Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this fantasy novella eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

I really do enjoy Aliette de Bodard's writing and was excited to read this novella.  It was a quick read at around 100 pages but the length is its greatest flaw.  The basic story is easy to follow and was compelling but I felt that too much background and emotion happened off the page.  This was particularly true with Giang.  Giang was the most interesting character in the story by far and yet doesn't appear often, wasn't really explored, and thus made the ending rather unbelievable and confusing.  The world building also felt kinda flat.

What I did enjoy was the main character, Thanh.  Her history of having been a hostage to a foreign nation, her forbidden love affair, and her relationship with her mother were very intriguing.  I just think that this novella would have been better off expanded in length so that all of the fascinating elements could have been explored satisfactorily.  Arrrr!

So lastly . . .

Thank you Tor.com!