I was not over-impressed with this either. I found the brutality difficult and did not feel there was sufficient payoff to warrant me having to read about it.
When Mary Kay died, I kept waiting for the 'woman in the refrigerator' trope to be subverted somehow, and when it was not, was really disappointed. I guess I expect better from one of the new up-and-coming crop of female SFF authors, who generally do really well with avoiding that trope.
I was not over-impressed with this either. I found the brutality difficult and did not feel there was sufficient payoff to warrant me having to read about it.
There have been some really lively discussions about this book (and its sequel) elsewhere in my friendsphere, and a lot of them centered squarely on this statement - with the "payoff" referred to being the luminosity of writing, the novelty of plot, or both.
Thanks for the very thoughtful review! I love historical fantasy, and I love dark brutal fantasy (see: Guy Gavriel Kay, Caitlin Kiernan) but I suspect I will not love this particular dark brutal historical fantasy.
I would sample it, if I were you. Like I said, I was immediately engaged, but peoples' mileage may vary as the book goes on. It's worth sampling at the very least.
Yeah, given the amount of buzz there's been about it, I'll probably buy them for the library and just flip through while I'm cataloguing them to see if they're something I want to delve deeper into.
I'm torn about whether I really want to read this one. On the one hand, I'm not super into urban fantasy with fae and on the other, I do seem to always enjoy books published by Night Shade Books. That plus your comments about the historical inaccuracies make be even more hesitant.
Well, don't let the urban fantasy fae element turn you off. This is NOTHING like the Buffy-Lit UF that's marketed today. It's just a fantasy that takes place in a city, that deals with both fae and fallen angels, and even the fantasy elements take a backseat to the real life elements.
As to the inaccuracies, I will say that unless you're familiar with the topic or culture, you may not notice the problem. I recommend sampling the book to see how you like it, and then go from there. If you decide to read the book, do, and then research the historical stuff later. :)
I really like this one and absolutely love the second part, but I can understand all the reservations. *g* I was a bit frustrated, too throughout the book, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.
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When Mary Kay died, I kept waiting for the 'woman in the refrigerator' trope to be subverted somehow, and when it was not, was really disappointed. I guess I expect better from one of the new up-and-coming crop of female SFF authors, who generally do really well with avoiding that trope.
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There have been some really lively discussions about this book (and its sequel) elsewhere in my friendsphere, and a lot of them centered squarely on this statement - with the "payoff" referred to being the luminosity of writing, the novelty of plot, or both.
Thanks for the very thoughtful review! I love historical fantasy, and I love dark brutal fantasy (see: Guy Gavriel Kay, Caitlin Kiernan) but I suspect I will not love this particular dark brutal historical fantasy.
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Thanks for the great review, though.
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As to the inaccuracies, I will say that unless you're familiar with the topic or culture, you may not notice the problem. I recommend sampling the book to see how you like it, and then go from there. If you decide to read the book, do, and then research the historical stuff later. :)
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