A review by decafplease
Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff
5.0
I could mention Stormdancer, Wild Mage and The Alchemy of Stone in the same breath and it wouldn't seem out of place because it can definitely hold its ground even against two of my favourite novels. I want to use the word "epic" to describe it but only in the most essentialist way. It was epic because it was heroic, romantic, tragic, and dramatic--and everything was done with style.
Style. (Sigh.) What so many writers lack. I maintain that a well-written book is readable as much as enjoyable. And this one I relished to the uttermost. The steampunk rendition had artistry, but it was not in the same vein as The Alchemy of Stone's aesthetics. There was a kind of heaviness to Sedia's novel. Thick. Unmoving. Suffocating. In this novel, however, it was Kristoff's use of colour that I found striking. Silver wings. Red flowers. Ink black tattoos. Dust-red skies. Blue blades. Night-dark stones. Ashen smoke.
There were a few cringe-worthy, anachronistic words that I believe shouldn't appear, but mostly the plot, the writing, the world-building, the pacing, and the characters all complimented one another and produced stunning effects. I read this on my ipad so I couldn't quite tell how many paperback pages it amounted to, but all the time I was wishing that it wouldn't end so soon.
I actually have a checklist of the things I wanted to briefly discuss: Kristoff's representation of the Oriental, anthropomorphism and animal rights, ecocritical messages, the relationship between Yukiko, Kin, and Hiro, similarities and differences between Yukiko and Daine, the Guild, the Samurai code of Honor, and naturally, Buruu, but I must dash, so maybe I'll come back to this review later because I'll definitely re-read this when I have time.
Style. (Sigh.) What so many writers lack. I maintain that a well-written book is readable as much as enjoyable. And this one I relished to the uttermost. The steampunk rendition had artistry, but it was not in the same vein as The Alchemy of Stone's aesthetics. There was a kind of heaviness to Sedia's novel. Thick. Unmoving. Suffocating. In this novel, however, it was Kristoff's use of colour that I found striking. Silver wings. Red flowers. Ink black tattoos. Dust-red skies. Blue blades. Night-dark stones. Ashen smoke.
There were a few cringe-worthy, anachronistic words that I believe shouldn't appear, but mostly the plot, the writing, the world-building, the pacing, and the characters all complimented one another and produced stunning effects. I read this on my ipad so I couldn't quite tell how many paperback pages it amounted to, but all the time I was wishing that it wouldn't end so soon.
I actually have a checklist of the things I wanted to briefly discuss: Kristoff's representation of the Oriental, anthropomorphism and animal rights, ecocritical messages, the relationship between Yukiko, Kin, and Hiro, similarities and differences between Yukiko and Daine, the Guild, the Samurai code of Honor, and naturally, Buruu, but I must dash, so maybe I'll come back to this review later because I'll definitely re-read this when I have time.