Take a photo of a barcode or cover
1.25k reviews by:
paragraphsandpages
Queer sci-fi? Divinity and saints and weird powers? That title?? There was seriously nothing about this book that wasn’t calling to me in some way. I honestly had such high hopes going into this, so maybe that ended up playing a part in my experience, but I just wasn’t as obsessed with this as I thought I was going to be (and no one is sadder about this than I am!) The toughest part is that it’s hard to actually put into words why this didn’t work, even after a couple of weeks of musing on it. I like confusing books, so it feels weird to say this book was too confusing. I also like slow books, so it also feels wrong to say this book was too slow. And I’ve loved books that are mainly internal journeys, and books where the main character is mildly insane, so I can’t exactly attribute my not loving this book to that either. It just feels more like, while the components of this book are everything I’d normally love, I just didn’t particularly love how they came together in this instance. For this reason, though, I can definitely still see myself at least trying the rest of the series, and enjoying other books by this author! The elements are all there for me, just not quite the configuration. And I’m certainly left intrigued by much in this book, to the extent that I can easily see the second book being a lot stronger now that a lot of the groundwork is already done!
I honestly love the influx of YA debuts we’re seeing that center non-Western mythology, and even specifically Middle-Eastern mythology! I love myths and fairytales and these sorts of stories, no matter the origin, and it’s so nice to see our idea of mythology, within these sorts of stories, expanding to include more than just the classic Greek gods. However, as with anything, not every new release will be a runaway hit, and unfortunately, that’s true for Spice Road.
This book had a lot going for it, especially in the beginning. I loved the world that seemed to be set up, the magic and myth that seemed inherent in every detail, and I couldn’t wait to explore this magical society further. Unfortunately, a large chunk of this book actually takes place away from this magical society, and since magic itself is rationed out through tea, we don’t actually see that much of it either, at least not consistently. It ended up kind of being a let-down, that as the book went on, we seemed to see less and less magic, and focus more and more on the world outside the magical society the main character grew up in. And while this made sense, for the story that was being told, it also meant that the story had to work a bit harder to keep me as invested in later parts of the book, when all I wanted was to go back to where we were at the beginning of the story.
One thing I did like about this book was Imani’s devotion to her city, to a fault. I’ve read a lot of books where the main character is blindly devoted to a cause or government, only for the curtain to suddenly be dropped, and dark secrets revealed, but it’s very rare to see a main character actually struggle through the change of readjusting your beliefs and your perception of the world after this curtain drops. Spice Road did a wonderful job of showing the struggles that come with this change, and how long it actually takes, and how many horrors you have to actually see, before you accept that a lot of what you believed in wasn’t true or that you were manipulated. It was interesting to see her journey, even if this didn’t always endear the reader to her either. I think this is what stood out most in the book for me.
Unfortunately, beyond this, there wasn’t much else I was a big fan of. I felt like the plot generally was a bit bland, just wrapped in magic so that it took a while to notice how bland it was. I find it difficult to find reasons to keep reading this series, though I will at least see if the synopsis of the second book will tempt me! This is also probably due to me just overall disliking the ending and how certain events feel glossed over, by characters that I wouldn’t think would gloss over them. Depending on how this plays out in the second book, maybe my thoughts here will change, though. Overall, it just didn’t entirely work for me, though I can see myself enjoying future works from this author one day!
This book had a lot going for it, especially in the beginning. I loved the world that seemed to be set up, the magic and myth that seemed inherent in every detail, and I couldn’t wait to explore this magical society further. Unfortunately, a large chunk of this book actually takes place away from this magical society, and since magic itself is rationed out through tea, we don’t actually see that much of it either, at least not consistently. It ended up kind of being a let-down, that as the book went on, we seemed to see less and less magic, and focus more and more on the world outside the magical society the main character grew up in. And while this made sense, for the story that was being told, it also meant that the story had to work a bit harder to keep me as invested in later parts of the book, when all I wanted was to go back to where we were at the beginning of the story.
One thing I did like about this book was Imani’s devotion to her city, to a fault. I’ve read a lot of books where the main character is blindly devoted to a cause or government, only for the curtain to suddenly be dropped, and dark secrets revealed, but it’s very rare to see a main character actually struggle through the change of readjusting your beliefs and your perception of the world after this curtain drops. Spice Road did a wonderful job of showing the struggles that come with this change, and how long it actually takes, and how many horrors you have to actually see, before you accept that a lot of what you believed in wasn’t true or that you were manipulated. It was interesting to see her journey, even if this didn’t always endear the reader to her either. I think this is what stood out most in the book for me.
Unfortunately, beyond this, there wasn’t much else I was a big fan of. I felt like the plot generally was a bit bland, just wrapped in magic so that it took a while to notice how bland it was. I find it difficult to find reasons to keep reading this series, though I will at least see if the synopsis of the second book will tempt me! This is also probably due to me just overall disliking the ending and how certain events feel glossed over, by characters that I wouldn’t think would gloss over them. Depending on how this plays out in the second book, maybe my thoughts here will change, though. Overall, it just didn’t entirely work for me, though I can see myself enjoying future works from this author one day!
I adore For the Wolf, even if I have yet to read the sequel, so I had really high hopes for Whitten’s adult debut, The Foxglove King. While this book is extremely different from Whitten’s earlier work, it still stands out in a similar way - strong writing and world-building, with characters you quickly find compelling. Even though the aesthetic of Wolf was much more my style, I still loved this book and honestly cannot wait to read the next installment.
One thing I think a lot of people will point out is that this book doesn’t feel entirely distinct from YA, and many will just group it in with YA, even though it’s an adult debut. While I can see where this comes from, I don’t actually agree with most of it myself, as I find the main themes and motivations of the characters are much more in line with adult expectations, rather than YA. There aren’t these grand notions of saving the world that many YA characters have, and it feels like these characters are indeed just a few years out of their teens, and more pessimistic for it. It felt like Whitten’s did the light cynicism of most people in their early 20s quite well, especially considering they have a lot more to be cynical about. And while this book wasn’t ‘spicy’, adult books don’t have to be, and we of course never know what the rest of the series will bring!
I honestly just had a lot of fun with this book, and even though I was reading a lot else at the same time, I kept finding myself turning back to this book the second I had the chance. There was just always so much going on, but not in a way that felt overwhelming, and I think that will just continue to hold true for the rest of the series, as I feel like there is so much more of this world and plot to explore. I also find where this story left off fascinating, and cannot wait to see how this all plays out in the upcoming books.
Overall, I think my thoughts can be easily summed up as: had lots of fun, dying to know more, and will commit crime to get my hands on the next book.
One thing I think a lot of people will point out is that this book doesn’t feel entirely distinct from YA, and many will just group it in with YA, even though it’s an adult debut. While I can see where this comes from, I don’t actually agree with most of it myself, as I find the main themes and motivations of the characters are much more in line with adult expectations, rather than YA. There aren’t these grand notions of saving the world that many YA characters have, and it feels like these characters are indeed just a few years out of their teens, and more pessimistic for it. It felt like Whitten’s did the light cynicism of most people in their early 20s quite well, especially considering they have a lot more to be cynical about. And while this book wasn’t ‘spicy’, adult books don’t have to be, and we of course never know what the rest of the series will bring!
I honestly just had a lot of fun with this book, and even though I was reading a lot else at the same time, I kept finding myself turning back to this book the second I had the chance. There was just always so much going on, but not in a way that felt overwhelming, and I think that will just continue to hold true for the rest of the series, as I feel like there is so much more of this world and plot to explore. I also find where this story left off fascinating, and cannot wait to see how this all plays out in the upcoming books.
Overall, I think my thoughts can be easily summed up as: had lots of fun, dying to know more, and will commit crime to get my hands on the next book.
I love novellas, but I’m so often left feeling like I wanted more from the story and characters that I usually just end up wishing it was a full book. In Untethered Sky, however, it actually felt like a story that fit the shorter format perfectly, and I left feeling entirely fulfilled for once!
The only works I’ve read by Fonda Lee so far has been her Greenbone Saga, and it utterly blew me away. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect from such a different setting, as Untethered Sky has much more of an epic fantasy setting, with mythological creatures and people who hunt and train them. I just knew I was expecting a lot, and somehow Fonda fully delivered.
I was moved by Ester and her story, even though Ester was not one for people. It really came through in her narration, and through Fonda’s writing, that Ester really cares for only two things, her roc and killing manticores. She just didn’t have much in the way of social skills, which carries through in how the reader seems to think about her and interact with her, as it takes us longer to feel a connection because she seems to purposely put us at a distance. While this can sometimes be detrimental, it actually worked in Ester’s favor her, and made her seem much more real and developed to me. This is just extremely important too, as we only have 160 pages to spend with Ester, and it can be hard to fully develop a character and still have the character change as they move through the story.
This novella tackles a lot, as we examine the reasons why Ester hunts manticores, why the empire even needs these hunters, and how these rocs are trained and how much it is against their nature to remain with humans. There’s so much at play here, from societal perception of ruhkers and rocs to more personal relationship between Ester and her fellow ruhkers, and we even get to see what happens when things go wrong, and how close the bond between a roc and ruhker really is, despite the danger the ruhker is under from their roc at every moment. I think this final thing probably came across the strongest, Ester’s narration constantly makes it clear how easily Zahra could kill her, and how despite that, Ester is fascinated, obsessed, and in love with Zahra anyway. I’ve read many stories with mythological creatures, many of which serve as side-kicks or pets, but this is the first that seemed to dive so deeply into this relationship specifically, and what it truly means to be connected to such a powerful beast. It’s honestly impressive, looking back, just how much Fonda was able to explore in so few pages.
Overall, I think this is probably one of the strongest novellas I’ve ever read, and has only solidified Fonda’s skill in my mind. I can’t wait to see what everyone else thinks of it, now that it’s officially released!
The only works I’ve read by Fonda Lee so far has been her Greenbone Saga, and it utterly blew me away. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect from such a different setting, as Untethered Sky has much more of an epic fantasy setting, with mythological creatures and people who hunt and train them. I just knew I was expecting a lot, and somehow Fonda fully delivered.
I was moved by Ester and her story, even though Ester was not one for people. It really came through in her narration, and through Fonda’s writing, that Ester really cares for only two things, her roc and killing manticores. She just didn’t have much in the way of social skills, which carries through in how the reader seems to think about her and interact with her, as it takes us longer to feel a connection because she seems to purposely put us at a distance. While this can sometimes be detrimental, it actually worked in Ester’s favor her, and made her seem much more real and developed to me. This is just extremely important too, as we only have 160 pages to spend with Ester, and it can be hard to fully develop a character and still have the character change as they move through the story.
This novella tackles a lot, as we examine the reasons why Ester hunts manticores, why the empire even needs these hunters, and how these rocs are trained and how much it is against their nature to remain with humans. There’s so much at play here, from societal perception of ruhkers and rocs to more personal relationship between Ester and her fellow ruhkers, and we even get to see what happens when things go wrong, and how close the bond between a roc and ruhker really is, despite the danger the ruhker is under from their roc at every moment. I think this final thing probably came across the strongest, Ester’s narration constantly makes it clear how easily Zahra could kill her, and how despite that, Ester is fascinated, obsessed, and in love with Zahra anyway. I’ve read many stories with mythological creatures, many of which serve as side-kicks or pets, but this is the first that seemed to dive so deeply into this relationship specifically, and what it truly means to be connected to such a powerful beast. It’s honestly impressive, looking back, just how much Fonda was able to explore in so few pages.
Overall, I think this is probably one of the strongest novellas I’ve ever read, and has only solidified Fonda’s skill in my mind. I can’t wait to see what everyone else thinks of it, now that it’s officially released!
