A review by malglories
The Guns Above by Robyn Bennis
3.0
The Guns Above is a really cool concept, blending a Napoleonic-like war and society with steampunk, narrated by a female captain of an airship and a bratty rich boy sent to spy on her. I liked the way it dealt with the sexism of the society, though it hurt to read at times, and the characters themselves were charming and real.
However, the style just wasn't my fit - it's not that it's written badly, it's just written in such a way that I couldn't connect. I tend to go for books with more elegant language, and this is more brass, more familiar, more funny, even. That's not a bad thing. We just didn't mesh, the prose and I.
Additionally, the technical descriptions of the airship and its parts, which are so important to the plot, were confusing. I couldn't understand where the characters were or what they were doing half the time because none of it is really explained. That also led to my feeling a little alienated.
So, in summation, The Guns Above is a good book, but not a good book for me.
However, the style just wasn't my fit - it's not that it's written badly, it's just written in such a way that I couldn't connect. I tend to go for books with more elegant language, and this is more brass, more familiar, more funny, even. That's not a bad thing. We just didn't mesh, the prose and I.
Additionally, the technical descriptions of the airship and its parts, which are so important to the plot, were confusing. I couldn't understand where the characters were or what they were doing half the time because none of it is really explained. That also led to my feeling a little alienated.
So, in summation, The Guns Above is a good book, but not a good book for me.