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ebook_em's Reviews (960)
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I actually liked this even better than The Sword of Kaigen. This dark academia fantasy novel follows Sciona, who becomes the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry that oversees all the magic powering the industrial utopia of Tiran. We also get to know her janitor-turned-assistant Thomil, who was one of the only members of his nomadic hunting tribe to survive the perilous crossing outside the city's magical barrier. Together they uncover a secret that could unravel the entire civilization of Tiran.
Things I loved:
- Steampunk vibes and fantastic world-building
- Super unique magic system involving magical typewriters
- A morally gray FMC
- Well-developed side characters
- Exploration of complex themes like sexism in academia, white feminism, xenophobia, community-oriented living vs. individualism, complicity in unjust systems, ethics under capitalism, and religious justifications for colonization
Pick this up for a surprisingly philosophical story set in an enchanting yet horrifying world!
This one wasn’t for me. Even though the characters are interesting, it’s a lot more tell than show with long paragraphs explaining their feelings, making it feel more like a literary analysis than a novel itself. I also found the plot kinda dull at times.
A bigger issue - after finishing, I learned that the main character is based on the real-life Cuban artist Ana Mendieta, whose family was frustrated that the author didn’t contact them before writing and selling this novel. And that’s ironic because a big theme of the book is who gets to narrate and define one’s legacy 😐
