Calissa

This week I’m over at the Skiffy and Fanty Show with a review of Descendant of the Crane by Joan He. This is a Chinese-inspired YA fantasy novel about politics, leadership and sacrifice. It digs into some meaty themes but I felt the characterisation ultimately let it down.

Mirrored from Earl Grey Editing.

Published: January 2019 by Wednesday Books
Format reviewed: Trade paperback, 400 pages
Series: The Gilded Wolves #1
Genres: Historical fantasy
Source: Pan Macmillan Australia
Available:Abbey’s ~ Amazon (AU, CA, UK, US) ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Book Depository ~ Booktopia ~ Dymocks ~ Indiebound ~ Kobo

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Paris, 1889: The world is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. In this city, no one keeps tabs on secrets better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier, Severin Montagnet-Alarie. But when the all-powerful society, the Order of Babel, seeks him out for help, Severin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.

To find the ancient artefact the Order seeks, Severin will need help from a band of experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian who can’t yet go home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in all but blood, who might care too much.

Together, they’ll have to use their wits and knowledge to hunt the artefact through the dark and glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the world, but only if they can stay alive.

There was so much to love about The Gilded Wolves. This fast-paced adventure features a diverse cast, magical heists and a hefty dose of intrigue. It was a joy from start to finish.

I’m always here for a good heist, especially if it involves a tight-knit team. When the story opens, the team have been together for a while and have well-established relationships, giving the sense of a fully fleshed-out world. In fact, when we first meet the team, they are in the middle of a heist and Severin is elbow-deep in trouble. It makes for a wonderfully dynamic start.

The story is told in close third person, with chapters alternating between the perspectives of the team members. Since they each have distinct roles, this enables a view of the different aspects of the heists they pull–which is handy, since their capers often require simultaneous action in different places. When things go wrong, we get to see the other parts of the team realise that something’s not right and follow them as they try to correct course.

The characters are also distinct in their backgrounds and personalities. Laila is a desi cabaret star, a talented baker, and has the ability to read the history of objects when she touches them. Zofia is a Polish Jew, an engineer with a magical affinity for metals and numbers, and is on the autism spectrum. Enrique is a bi, white-passing Filipino historian with a love for language. And Severin himself is half-Arabic, the owner of a luxury hotel and someone who burns for revenge.

These diverse backgrounds are not just for show. The story tackles issues of racism and colonialism. Severin was denied his inheritance because the French faction of the Order of Babel were unwilling to have two non-white patriarchs heading their magical Houses, choosing instead to support Severin’s rival–the half-Haitian Nyx. And the bigger picture involves the Order of Babel undermining and suppressing non-Western nations’ ability to practice their traditional magics. Being a magical heist story, I inevitably compared The Gilded Wolves to The Lies of Locke Lamora. Its willingness to tackle these issues and to include such a diverse cast is what makes The Gilded Wolves superior, in my opinion.

It’s also a very visual novel; it includes some lovely description of outfits, food and architecture without ever getting bogged down. Each of the Houses has their own symbols and visual motifs, which complement the dramatic nature of the plot.

A story of this kind naturally has some twists and turns. The Gilded Wolves managed a nice balance between those I was able to predict and those that surprised me.

All in all, I expect The Gilded Wolves will make my year’s best list once December rolls around. I can’t wait for the next book.

Mirrored from Earl Grey Editing.

One of the first reviews I ever posted here at Earl Grey Editing was of Ambelin Kwaymullina’s debut novel The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf. This week, I revisit the novel for the Skiffy and Fanty Show.

Mirrored from Earl Grey Editing.

Published: September 2018 by Charlesbridge Teen
Format reviewed: E-book (mobi)
Series: The Necromancer’s Song #1
Genres: YA Fantasy
Source: NetGalley
Reading Challenges: RIP XIII
Available: Publisher (print) ~ Abbey’s ~ Amazon (AU, CA, UK, US) ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Book Depository ~ Booktopia ~ Dymocks ~ Indiebound ~ Kobo

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Naya, the daughter of a sea merchant captain, nervously undertakes her first solo trading mission in the necromancer-friendly country bordering her homeland of Talmir. Unfortunately, she never even makes it to the meeting. She’s struck down in the streets of Ceramor. Murdered.

But death is not the end for Naya. She awakens to realize she’s become an abomination–a wraith, a ghostly creature bound by runes to the bones of her former corpse. She’s been resurrected in order to become a spy for her country. Reluctantly, she assumes the face and persona of a servant girl named Blue.

She never intended to become embroiled in political plots, kidnapping, and murder. Or to fall in love with the young man and former necromancer she is destined to betray.

Twice Dead has a fascinating premise that it ultimately fails to live up to.

There are some issues around consent with this book. Naya is raised against her will, which is already not great, though I was willing to go along with it as part of the story. However, Naya is also a young woman of colour. Having been turned into a wraith without her permission, she’s then basically coerced into being a spy. Her cover is as an indentured servant to a necromancer. This seems remarkably tone deaf to issues of race. I may have perhaps forgiven it if the story had dug into these issues. Instead, it is presented as mere window dressing for a story about politics and romance.

It didn’t help that I also wasn’t fond of the main character. Naya is naive and bigoted. Even when this is shown to her, she is slow to let go of her assumptions, instead clinging to loyalty towards people she has little reason to trust. She second-guesses the more experienced characters trying to help her, even though she’s an utter beginner. There’s plenty of angst here for those that enjoy it.

The romance is weak. The romantic interest was two-dimensional and I found it difficult to understand what he saw in Naya. There were some sweet moments between them, but it just wasn’t enough to pull it together for me.

The worldbuilding was the most interesting part of the book. The story presented a balanced view of necromancy, showing how it could be a positive force while also highlighting how it could be misused. I also enjoyed seeing how Naya came to terms with no longer being human and the full extent of what that means. This was used to particularly good effect in the last quarter of the book, making for some wonderfully dramatic scenes.

The pacing was a bit uneven. The beginning contains a number of flashbacks, which slow things down. It gets particularly slow around two-thirds of the way through, where the main characters are basically sitting around waiting for news. However, as mentioned, things pick up in the last quarter of the book, coming to an action-packed ending. The figure chosen for the final confrontation was an interesting one, if a little unexpected, but ultimately fitting.

All in all, Twice Dead wasn’t really my cup of tea. For interesting depictions of necromancy, I’d instead recommend Sabriel by Garth Nix.

Mirrored from Earl Grey Editing.

Published: July 2018 by Tor Books
Format reviewed: E-book (mobi)
Series: Poison Wars #1
Genres: Fantasy
Source: NetGalley
Reading Challenges: Australian Women Writers Challenge 2018
Available: Abbey’s ~ Amazon (AU, CA, UK, US) ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Book Depository ~ Booktopia ~ Dymocks ~ Indiebound ~ Kobo

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The author is a friend. I have done my best to give an unbiased review.

I was seven years old the first time my uncle poisoned me…

Outwardly, Jovan is the lifelong friend of the Chancellor’s charming, irresponsible Heir. Quiet. Forgettable. In secret, he’s a master of poisons and chemicals, trained to protect the Chancellor’s family from treachery. When the Chancellor succumbs to an unknown poison and an army lays siege to the city, Jovan and his sister Kalina must protect the Heir and save their city-state.

But treachery lurks in every corner, and the ancient spirits of the land are rising…and angry.

City of Lies is an enthralling novel that subverts fantasy tropes to examine issues of family and class.

The story is told from the point of view of two siblings, alternating chapters from each of them. Jovan is a proofer, a young man trained to detect the presence of poison in food. He’s bound by honour and friendship to protect Tain, heir to the city of Silastra. That suddenly becomes harder when both his uncle and the Chancellor are killed by a mysterious poison. Flipping the usual focus on the poisoner to the person trying to prevent the poisoning really raises the stakes of the story, since the latter is much more difficult. Jovan is also obsessive-compulsive, with his compulsions increasing during times of stress. He worries about the judgement this brings from others, but is supported by his sister and Tain.

Kalina is the elder of the siblings and was originally destined to be the proofer. However, it became apparent early in her training that her chronic illness made this unfeasible. While she still harbours some resentment over this, she is fiercely loyal to both Jovan and Tain. She’s also determined not to be sidelined, turning instead to diplomacy and spycraft to prove her usefulness. However, her brother sometimes makes this difficult by being overprotective. This isn’t entirely without reason; there’s an interesting interplay between Jovan’s somewhat patronising attempts to make sure she rests and Kalina’s tendency to push herself too hard.

There are some mystery elements, as the siblings and Tain try to figure out who poisoned their uncles. These elements dovetail into the political landscape of the story. The Chancellor may have final say on what happens in the city of Silastra, but he is supported by a council comprised of the heads of several powerful families and guilds. Of course, council members are largely only there for their own interests and it soon becomes apparent that (as the title suggests) each of them has their own secrets. Sorting through those secrets to determine which of them is the killer creates a tension throughout the narrative.

One of the things I loved about the story was the way it looks at the role Tain plays as Chancellor. He should be the most powerful man in the city and yet the story shows just how little power he has. He is not ominpotent or omnipresent, which means he has to rely on others. And, as the poisoning of his uncle demonstrates, those others can’t always be trusted.

There are also issues of class at play. Jovan and Tain, in particular, come face-to-face with the privilege of their upbringing and the blind spots it has created. I especially enjoyed seeing Jovan wrestle with this because even when he’s made aware of it he struggles not to centre his own experience.

Family is at the heart of City of Lies, but not quite in the usual ways. It centres the siblings’ relationship not by dwelling on their rivalry but by showing how they function as a team. It also downplays the role of traditional parents. I’ve spoken a bit of uncles in this review, and they connect to an interesting piece of worldbuilding. Silastra has what we would consider some different norms around motherhood; the role of child-rearing is taken on by a trusted male relative of the mother’s, leaving the mother free to pursue other interests. This male relative is referred to as a Tashi and is frequently the uncle of the child. In contrast, the father of Kalina and Jovan is considered so insignificant, he’s not even mentioned. Their relationship with their mother is distant. This setup allows the book to avoid some of the sexist norms usually present in epic fantasy.

From the very beginning, the writing style sucked me in (and kept me awake far too late). Silastra is vibrant and alive, painted in detail but not enough to be overwhelming. The pace is kept reasonably swift and although there’s often a lot of talking (councils will do that), it’s balanced with plenty of action.

The ending wraps up enough threads to be satisfying but leaves open some questions regarding the bigger picture. I did have some quibbles about some of the supernatural elements of the ending, but overall they didn’t detract from the story.

All in all, City of Lies is an impressive debut and among my favourite reads of the year so far. And, considering the epilogue, I’ve got my fingers crossed for more.

Mirrored from Earl Grey Editing.

Published: June 2018 by The Kraken Collective
Format reviewed: E-book (mobi)
Genres: Fantasy, superhero
Source: Publisher
Available: Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Gumroad ~ Kobo

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Adele has only one goal: catch the purple-haired thief who broke into her home and stole her exocore, thus proving herself to her new police team. Little does she know, her thief is also the local baker.

Claire owns the Croissant-toi, but while her days are filled with pastries and customers, her nights are dedicated to stealing exocores. These new red gems are heralded as the energy of the future, but she knows the truth: they are made of witches’ souls.

When her twin–a powerful witch and prime exocore material–disappears, Claire redoubles in her efforts to investigate. She keeps running into Adele, however, and whether or not she can save her sister might depend on their conflicted, unstable, but deepening relationship.

Although it has some dark elements, Baker Thief is a charming story whose strength lies in its interpersonal connections.

The cast is wonderfully diverse with characters at the intersections of multiple marginalisations. No one shows this better than the titular character. Claire is genderfluid, sometimes feeling more comfortable as Claude. She splits her roles as baker and thief between her genders: by day, he is Claude the baker, by night, she is Claire, the Exocore Thief. While this works to protect her identity, it also works against her because her genderfluidity isn’t that neat. For example, there are days when Claude wishes he didn’t have to open up the bakery and could spend the time as Claire instead.

In addition to being genderfluid, Claire is also fat. This seems like an unconventional choice for a superhero, but her fatness is never slows her down. Indeed, it is never a big deal in the story. Better still, her figure is shown as one still desirable to a more conventionally attractive character, which was something I very much appreciated. And it in turn led to some exploration of Claire’s aromantic identity.

Pretty much the rest of the cast is likewise diverse in at least one way. Adele suffers from asthma. Her boss uses a prosthetic arm. Other members of their team are trans and one is an older, black, polyam woman. This diversity is supported by the worldbuilding: this is a society where it is normal to include one’s pronouns when introducing oneself and there are a variety of pronouns used throughout the story. It’s a society in which Claire’s reticence about her genderfluidity is rather unusual–a possible weak point of the story. It is portrayed as being the result of Claire’s own uncertainty about her identity, but it does seem a little out of keeping with the setting.

Another thing I very much enjoyed about the story is that it features found family and family. Both Claire and Adele have good relationships with their sisters, each of which plays an important part in the story. The disappearance of Claire’s twin sister raises the stakes for her, lending urgency to her investigation of the exocores, while Adele’s investigation of Claire’s thefts leads the policewoman to develop a closer relationship with her own sister–an expert in the field of energy technology.

This might be a superhero story, but it’s not a lone superhero story. A key theme is learning to rely on others. Both Claire and Adele start out on their own, each with a heavy burden to shoulder. At first, they try to do it on their own, but they slowly learn that there are times they need to ask for help and to recognise that there are communities around them waiting to support them. In Adele’s case, this is the new police unit she has been transferred to. In Claire’s case, it is the witchy community she has been out of touch with since her family fled the city.

And while there is a strong focus on relationships, these moments of personal connection were counterbalanced with some of the dramatic set pieces so characteristic of superhero stories.

All in all, Baker Thief was a delightful book with a vibrant setting and a fantastic cast of characters. I’ve got my fingers crossed for more, since there is plenty of space for future stories to explore and I would love to hear more from Claire and Adele’s friends.

Mirrored from Earl Grey Editing.