A review by receal
The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

adventurous dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

For a historical fantasy book with a great set up on the evils of colonialism and power, I was quite disappointed that I couldn't connect with the main character Baru. It felt like I was always on the cusp of getting a deeper look into Baru but then suddenly pushed to the next plot point. And despite feeling this, the pacing was quite slow. Loved the concept of the plot but the execution was uninspiring. Same with the characters; an interesting cast put together and yet their motivations, interactions and opinion from Baru felt flat and lifeless. To put it simply, I'm very curious about what may happen in the next book but won't be reading it do to how much this book's execution bore me.
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