I had received a gift card to a local bookstore some months ago that I, gasp!, had completely forgotten about, when a spring cleaning spree brought it to my attention. And I obviously needed to use it immediately, before forgetting about it again. So after a quick browse (it's a very small store), this was my selection. I hadn't really heard/seen much about it, but I do love a standalone fantasy and the blurb was intriguing. Y'all. Hot DAMN. What a choice I made! This is absolutely a new fav, and it will be making my top ten list for the year, for sure. 

 

Ok so. The one-liner about this book is: "A standalone dark academia brimming with mystery, tragedy, and the damning echoes of the past." Is. It. Ever! Every single note or observation of reaction that I jotted down while reading this was effusively positive. I have literally no notes (h/t to Big Mouth, iykyk). But also, it's me, so I will share my bubbling over enthusiasm, with lots of words.   

 

The world-building! OMG but this magic system is WILD - aether and alchemy mixed with science and math and a typewriter mechanism just for fun - so freaking original. And that reaction was before the "big reveal" on the source of said magic and then holy shit it got even wilder! That being said, I did see that twist coming, but when it hit (for our MCs, Sciona and Thomil), I was still happy with the way the story went; it didn’t need to be a surprise to still be so so good. And it ties in perfectly to the really nuanced (and therefore naturally uncomfortable), interweaving and commentary on the variety and intersectional types of oppression and discrimination and privilege and power imbalances that are the central themes of this novel. Wang creates a FASCINATING and BRUTAL reworking of the colonization of indigenous knowledge that structured religion has manipulated/stolen over history…the gaslighting and structural racism and lies and corruption that make this possible hurts to read here, especially in recognizing that those aspects pull directly from real life. 

 

On this note, I have many other observations about the themes Wang addresses here. Oh this commentary on the convenience of self-delusion and looking away over the challenge and contradiction and ugliness of truth - and the absolutely bullshit cover of “civilized” to quash truth/honesty - is spicy! And ahhhhhh the limitations imposed on an unknowing populace when the “victors” account of history is the only one made available is so applicable to the washing away of diversity (CRT, DEI, queer POVs, etc.) that is happening in schools/public spaces right now. It's infuriating! Wang also calls out the hypocrisy and double standards in religion and patriarchy in no uncertain terms. Gorgeously done. I also loved the way Wang systematically dismantles all the “if people can only see the evil, they’ll stand against it” arguments that are so common of the closer-to-privilege-and-kind-of-progressive groups. These haven’t worked IRL as we consider the world watching Palestinian genocide and doing nothing for over a year...and she lights that perspective up in these pages. Finally, I thought the philosophical discourse on good and evil (and really in general) - is it the intention or outcome that matters in the end, the abstract (intention) or concrete effect on the balance of the world (outcome) - was so interesting.  

 

Regarding characters, their development was also fantastic. I am going to focus on our two MCs, Sciona and Thomil, in this review. But it's important that I note how each of the supporting cast members was equally detailed and developed and represented very real "types" of people. Anyways, this impossible and flawed allyship between Sciona and Thomil is perfect - nuanced and slow building and hesitantly believing and full of righteous/defensive anger and growing admiration for each other as those pre-set biases/understandings are overcome. Their finding of common ground against a system is such a highlight of this reading experience; the message that “experiences may not be the same, but they are connected” is a cornerstone of allyship and the fight for a more equitable future. And while it is not a trauma-competition, Sciona’s journey of cognitive dissonance (as she realizes that her oppression is still hand-in-hand with many privileges) to rejecting a faith system and culture based on getting ahead through oppression of others, of stopping lying to herself because looking away and mental gymnastics is easier, is admirable and should be emulated by MANY (too bad none of them will read this book). Watching her struggle to find the line between being aware and working to fix things and not thinking/dwelling too much (and thus slipping into emotional paralysis) is too relatable right now, but in a way that really highlights Wang's skill as a writer. 

 

Ok people, the portrayal of the complexities of oppression in myriad and overlapping forms, and the way they all stem from the same power structures at the end of the day, no matter how different their manipulations/manifestations look, is stunning. The magic system and world that is built, the nuance of the characters and their interactions and developments, are also stunning. The emotionally crushing power of hope and renewal this book ends with is stunning too. Overall, I am stunned. Dare I say, this is like what Babel did, but better? Just as clear, but tighter? At least for me. (Though shoutout to that word magic in Babel, which is untouched colonializer magic, conceptually). To repeat myself: this is a new all time favorite book. Holy shit. 

 

“If I can’t clear that clouded glass, there’s nothing left to do but break through it.” 

 

“We Kwen have a word for that - taking ancestral items from people who aren’t dead. It’s called stealing.” 

 

 “It’s much easier to tell yourself you’re a good person than it is to actually be one.” and “…obliviously paving their way to Hell with pride.” 

 

“What if we don’t treat emotion as matter? What if we treat it as energy? Not as a poison, limited in its potential, but as a power source, infinite in its potential? […] I don’t need to stop feeling this way. I just need to take control of the energy the feeling has created inside me.” 

 

“They did what a man was supposed to: they revered and obeyed the men above them, pursued greatness in the model of their predecessors, and, in the end, they were rewarded with power, acclaim, and dominion over lesser beings - a small godhood of their own. [...] The path to God wasn't laid for women like her. It was laid on their backs.” 

 

“…but I’m starting to understand how ridiculous it is to demand civility when the world is so disgustingly uncivil.” 

 

“Good people will turn monstrous when it’s down to their survival or someone else’s.” 

 

“Just that, if suffering counts as damage…is it better to be safe and broken than it is to be dead?” 

 

“Truth before comfort.” and “It’s not an attack to tell the truth.” (and you LIVE that discomfort, Sciona, hot damn!) 

 

“You took reality and reimagined it to be a story with you at the center, all designed for you, all for your taking. Well, not today! This story is about my ego and what it will do to the world!”