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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
It took me a while, and some other reads, to finish this 464 page journey that is surely best enjoyed when one is not in an irritable mood or is in no hurry.
It is a story of multiple kingdoms, most of which you will visit, in part because our reluctant and hapless hero —who *is* every twist and turn of the novel. No plan went accordingly, though to be fair, his plans were gestures to begin with. His uncertainty of mind was constant—when directed at himself, anyway. Amir was quite adept at ready everyone else, it seemed.
I finally felt like we could know what was really going on half way through and if I’d been in a mood to luxuriate in the magnificent world and plot the author has woven, I wouldn’t have been so impatient with it.
The conversations on oppression and the plotting of how to overthrow the religious and economic system that holds it in place is interesting, and evolving, and constant. It reminded me of Samir Batsu’s Jinn-bot of Shantiport that way. Those parts are certainly worthwhile.
Was the ending, ultimately, satisfying? I’m uncertain.
It is a story of multiple kingdoms, most of which you will visit, in part because our reluctant and hapless hero —who *is* every twist and turn of the novel. No plan went accordingly, though to be fair, his plans were gestures to begin with. His uncertainty of mind was constant—when directed at himself, anyway. Amir was quite adept at ready everyone else, it seemed.
I finally felt like we could know what was really going on half way through and if I’d been in a mood to luxuriate in the magnificent world and plot the author has woven, I wouldn’t have been so impatient with it.
The conversations on oppression and the plotting of how to overthrow the religious and economic system that holds it in place is interesting, and evolving, and constant. It reminded me of Samir Batsu’s Jinn-bot of Shantiport that way. Those parts are certainly worthwhile.
Was the ending, ultimately, satisfying? I’m uncertain.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Religious bigotry
DNF at 126 pages :(
Why I DNF:
Feel like it had a lot of potential but it seriously needs editing down! Lots of telling not showing, so much of the initial bits of it are just info-dumping as much detail as possible about the world / lore. But not in a clever or integrated way, it just feels like there’s no plot going on and lots of “setting up” but it’s incredibly slow and ineffectual. And even after all that description, I still feel lost & confused about the setting.
I kept going with it, hoping that once it moved past the set up it would be more gripping, but that just didn’t materialise for me, unfortunately. Nothing ever felt properly developed and every time something exciting happened that could pick up the pace, it was slowed right back down again. I really wanted to like it, but unfortunately just not for me.
Positives:
🌿 Unique concept & world that has a lot of potential
🌿 Important messaging & underlying concepts explored
🌿 Diverse representation
Negatives:
🍂 Unlikable and flat characters- the protagonist feels distant and is hard to relate to / connect with. Most the the other characters aren’t developed fully enough for me to have an opinion on them (at least to the point I read up to)
🍂 Info-dumping, telling not showing, complex lore which was not communicated to the reader in a compelling or understandable way
🍂 Slow pacing & lack of action
🍂 Randomly in-depth descriptions of urine & faeces, spent more time describing this than the scenery, sometimes
A neutral point:
🌱 There was a lot of culture specific language used, or at least language derived from various Indian dialects. I don’t mind this by any means, but I would have found it useful if these terms were explained more fully or put into a context that made it clear what they are. As with any fantasy world, the nuances of the language need to be explained to the reader. But because elements of this dialect were pulled directly from real languages, there seemed to be an odd assumption that the reader would just ✨know✨ what it all meant. It would be a big positive to the immersive world-building if a little bit more care was taken to illustrate the meanings of the terms. A specific example for me is the use of “Ho” to refer to one another at the start of sentences. I could never quite gauge whether it was supposed to be endearment, affection, derision, scorn, passion or what 🤷🏻♀️ no idea what the tone of it was supposed to be.
Why I DNF:
Feel like it had a lot of potential but it seriously needs editing down! Lots of telling not showing, so much of the initial bits of it are just info-dumping as much detail as possible about the world / lore. But not in a clever or integrated way, it just feels like there’s no plot going on and lots of “setting up” but it’s incredibly slow and ineffectual. And even after all that description, I still feel lost & confused about the setting.
I kept going with it, hoping that once it moved past the set up it would be more gripping, but that just didn’t materialise for me, unfortunately. Nothing ever felt properly developed and every time something exciting happened that could pick up the pace, it was slowed right back down again. I really wanted to like it, but unfortunately just not for me.
Positives:
🌿 Unique concept & world that has a lot of potential
🌿 Important messaging & underlying concepts explored
🌿 Diverse representation
Negatives:
🍂 Unlikable and flat characters- the protagonist feels distant and is hard to relate to / connect with. Most the the other characters aren’t developed fully enough for me to have an opinion on them (at least to the point I read up to)
🍂 Info-dumping, telling not showing, complex lore which was not communicated to the reader in a compelling or understandable way
🍂 Slow pacing & lack of action
🍂 Randomly in-depth descriptions of urine & faeces, spent more time describing this than the scenery, sometimes
A neutral point:
🌱 There was a lot of culture specific language used, or at least language derived from various Indian dialects. I don’t mind this by any means, but I would have found it useful if these terms were explained more fully or put into a context that made it clear what they are. As with any fantasy world, the nuances of the language need to be explained to the reader. But because elements of this dialect were pulled directly from real languages, there seemed to be an odd assumption that the reader would just ✨know✨ what it all meant. It would be a big positive to the immersive world-building if a little bit more care was taken to illustrate the meanings of the terms. A specific example for me is the use of “Ho” to refer to one another at the start of sentences. I could never quite gauge whether it was supposed to be endearment, affection, derision, scorn, passion or what 🤷🏻♀️ no idea what the tone of it was supposed to be.
I started my reading journey with a fantasy series (the one which can't be named, IYKYK), but after reading that, I haven't read the genre much and touched it very rarely. So it takes a lot for me to pick up a fantasy book, and the book needs to be intriguing enough to keep me hooked till the end. And this one delivered it completely and ticked off all the marks that I would like to have in a book.
The Spice Gate by Prashanth Srivatsa is a debut fantasy novel that takes us to the world of eight far-flung kingdoms, each separated from each other by a distant spice but connected through the Spice Gates, which are accessible only to the ones who are born with a special mark. But the thing is that the thing that may make someone special becomes the reason for their subjugation and makes them suffer not only by the rich masters but through the Gate itself by the unbearable pain whenever they pass through it. One such spice carrier is Amir, a boy with the dream of escaping with his family from this carrier duty and pain. But what will happen when the dream of freedom comes with fierce consequences, the ones that can shake the foundation of their world? What will happen when not only the throne keepers but even Gods get involved in it? Read the book to find out.
The world-building is top-notch and fluid and even though the story is fantasy, it has deep connections with Indian roots in the form of spices, caste division and historical events, and thus it makes it more interesting and engaging. The writing is engaging and addictive, and though the pace is not uniform, the story is compelling nevertheless.
The character of Amir is layered and one can witness the growth in his characterization as the story unfolds. His relationship with Karim Bhai and Harini shows the disparities in the hierarchical order, and at the same time, reflects the courage needed to tear the shackles of traditions and oppression.
It is not difficult to find the parallels between the subjugated class in the fantasy world and the real world, where one can find the deep-rooted historical baggage of marginalization, untouchability, oppression and dominion.
I am deeply stunned by this tome of a book, and I have a lot to talk about and discuss this book even after what I have written above (and I wish I had enough courage to come in front of a camera and blabber about how fascinating the book is) but till I do it again, I hope you pick up this book and immerse yourself in the wonder of this book. This is one of my favourite reads of this year, and if you are even considering reading a fantasy, think about it.
The Spice Gate by Prashanth Srivatsa is a debut fantasy novel that takes us to the world of eight far-flung kingdoms, each separated from each other by a distant spice but connected through the Spice Gates, which are accessible only to the ones who are born with a special mark. But the thing is that the thing that may make someone special becomes the reason for their subjugation and makes them suffer not only by the rich masters but through the Gate itself by the unbearable pain whenever they pass through it. One such spice carrier is Amir, a boy with the dream of escaping with his family from this carrier duty and pain. But what will happen when the dream of freedom comes with fierce consequences, the ones that can shake the foundation of their world? What will happen when not only the throne keepers but even Gods get involved in it? Read the book to find out.
The world-building is top-notch and fluid and even though the story is fantasy, it has deep connections with Indian roots in the form of spices, caste division and historical events, and thus it makes it more interesting and engaging. The writing is engaging and addictive, and though the pace is not uniform, the story is compelling nevertheless.
The character of Amir is layered and one can witness the growth in his characterization as the story unfolds. His relationship with Karim Bhai and Harini shows the disparities in the hierarchical order, and at the same time, reflects the courage needed to tear the shackles of traditions and oppression.
It is not difficult to find the parallels between the subjugated class in the fantasy world and the real world, where one can find the deep-rooted historical baggage of marginalization, untouchability, oppression and dominion.
I am deeply stunned by this tome of a book, and I have a lot to talk about and discuss this book even after what I have written above (and I wish I had enough courage to come in front of a camera and blabber about how fascinating the book is) but till I do it again, I hope you pick up this book and immerse yourself in the wonder of this book. This is one of my favourite reads of this year, and if you are even considering reading a fantasy, think about it.
adventurous
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:
Yes
Amir is a carrier, one of the few able to pass through the spice gates, but he is tired of being oppressed and has a plan to free himself and his family is he can just get his hands on the poison he needs...
While this didn't make me want to DNF it I also wasn't terribly invested in the characters at any point either and the only one I was wasn't the MC unfortunately.
I did enjoy that it was a standalone with an interesting premise and I'd be curious to see what the author writes next.
While this didn't make me want to DNF it I also wasn't terribly invested in the characters at any point either and the only one I was wasn't the MC unfortunately.
I did enjoy that it was a standalone with an interesting premise and I'd be curious to see what the author writes next.
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No