atarbett's review against another edition
I tried to give this series another shot, even though I couldn't care less about the first one. But I thought, maybe the second one gets better. That happens sometimes.
Nope. I made it about halfway through and I still didn't give a damn about any of the characters or what was happening to them. They may as well have been interchangeable.
The plot felt rushed and disjointed. At the half-way marker, I really couldn't explain what the plot was about or why I should continue reading. I suppose I could probably force myself to finish it, but really, life's too short to waste time on bad stories.
Nope. I made it about halfway through and I still didn't give a damn about any of the characters or what was happening to them. They may as well have been interchangeable.
The plot felt rushed and disjointed. At the half-way marker, I really couldn't explain what the plot was about or why I should continue reading. I suppose I could probably force myself to finish it, but really, life's too short to waste time on bad stories.
joelevard's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't finish this book. I just want to point that out up top.
Prior to this year, I hadn't read a great deal of fantasy, and I think I am still getting my feet wet to some degree. Practically every series I read about has passionate defenders that insist it does things differently/subverts cliché/breaks new ground/provides a fresh take on old tropes. And suddenly, my to-read shelves are bulging.
But then I read the books, and they feel old hat, despite intriguing elements. In the case of The Bone Palace, the novel idea of a transgendered assassin is quickly undone by some vampiric villains (snore). The dirty city setting is sketchily drawn and rather uninspiring (but it appears the sewers rival those of Paris, if the first 200 pages are any indication).
I don't really think this is a bad book -- I even liked some of what I read -- but it didn't engage me at all. Starting a new fantasy series obviously always involves some heavy lifting, and this one didn't give me the motivation to struggle through. Ah well.
And I can't even blame the fact that I read it for a book club, since I was the one who nominated. Write a blog post telling me your fantasy or sci-fi book involves some interesting gender/queer theory, and I will probably read it. Give it awesome cover art, I might even buy it!
Apparently, though, I can't promise I will finish it.
Prior to this year, I hadn't read a great deal of fantasy, and I think I am still getting my feet wet to some degree. Practically every series I read about has passionate defenders that insist it does things differently/subverts cliché/breaks new ground/provides a fresh take on old tropes. And suddenly, my to-read shelves are bulging.
But then I read the books, and they feel old hat, despite intriguing elements. In the case of The Bone Palace, the novel idea of a transgendered assassin is quickly undone by some vampiric villains (snore). The dirty city setting is sketchily drawn and rather uninspiring (but it appears the sewers rival those of Paris, if the first 200 pages are any indication).
I don't really think this is a bad book -- I even liked some of what I read -- but it didn't engage me at all. Starting a new fantasy series obviously always involves some heavy lifting, and this one didn't give me the motivation to struggle through. Ah well.
And I can't even blame the fact that I read it for a book club, since I was the one who nominated. Write a blog post telling me your fantasy or sci-fi book involves some interesting gender/queer theory, and I will probably read it. Give it awesome cover art, I might even buy it!
Apparently, though, I can't promise I will finish it.
sumayyah_t's review against another edition
4.0
Superior in tone and style to the first book in the series. This one has vampires, blood magic, necromancy, palace intrigue, and the introduction of several characters that fall under the lgbt umbrella, including at least 2 that are of the third sex. Takes a few chapters to keep track of the names.
concertina's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
3.5
alisonalisonalison's review against another edition
3.0
Two stars, plus a special bonus star for a refreshingly ordinary trans main character. I read this because it has a trans main character, and also it sounded cool. There is a lot that's good in this--like the cool trans main character, the fact that the majority of the main characters are female, there are several queer characters and many characters who aren't white, and there's a refreshingly relaxed attitude about sexual orientation where people simply like who they like and everyone gets on with their lives. This should have been an exciting book--it's a fantasy murder mystery story with magic and necromancy and creepy vampires and revolutionaries and assassination plots and gorgeous clothes and intriguing romantic subplots. Unfortunately, it was not exciting and I almost stopped reading this due to not really caring about any of it. I kept reading because of the aforementioned cool trans main character, because she, in her normality, is what made this book interesting for me. This book gets a bonus star just for this character. It's a two-star "okay" book otherwise and I skimmed quite a lot. There's some good ideas here and a nice cover and I love the diversity of the cast, but I was not engaged. I should note that I did not read the first book in the series and this one did seem to stand alone very well.
cupiscent's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed the first of these ([b:The Drowning City|6296885|The Drowning City (The Necromancer Chronicles, #1)|Amanda Downum|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327901734s/6296885.jpg|6481427]) but didn't find it amazing. The Bone Palace, however, built on the introduction of the main character and just took off. The pace was excellent, and the writing just sang in a way the first one never quite managed for me. Ms Downum's phrasing is rich, varied and replete with sensorial detail, even if she occasionally overuses a word or two. For instance, "conflagrant" is such a stand-out word that it can probably only be supported once a book, especially if you're burning through the pages as fast as this tight-plotted and splendidly turned-out book almost demanded.
I particularly loved the "third gender" (as trans-gender people of all kinds are referred to in the world of the books) characters in this story. Savedra is an amazing, complex, sympathetic, understandable character, who is introduced and developed with deftness and sensitivity. She is also privileged, and well aware of her privilege - which makes her a nice contrast with the general perception/treatment of androgynes, a specific example of which is also introduced with deftness and sensitivity later in the book.
All of which turns the book incidentally into an excellent consideration of the element of gender in the struggle for identity (nicely supported by cisgender characters with non-real-world-traditional senses of their gender) AND a consideration of privilege. I say incidentally, because it never gets anywhere near preaching on this, but does all of it in the background of a rollicking fantasy urban adventure.
And for that, fuck it, I'm giving the book fives stars, because while it's not perfect, it's an amazing achievement, and a damn good read.
I particularly loved the "third gender" (as trans-gender people of all kinds are referred to in the world of the books) characters in this story. Savedra is an amazing, complex, sympathetic, understandable character, who is introduced and developed with deftness and sensitivity. She is also privileged, and well aware of her privilege - which makes her a nice contrast with the general perception/treatment of androgynes, a specific example of which is also introduced with deftness and sensitivity later in the book.
All of which turns the book incidentally into an excellent consideration of the element of gender in the struggle for identity (nicely supported by cisgender characters with non-real-world-traditional senses of their gender) AND a consideration of privilege. I say incidentally, because it never gets anywhere near preaching on this, but does all of it in the background of a rollicking fantasy urban adventure.
And for that, fuck it, I'm giving the book fives stars, because while it's not perfect, it's an amazing achievement, and a damn good read.
cpeel's review against another edition
2.0
An interesting take on not-all-necromancy-is-evil. I did enjoy how many of the characters were bi as it enabled some very interesting character dynamics. Ditto having lots of strong female protagonists and busting out of conventional gender roles all across the board.
That said, the story and the world were just OK fantasy.
That said, the story and the world were just OK fantasy.
besha's review against another edition
5.0
I don’t often have a sense of loss after finishing fiction—I shelve the world and move on to another. After reading this and its prequel I wandered around with the unsettling feeling that some large and well-written component of my life had disappeared.
The magic is complex and well-thought-out, the politics are dense and entertaining, and the cultures are analogous to the real world but dissimilar enough that it doesn’t feel lazy. Some surprising subcultures and customs make appearances, most notably the hijra, whom Downum portrays with care and grace.
Her sentence-level writing can be a little melodramatic, but she pays close attention to sensory experiences and has incredible skill in invoking them: the flavor of pastry, the chaos of a riot, the dankness of a vampire’s lair, the scent of a demoness’s perfume.
That, by the way, is an inside joke that I don’t want to spoil, but I’ll say that it’s possible to purchase the blend in question. I got a sample and learned that cinnamon perfume 1) smells like Red Hots and 2) will actually burn your skin. Presumably the demoness is unfamiliar with the former and immune to the latter.
I’m really looking forward to the third novel in this series, in part because it will provide an excuse to reread these two books.
The magic is complex and well-thought-out, the politics are dense and entertaining, and the cultures are analogous to the real world but dissimilar enough that it doesn’t feel lazy. Some surprising subcultures and customs make appearances, most notably the hijra, whom Downum portrays with care and grace.
Her sentence-level writing can be a little melodramatic, but she pays close attention to sensory experiences and has incredible skill in invoking them: the flavor of pastry, the chaos of a riot, the dankness of a vampire’s lair, the scent of a demoness’s perfume.
That, by the way, is an inside joke that I don’t want to spoil, but I’ll say that it’s possible to purchase the blend in question. I got a sample and learned that cinnamon perfume 1) smells like Red Hots and 2) will actually burn your skin. Presumably the demoness is unfamiliar with the former and immune to the latter.
I’m really looking forward to the third novel in this series, in part because it will provide an excuse to reread these two books.