Reading roundup: VALLISTA (and friends)

[hamsterwoman]

45. Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows -- so I've been vaguely aware of this book and sort of avoiding it, until

Comments

[zigadenus]

Desperately trying not to look at your Vallista summary (I haven't read it yet).

[hamsterwoman]

I hope you are able to read it soon, not least because I CANNOT WAIT to talk to talk about it with people! :D (I liked it a lot!)

[zigadenus]

It's my treat for getting an article written. So... not soon, but soon-ish.

[hamsterwoman]

That sounds like a good plan. Rooting for you on the article writing!

[rhye]

Oh these fics sound very interesting.

[hamsterwoman]

I really wanted to read a novel's worth of both!

I hope you enjoy them, if you do check them out!

[rhye]

I did and I did! I was surprised in both by the thought put to making everything consistent with both universes.

[hamsterwoman]

Yeah, same! Fire Nation + Narnia under winter makes a surprising amount of sense (and of course Azula would think of Jadis as a waterbender!) And I'e long wanted ASOIAF and Vorkosiverse characters to meet and talk, because for sure Miles and Tyrion would have a lot to say to each other, but the set-up of another lost colony hadn't occurred to me, and I really liked all the other details, like Miles mapping the Targaryens' looks onto Ceta genetic experimentation.

[meathiel]

I have to admit I picked up Six of Crows because of the cover - had it down on last year's bingo (or 2015's?) for that. I really liked the series but as you said it's very complex.

Do you want the other two?

[hamsterwoman]

I would love a copy of Crooked Kingdom, yes! (and is there one after that? I thought it was a duology...)

And, I really should've remarked on the cover as well -- I loved the cover (so pretty!) and the title, just, aesthetically.

[meathiel]

Oh yes sorry, it's only two books. It felt like I'd read more ...

[hamsterwoman]

It does seem to be a really thick book, so I could see it feeling like two!

[lyssa027]

I own six of crows, but haven't read it yet

[hamsterwoman]

I think you will enjoy it! or, at any rate, I hope that you will!

[giallarhorn]

I know people who're super into the Grisha trilogy, but it also seemed like the worldbuilding was a little too much pseudo-Russian for me? I'm all for pulling elements from real world places or myths, but doing so should come with a contingent of researching it well.

But good to hear that Six of Crows was well received! It seemed a lot more fun cause hey, thieves and pirates and heists in not-Amsterdam.

Ohh, Azula meets Narnia seems like an...interesting setup. I'm going to guess that it doesn't go nearly so for any of the natives :P

[hamsterwoman]

I haven't read the Grisha books, obviously, but from what I've picked up via this book and a bit of poking around in the fandom Wiki, way too much BAD pseudo-Russian, yeah. Which always annoys me even when it's not my background, but in this case I can't help but notice it. '

But, yeah, I was able to enjoy 'Crows' despite that. It's definitely a fun book, even though it's rather darker than what I would expect from a YA heist.

I'm going to guess that it doesn't go nearly so for any of the natives :P

The story doesn't get to that point, but... Well, actually, a young Azula away from Ozai's influence might do better than what we see in canon. Especially if she's hailed as savior from the White Witch.