A review by kittyg
The Sorcerer's Concubine by Jaclyn Dolamore
3.0
This was one of the last #SPFBO books I had to get around to reading and although some elements were a pleasant surprise for me, I found some areas of the plot and concept a little too troubling too. This story focuses on a main character called Velsa who is a Farnalem. Farnalem are essentially enchanted dolls who are made with wooden bones, skin with stuffing, waterproof hands, and are the same in most other ways as regular women. They each have a soul which is trapped within them to make them 'real' and they are all uniquely crafted at different institutes in the world where thew story takes place. These ladies/men are all the remnants of 'real' people (supposedly evil ones) who have been trapped on their planet in this new form and made to become concubines to the 'flesh and blood' people of the world.
Velsa's story was one which immediately felt readable. She's a relatable character and she comes across as young, but also someone who we can feel for as the reader. Her life to this point has been training and prep for the moment where she can be 'bought' by her 'master'. She's terrified of getting a 'bad' master, and she tries her best not to be wilful - something relatively hard for Vesla as she's got a gold band which stops her magical powers or telekineses and makes her feel somehow less than she should be.
What I liked about this was the concept of the world and the set up felt very intriguing to me. The moment I found out the idea of Farnalem I was reminded of those in Westworld and I really like exploring the morals/ethics of when is a person a person etc. I definitely feel like that was a great part of this book, along with the wonderful representation of some more diverse groups (e.g. lesbians etc.)
One part of the book which jarred a little more with me was the whole concept of love. Velsa and her master inevitably end up falling for one another, but I felt like this all happened far too fast on Vesla's part after seeing how guarded she was at first. I think I would have liked to see a more gradual build here as I think that meant her character was a little hard to believe at times.
The other part I didn't like as much was the girl vs. girl trope. I've seen this happen in life and in stories so many times, and I feel like I'd really enjoy not seeing the 'bad guy' of the story being another girl who really could have helped or been beneficial to our main character just because it's a bit easier to write. Maybe that's a personal niggle, either way it wasn't too major to detract my enjoyment.
In the end I gave this a solid 3.5*s and I would recommend it as it's a very good concept and it has some really interesting ideas which are discussed. Although I had a few quibbles, generally I read it super quickly and found myself keen to get back to it and see what would happen next :)
Velsa's story was one which immediately felt readable. She's a relatable character and she comes across as young, but also someone who we can feel for as the reader. Her life to this point has been training and prep for the moment where she can be 'bought' by her 'master'. She's terrified of getting a 'bad' master, and she tries her best not to be wilful - something relatively hard for Vesla as she's got a gold band which stops her magical powers or telekineses and makes her feel somehow less than she should be.
What I liked about this was the concept of the world and the set up felt very intriguing to me. The moment I found out the idea of Farnalem I was reminded of those in Westworld and I really like exploring the morals/ethics of when is a person a person etc. I definitely feel like that was a great part of this book, along with the wonderful representation of some more diverse groups (e.g. lesbians etc.)
One part of the book which jarred a little more with me was the whole concept of love. Velsa and her master inevitably end up falling for one another, but I felt like this all happened far too fast on Vesla's part after seeing how guarded she was at first. I think I would have liked to see a more gradual build here as I think that meant her character was a little hard to believe at times.
The other part I didn't like as much was the girl vs. girl trope. I've seen this happen in life and in stories so many times, and I feel like I'd really enjoy not seeing the 'bad guy' of the story being another girl who really could have helped or been beneficial to our main character just because it's a bit easier to write. Maybe that's a personal niggle, either way it wasn't too major to detract my enjoyment.
In the end I gave this a solid 3.5*s and I would recommend it as it's a very good concept and it has some really interesting ideas which are discussed. Although I had a few quibbles, generally I read it super quickly and found myself keen to get back to it and see what would happen next :)