houndpits's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
3.75
The first two books (The Black Tides of Heaven and The Red Threads of Fortune) were absolutely brilliant. Well-paced, interesting stories and lovable characters. Book three was good, I enjoyed the writing style a lot but I wanted just a little more. Book four however really lost me. Hated the writing style, found it a big jarring and annoying at times, and it was a storyline I didn't particularly care about to begin with. A good series in all, just a shame it left on a slightly boring note.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Child abuse
sashahc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a fantasy series full of shifting genders, vague sexualities, politics, and magic.
Neon Yang’s ”Tensorate” series were some of the first fantasy books I read by an out non-binary author. The novellas are multi-generational and deeply political in a rich world. Lots of rebellion both social and internal. They aren’t exactly cozy, but these are characters you want to visit with and who you miss when they are gone. There are traumas, though, and it’s worth finding a trigger warning list. The world building is fantastic and there is a great balance of plot and character, not to mention some playing with form. Some have called them “silkpunk,” and Yang basically agrees.
Neon Yang’s ”Tensorate” series were some of the first fantasy books I read by an out non-binary author. The novellas are multi-generational and deeply political in a rich world. Lots of rebellion both social and internal. They aren’t exactly cozy, but these are characters you want to visit with and who you miss when they are gone. There are traumas, though, and it’s worth finding a trigger warning list. The world building is fantastic and there is a great balance of plot and character, not to mention some playing with form. Some have called them “silkpunk,” and Yang basically agrees.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Abandonment
starrygal's review against another edition
3.25
Good series. Refreshing to see fantasy inspired by Southeast Asia for once instead of Europe.
jes's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
adesinabrown's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
5.0
emjayreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.25
elisabeths_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
alexgo's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
maramergens's review against another edition
3.25
The last two novellas were much harder to follow and took the focus away from the twins completely. Mokoya wasn’t even named in the fourth novella. I’m all about multiple narrators and perspectives, but I wish it had brought us back to Mokoya and Akeha in the end. We didn’t even get to hear about Akeha transitioning to they/them pronouns from their own perspective. They were reluctant to pick a gender in the first novella so it was cool to see that come full circle with them deciding the didn’t have to choose between man and woman, but why do we hear about this from a third party observer? Some of the world building was also a little confusing, like why does the sun set multiple times during the day? This was a specific detail that wasn’t fully explained so it didn’t really add anything to the story. All this to say, I’d rate the first two around 3 or 4, the second two around 2 or 3.
laszloluvr's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25