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A review by andipants
City of Jasmine by Deanna Raybourn
2.0
After my last experience with this author, I was wary, but the description on the back sounded interesting and I really really wanted it to be good, so I gave this one a try. It was...okay. I really liked the Middle Eastern setting and the political intrigue; the first third of the book, where they arrive in Damascus and are touristing around the city, are pretty good for that alone. And the main character, Evie, was much more likable than Delilah in [b:A Spear of Summer Grass|16074560|A Spear of Summer Grass|Deanna Raybourn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356914412s/16074560.jpg|19200712]. (Side note: I didn't realize this before, but it is set in the same universe - Delilah is an acquaintance of Evie's, and Ryder is the one who taught Evie to fly, though neither appear in this story).
The story itself, though, is unimpressive. I called the twist from the very beginning, and Gabriel's reasons for (and methods of) contacting Evie at that particular moment seemed a stretch. The coded messages he sends her are ridiculous; the fact that she receives and understands them as intended is more a testament to the power of coincidence and a complete lack of common sense on her part than any real cleverness. The plot is stupidly convoluted; I gave up trying to keep track of who was double-crossing whom, because the answer was EVERYONE. One betrayal is a plot twist; two are surprising, but beyond that, the story loses any suspense because the reader just assumes that everyone is a double agent it's pointless to pay attention because they all will switch "sides" a dozen times before the good guys finally win in the end. And for all that she is set up as a "modern woman" full of spunk and derring-do, Evie is distressingly helpless in key moments of action. She regularly gets herself into trouble and then has to be rescued by the men around her. Ugh.
And, though it wasn't quite so overt as in the other book, this one still has its share of racism, mostly of the archetype/caricature variety. You have the evil, scheming half-breed, the tribe of noble savages, and the white savior who sweeps in to rally the natives who otherwise couldn't possibly overcome their tribal differences to unite against their white oppressors (the comparison to Lawrence of Arabia is repeatedly and explicitly made in the text). To her credit, near the end, Evie has a revelation that she has been exoticizing the locals in Damascus, and she realizes that they are just people going about their everyday lives, just like the people in England. But that's pretty small consolation, all things considered.
The story itself, though, is unimpressive. I called the twist
Spoiler
that Gabriel disappeared because he was doing secret government workAnd, though it wasn't quite so overt as in the other book, this one still has its share of racism, mostly of the archetype/caricature variety. You have the evil, scheming half-breed, the tribe of noble savages, and the white savior who sweeps in to rally the natives who otherwise couldn't possibly overcome their tribal differences to unite against their white oppressors (the comparison to Lawrence of Arabia is repeatedly and explicitly made in the text). To her credit, near the end, Evie has a revelation that she has been exoticizing the locals in Damascus, and she realizes that they are just people going about their everyday lives, just like the people in England. But that's pretty small consolation, all things considered.