A review by marpesea
Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee
Stopped at pg 78 (4 past Nancy Pearl's recommended 100 minus your age).
This book had some promise, but it got bogged down in the need to feel gritty and rough. What's the easiest way to make something gritty and rough? Prostitutes, attempted sexual assault, sexual harassment. In the first 78 pages there are multiple descriptions of open air sex workers and a seedy brothel (the owner pressures the main character to work there and the second time she barely escapes). I'm tired of reading fantasy worlds where sexual abuse is everywhere, especially when it's used as shorthand to make a world rough. Add to this a burgeoning, but boring romance and a slow plot-- not for me.
The rest of the story could have been interesting, but it didn't engage me enough to make me want to read any further.
This book had some promise, but it got bogged down in the need to feel gritty and rough. What's the easiest way to make something gritty and rough? Prostitutes, attempted sexual assault, sexual harassment. In the first 78 pages there are multiple descriptions of open air sex workers and a seedy brothel (the owner pressures the main character to work there and the second time she barely escapes). I'm tired of reading fantasy worlds where sexual abuse is everywhere, especially when it's used as shorthand to make a world rough. Add to this a burgeoning, but boring romance and a slow plot-- not for me.
The rest of the story could have been interesting, but it didn't engage me enough to make me want to read any further.