Sunset Mantle, Alter S. Reiss

I’ve always enjoyed epic fantasy (as a genre, anyway; there are probably individual stories I’ve disliked), so I was excited to see Sunset Mantle in Tor.com’s novella lineup described as such — and doubly encouraged by Jo Walton’s endorsement on the cover. Epic fantasy has such a problem of scope sometimes: you need the world to feel huge, while also giving intimacy with a handful of characters, to make both the setting and the plot work together. Sometimes that makes a book balloon out into multi-volume epics like Steven Erikson’s Malazan books, or George R.R. Martin’s Westeros novels.

So I was very intrigued to see what someone would do without a pre-established world, within the slim confines of a novella. And I think Alter S. Reiss does a pretty good job of sketching in a wider society: tribes, clans, reaches, links both economic and feudal, with politics that dictate what happens in this story while also hinting at greater complexities. There’s the ‘madding’, too — some kind of battle rage, and a system of customs surrounding it which aren’t explained fully, but which shape the circumstances of the story. And Reiss does indeed keep it to a handful of characters: really just Cete, the first character we meet, and Marelle, the blind woman whose embroidery work enchants him, and with whom he falls in love.

If military fantasy is your thing, the battles and the training are here: Cete has to work to pound his unit into shape, to make them work together (of course), and there’s two major battle scenes. I think the only battle scenes I can think of that are evoked more clearly are some in Bernard Cornwell’s The Winter King; the clash of the enemy lines is present in both, and there’s a real idea of the sweat and muck and blood and terror.

I suppose the only unsatisfying note is that we don’t know how the politics continue to play out, how Cete and Marelle weather the changes, and whether Cete ever really receives the rewards he deserves. And really, I do want to know: having got this invested in Cete and Marelle, I want to know what happens, whether they have children, and whether those children come to inherit, and — and — and —

Rating: 4/5

The Winner’s Curse, Marie Rutkoski

I avoided The Winner’s Curse for far too long because something about it just put me off — the pretty lady in the dress on the cover, maybe? The fact that I vaguely associated it with Kiera Cass’ The Selection somehow (similar cover aesthetic + the idea of winning/losing something?) and that doesn’t really appeal to me? In any case, I did read the first page… and then the first chapter… while sat on the floor in a bookshop in Belgium. At which point I decided I’d better buy it before someone came to scold me in Flemish and I had to reveal I knew not a word of the language. (Or worse, had to employ my terrible A Level French.)

When I did read it, wow. Okay, there are some issues, I think, which have been articulated in reviews like this one, which discusses the portrayal of slavery. I think the book does touch a little bit on some of those questions, and the sequel definitely seems to so far, but it is fairly light. Can people ever be friends when the question of ownership lies between them? Can there be love?

I love Kestrel. I love that she’s strong and capable, but not necessarily physically. I think my initial reaction to friends is worth quoting: “I love that Kestrel is strong because she’s a strategist, and not because she can break all your bones or shoot you in the eye socket like Katsa (Graceling) or Katniss (The Hunger Games). I love that she’s a musician and she’s afraid of her hands being ruined. I love the relationship between her and her father: trusting, loving, but also tentative. (I’ve read a spoiler and I’m not sure if I even believe how it’s going to work out, wtf.) And while I don’t majorly ship Arin and Kestrel, I do believe in the push-pull connection between them.”

Arin… I’m less sold on. His emotions are powerful and sometimes contradictory; I sometimes wanted more time spent in his head to really understand what was going on. When he talks about things Kestrel had no idea about — like him being whipped the day before she takes him with her as an escort — I didn’t see anything hinting specifically at that myself, so it felt like a spurious reason to resent her. Which also would make sense with their relationship, but…

I do love the faintly Greek/Roman setting to the way the world of The Winner’s Curse is set up here; it definitely feels like that rather than generic medieval Europe, which is always refreshing.

So yeah, eagerly going onto the second book; super glad I have the ARC of the last book.

Rating: 4/5

Courage is the Price, Lynn E. O’Connacht

Disclaimer: I know Lynn pretty well. I did buy the book myself, now available in a print copy! But I do know her, and my blog is actually hosted by her.

That said, it doesn’t much affect my review. I mostly liked Courage is the Price: I liked that Rue has anxiety and that it shapes the story profoundly; that Rue has to face that fact and figure out how to work around it, how to help her friend despite it. I liked that she’s pretty privileged and that, up to the point of the story, people have pretty much allowed her anxiety to run wild by keeping her sheltered.

And Priti, a supporting character who becomes Rue’s friend, is awesome too. Casually trans, poorer than Rue, and more aware of the world — and willing to reach out and help Rue get over that kind of thing, even though they’re both bullied at school.

The background is cool too: the spaceship colony world, the ‘imaginary friend’ who turns out to be just a different sort of being and quite, quite real, and indeed suffering her own struggles. I wasn’t a major fan of Ghost herself, because I know that all the methods she was using to cajole Rue out of her anxiety are ones which don’t work, and that she let herself be an excuse for Rue not to seek out anyone else. And, of course, that she didn’t tell Rue who and what she was, or even anything about her and why it would be bad for the two of them to have so close a bond.

Rue’s anxiety takes up a lot of the story, plus her strained relationship with her parents, who don’t really want the daughter they’ve got and expected someone quite different. That sometimes makes the pacing drag a little for me — especially since I know darn well what a panic attack feels like, and was torn between sympathy and wishing I could shake Rue out of it. Probably a personal frustration there: it’s difficult for me to see someone, even a fictional someone, doing things which I know actually fuel anxiety and make you more afraid in the end.

It’s a fun novella, anyway, and I’d like to see more of the world, and of Priti. Rue is… not my favourite character ever (sorry Lynn), but she does grow and change and learn, and maybe towards the end she’s becoming a more interesting character. But really, gimme more Priti!

Rating: 4/5

Rebel of the Sands, Alwyn Hamilton

I think Rebel of the Sands is starting to get rather hyped, for its unusual combination of Eastern-type magic (Djinn) and setting (desert) and Western-type attitudes (gunslinging). It opens very strongly, immediately establishing Amani’s voice, and immediately introducing us to the kind of world she’s in, as well as one of the other main characters (and it is obvious their meeting is no coincidence and has a greater plot meaning). My immediate guesses on the plot weren’t bad, but I was a little out on several points, which speaks well of the way things were structured and set up — easy to follow, with the capacity to surprise, while every step and hint is clear in retrospect.

The world-building is pretty fascinating: the meeting of technology and magic, and the melding of attitudes toward both. The Eastern/Western mixture works surprisingly well and feels natural, rather than as if someone pasted the two together for a gimmick.

I wasn’t absolutely bowled over, though; the pacing to me seemed a little off, and the connection between Jin and Amani seemed to grow at least as much in off-page exchanges as on-page scenes. The pace certainly never stalls, but sometimes I could have done with a scene or two extra, so that the flow of the story and the flow of time aligned more. There were sections where I think days and weeks passed, but only a paragraph or two? I liked that the relationship between Jin and Amani grew slowly time wise, but it didn’t always feel as if we saw that growth happening.

Rebel of the Sands is definitely inventive and fast paced, and I’m looking forward to the next book. For a debut, it’s pretty amazing. I’m wavering about the rating, but I feel I’m just not enthusiastic enough to give it a four. But for sheer enthusiasm, Charnell @ Reviews from a Bookworm and Cait @ Paper Fury have you covered…

Rating: 3/5

City of Blades, Robert Jackson Bennett

I originally received this to review, and then a friend brought me a US edition of the paperback so I had matching ones. Yay! Don’t be fooled by the UK cover on this post; it’s just because that’s the version I had first. So if you read my recent review of City of Stairs, you’re probably not surprised at all to find that I loved City of Blades. The writing remains incredibly strong, and instead of resting on his laurels and giving us more of Shara, Bennett takes a supporting character from the first book and takes us to a different part of the world. We do get recurring characters — quite a bit of Sigrud, a few glimpses of Shara — and the Battle of Bulikov has a profound effect on the plot, but Turyin Mulaghesh really takes the stage.

Which is just fine with me, since she’s an amazing character. City of Blades gives us a lot more depth on that character: what made her the way she is, what drives her, what she fears, why she serves and when she’ll rebel. Her interplay with Sigrud and Shara is fun because it gives us a new perspective on them, too, and her relationship with new characters like Signe and Biswal allows us instantly to care (though not necessarily feel favourably toward them!).

And the plot, well. Again, Divinities are a key issue, which should surprise no one — and dead is not always quite dead when there are still miracles around. The mystery aspect revolves around a Divinity we haven’t met yet, but Mulaghesh’s experiences in Bulikov (and Sigrud’s knowledge of the Divine) is instrumental in figuring things out.

I don’t think I can actually say more without spoilers, so suffice it to say that City of Blades is just as awesome as City of Stairs, and a bit more heartrending into the bargain.

Rating: 5/5