsira and Jeckran's parts, Onna just wasn’t as interesting as all the other characters. It was also very obvious who the murderer was.
courtney8374's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
joziii's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
4.25
loved how the two stories intertwined, terrific writing
caedocyon's review against another edition
3.0
oops i am reading too many books again.
i'm out of the habit of reading fantasy so it took me a while to get into this, but the plot was strong enough to carry me through. doing that thing that's all the rage in sf&f right now where you propose alternate arbitrary kyriarchies (about immigration history, species, race/national origin, gender, class, religion) and play around with them, which i rarely object to. it's done pretty well here.
tsira and jeckran being implausibly bad at communication is more of the romantic tension than i would prefer. cut more of that and spend more time on the mystery, thank you. also, what happened to the gay half-troll poet who almost got murdered?? i was very invested in him and i don't think we even know whether he survived.
i'm out of the habit of reading fantasy so it took me a while to get into this, but the plot was strong enough to carry me through. doing that thing that's all the rage in sf&f right now where you propose alternate arbitrary kyriarchies (about immigration history, species, race/national origin, gender, class, religion) and play around with them, which i rarely object to. it's done pretty well here.
tsira and jeckran being implausibly bad at communication is more of the romantic tension than i would prefer. cut more of that and spend more time on the mystery, thank you. also, what happened to the gay half-troll poet who almost got murdered?? i was very invested in him and i don't think we even know whether he survived.
taojoon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-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? No
4.0
storytimed's review against another edition
4.0
This book was so unexpectedly iddy and DELIGHTFUL in such a fanfic-y way
I think the gender is interesting!
So the fantasy race that Waggoner introduces, the trolls, have 2 main social roles, vahn and reig
They have nothing to do with biological sex and are more about what kind of job you do, but they do kind of map onto traditional masc and femme roles. Vahn are the cute homemakers, reig the protectors
Reig are usually but not always women
So the central romance in this novel is between a female half-human half-troll who insists on being a reig despite being small and not much of a protector & a male human who turns out to be a natural vahn, aka just very, very subby
It's interesting because the central relationship is still heterosexual (including a redemptive baby ending) but there's a lot around it that gestures at queerness. For example, the male human thinks that the troll he's crushing on is a man for most of the book, and he's totally ok with that! Same-sex marriage is actually quite common in this universe
However, pronouns are still strictly delineated by sex difference (compare this to Ancillary Justice where Breq uses "she" for everyone) and everyone that Tsira (the troll) sleeps with is a man who uses he/him
Aside from this though the dynamic is very iddy and fun and lingers on the delicate emotionality of the male human
And the Strength and Largeness of the female troll
Lots of pining too and "only one bed" and fake relationship moments. The casual D/s dynamic was interesting too esp bc it felt like most of it was culturally constructed? On a real-world level it's quite odd to read "and all these traditional gender roles are OK bc you can choose which role you like!" but on an emotional level if you turn off your brain it's quite mushy and sweet
There's another protagonist who is a very brisk and competent female magician. Her story is OK! She has a bit of a Howl/Sophie dynamic with her mentor but without the romance. Cute but not as compelling as femdom hurt/comfort interspecies salaciousness
I think the gender is interesting!
So the fantasy race that Waggoner introduces, the trolls, have 2 main social roles, vahn and reig
They have nothing to do with biological sex and are more about what kind of job you do, but they do kind of map onto traditional masc and femme roles. Vahn are the cute homemakers, reig the protectors
Reig are usually but not always women
So the central romance in this novel is between a female half-human half-troll who insists on being a reig despite being small and not much of a protector & a male human who turns out to be a natural vahn, aka just very, very subby
It's interesting because the central relationship is still heterosexual (including a redemptive baby ending) but there's a lot around it that gestures at queerness. For example, the male human thinks that the troll he's crushing on is a man for most of the book, and he's totally ok with that! Same-sex marriage is actually quite common in this universe
However, pronouns are still strictly delineated by sex difference (compare this to Ancillary Justice where Breq uses "she" for everyone) and everyone that Tsira (the troll) sleeps with is a man who uses he/him
Aside from this though the dynamic is very iddy and fun and lingers on the delicate emotionality of the male human
And the Strength and Largeness of the female troll
Lots of pining too and "only one bed" and fake relationship moments. The casual D/s dynamic was interesting too esp bc it felt like most of it was culturally constructed? On a real-world level it's quite odd to read "and all these traditional gender roles are OK bc you can choose which role you like!" but on an emotional level if you turn off your brain it's quite mushy and sweet
There's another protagonist who is a very brisk and competent female magician. Her story is OK! She has a bit of a Howl/Sophie dynamic with her mentor but without the romance. Cute but not as compelling as femdom hurt/comfort interspecies salaciousness
jerseygrrrl's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars.
Pros:
- Fun, mind boggling gender play that goes beyond M/F to reig/vahn. It's still a binary, but R/V roles have little to do with genitalia, which you don't find often in literature.
- Tsira has an unmistakable, unique voice. I loved her character and wanted more of her.
- Onna is a brilliant mathematician who is stymied by misogyny. She is determined enough to seek opportunities, which leads her on a marvelous adventure.
- The author's decision not to explain everything. There are some aspects of the culture that are wivern through the book without much backstory. I appreciated that. Just as when you visit a foreign country, you have to adapt when reading this book and learn what to take for granted. I liked that the author trusted her readers enough not to spell every single thing out.
Cons:
- Yet another fantasy built on British culture? I like the UK also, but this is fantasy. Can't we use a different foundation while world building and stretch our imaginations a little more?
- Not enough of Tsira and Onna. Onna particular gets lost as the book proceeds. Her narrative voice appears less frequently. She goes through tremendous changes that the reader only experiences through the eyes of other narrators. I would have loved more of her, particularly more of her insights into what was happening to her.
- Golly. This word is Onna's go to reaction to surprise or awe. Every time I read it, it jolted me out of the narrative. It seems so archaic, so belonging to a specific time and place, that I couldn't accept it as part of Onna's culture.
Pros:
- Fun, mind boggling gender play that goes beyond M/F to reig/vahn. It's still a binary, but R/V roles have little to do with genitalia, which you don't find often in literature.
- Tsira has an unmistakable, unique voice. I loved her character and wanted more of her.
- Onna is a brilliant mathematician who is stymied by misogyny. She is determined enough to seek opportunities, which leads her on a marvelous adventure.
- The author's decision not to explain everything. There are some aspects of the culture that are wivern through the book without much backstory. I appreciated that. Just as when you visit a foreign country, you have to adapt when reading this book and learn what to take for granted. I liked that the author trusted her readers enough not to spell every single thing out.
Cons:
- Yet another fantasy built on British culture? I like the UK also, but this is fantasy. Can't we use a different foundation while world building and stretch our imaginations a little more?
- Not enough of Tsira and Onna. Onna particular gets lost as the book proceeds. Her narrative voice appears less frequently. She goes through tremendous changes that the reader only experiences through the eyes of other narrators. I would have loved more of her, particularly more of her insights into what was happening to her.
- Golly. This word is Onna's go to reaction to surprise or awe. Every time I read it, it jolted me out of the narrative. It seems so archaic, so belonging to a specific time and place, that I couldn't accept it as part of Onna's culture.
jodepi's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.5