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A review by kavrhymes
The Seventh Perfection by Daniel Polansky
3.0
I got a copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
What you'll notice first is the unusual pov style used in this novella. It's told entirely through speech, but only in terms of what others around are main character are saying, and we can't hear anything our main character says. I'm used to experimental styles thanks to fanfic, and thought it kind of lent to the "solve the mystery" air. We'd have to learn about the world and our main character through what others can tell us.
Our main character is a servant/slave of a god emperor who has mastered seven "perfections" or arts, and looking for answers in town to solve a mystery. This leads her to learn a lot about herself and the empire she serves.
For the most part the narration succeeds, but towards the end I got lost a bit. It doesn't help that we skip the climax or major task entirely and only hear that it happened through confusing metaphor. The twist at the end would have been more compelling if I wasn't caught up over missing a good old fight and struggle
A decent attempt at challenging narrative convention, but could be better.
What you'll notice first is the unusual pov style used in this novella. It's told entirely through speech, but only in terms of what others around are main character are saying, and we can't hear anything our main character says. I'm used to experimental styles thanks to fanfic, and thought it kind of lent to the "solve the mystery" air. We'd have to learn about the world and our main character through what others can tell us.
Our main character is a servant/slave of a god emperor who has mastered seven "perfections" or arts, and looking for answers in town to solve a mystery. This leads her to learn a lot about herself and the empire she serves.
For the most part the narration succeeds, but towards the end I got lost a bit. It doesn't help that we skip the climax or major task entirely and only hear that it happened through confusing metaphor. The twist at the end would have been more compelling if I wasn't caught up over missing a good old fight and struggle
A decent attempt at challenging narrative convention, but could be better.