A review by emilyredwood
A Fire Born of Exile by Aliette de Bodard

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I'm not sure why this was such a struggle for me to get through because normally I love sci fi like this and revenge plots a la Count Of Monte Christo, but I just felt so distant from the whole thing. I had no attachment to any characters and the world building was hard to grasp. Perhaps if I'd read others in the series first that would have been better? It's also super slow to start and I didn't feel any urgency until about two thirds through at which point I kind of struggled to finish. The writing was otherwise fine and I liked the ideas but the execution really fell flat. Bit of a shame as I was really looking forward to this but it just didn't click with me.