See, the thing is, I don't KNOW. It was just a huge struggle to get through. Like, I never felt properly invested in the characters or the tasks they undertook or any of it really. Most of the book didn't make me feel anything but bored. And I don't know why.
Also I felt bad about not liking it much, especially as I read it after sitting at a con and listening to Tamora Pierce gush about how much she loved it and how cute Curdle was. (The main thing I noticed about Curdle was how it suffered from Disappearing Sidekick Syndrome.)
So, given that there seems to be significant overlap in our reading choices (I'm obsessed with Attolia, and particularly The King of Attolia... especially the scene at the end up on the tower (much less dramatic than it sounds) with Costis and Gen that I read about 500 times my first year of grad school because it so exactly captured my feelings about life. So, if you haven't read that one yet, enjoy it.
Also, have you read any of the Liaden Universe novels by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller? Because they're my current obsession. Particularly the series about Theo (Fledgling/Saltation/Ghost Ship/Dragon Ship), but also in general. Science fiction, with inspirations for some of the novels (not the ones about Theo) drawn from Georgette Heyer and Dorothy Sayers, which means that you get futuristic regency crossed with women who have agency, and you see why my heart is a-flutter. If you haven't read them, they can eat at least a week of your life.
Also, you still talk to sarah-marie! Please say hello to her for me.
I have not read any of them, no! And apparently at least part of the reason why is that Chicopee Public Library has none in their collection, and my method for grabbing new books is "go up and down the aisles and grab whatever looks interesting/is by an author I've enjoyed in the past". I'll have to order some up from other CW-MARS libraries.
Not only talk to her, I work for her. Which is weird sometimes, as she's also one of two friends-who-are-not-my-husband who lives in the area. So yes, I'll tell her you said hello!
YES THERE WILL BE ANOTHER PERSON WHO UNDERSTANDS MY OBSESSION. Fledgling is the first one I read, too. Not necessarily my favorite, but a very good introduction to the series/world. Most of the books are about Theo's father's family, who she doesn't find out about at all until way after Fledgling ends.
Also, you will discover another point of awesomeness that I forgot to mention: there are lots of cats. This is a constant throughout the series.
I read maybe 3/4 of Fisher's Relic Master series and thought it was all right, but clearly not so much that I had to finish it. I really did like the way you could piece together the history of a terraforming project gone wrong while the current characters are ascribing mystical Clarke's Law qualities to their terraforming efforts, though. I think the big problem was that it suffered from Bland Main Character Syndrome: all the supporting characters were interesting, but I can't even remember the main character's name.
By the way, I plowed through Cinder in one sitting. Loved it. Especially the fact that there is an EVIL QUEEN OF THE MOON, which is just so deliciously Golden Agey. (Also, for once, it actually answered a question I've always had about those tongue-tied plain main characters that the prince seems to be attracted to despite how goddamn awkward all their encounters are. The prince's advisor points out that the prince is acting like a "lovesick teenager," and I was like, "Oh, right! Princes can get irrational love-
( ... )
Huh, that may also be a problem with Incarceron. I mean, I'm enjoying it well enough, but the main characters are kind of bland. I think it's that I like the ideas behind the writing, and I like several of the secondary characters well enough, and that's what is keeping me reading.
Oh, Cinder. It takes a lot of things that have been done before and makes them work so damn well together that you forget how big of a cliche some of this stuff is. (Also, it's not like plain main characters are ever ACTUALLY plain... I mean, we can at least rely on them to have symmetrical features, and symmetry is sexy!)
I am glad you liked Cinder! You're the second person I've recommended it to who has liked it, so I'm starting to trust that my judgment was less "oh my gosh it hits so many of my narrative kinks" flail and more "hey this is actually a pretty good book".
Well, the big thing with tropes is that a lot of writers don't seem to be able to make them WORK. They feel like they're shoved in because the author has seen them work elsewhere without quite grasping WHY. Here the tropes fit. It's a fairy tale story! We all know how those go! But Cinder puts it together so well!
One character in the Relic Master series seems like he's ALMOST interesting, but I dunno, something about him holds him back from being truly cool. The rest are ... yeah, it's more about the world than the characters, I think.
And, as you said, there's an evil queen of the moon!
EVIL. QUEEN. OF. THE. MOON.
Who manages to be evil while still having something going on with her where you're wondering if she might actually be a sympathetic character if she weren't so EVIL.
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Also I felt bad about not liking it much, especially as I read it after sitting at a con and listening to Tamora Pierce gush about how much she loved it and how cute Curdle was. (The main thing I noticed about Curdle was how it suffered from Disappearing Sidekick Syndrome.)
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Also, have you read any of the Liaden Universe novels by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller? Because they're my current obsession. Particularly the series about Theo (Fledgling/Saltation/Ghost Ship/Dragon Ship), but also in general. Science fiction, with inspirations for some of the novels (not the ones about Theo) drawn from Georgette Heyer and Dorothy Sayers, which means that you get futuristic regency crossed with women who have agency, and you see why my heart is a-flutter. If you haven't read them, they can eat at least a week of your life.
Also, you still talk to sarah-marie! Please say hello to her for me.
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Not only talk to her, I work for her. Which is weird sometimes, as she's also one of two friends-who-are-not-my-husband who lives in the area. So yes, I'll tell her you said hello!
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First book I saw on the shelf? Fledgling.
CLEARLY THIS IS FATE.
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Also, you will discover another point of awesomeness that I forgot to mention: there are lots of cats. This is a constant throughout the series.
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By the way, I plowed through Cinder in one sitting. Loved it. Especially the fact that there is an EVIL QUEEN OF THE MOON, which is just so deliciously Golden Agey. (Also, for once, it actually answered a question I've always had about those tongue-tied plain main characters that the prince seems to be attracted to despite how goddamn awkward all their encounters are. The prince's advisor points out that the prince is acting like a "lovesick teenager," and I was like, "Oh, right! Princes can get irrational love- ( ... )
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Oh, Cinder. It takes a lot of things that have been done before and makes them work so damn well together that you forget how big of a cliche some of this stuff is. (Also, it's not like plain main characters are ever ACTUALLY plain... I mean, we can at least rely on them to have symmetrical features, and symmetry is sexy!)
I am glad you liked Cinder! You're the second person I've recommended it to who has liked it, so I'm starting to trust that my judgment was less "oh my gosh it hits so many of my narrative kinks" flail and more "hey this is actually a pretty good book".
Reply
One character in the Relic Master series seems like he's ALMOST interesting, but I dunno, something about him holds him back from being truly cool. The rest are ... yeah, it's more about the world than the characters, I think.
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EVIL. QUEEN. OF. THE. MOON.
Who manages to be evil while still having something going on with her where you're wondering if she might actually be a sympathetic character if she weren't so EVIL.
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