first history! easing myself into it before i get to the henriad next semester. this one was kinda boring. there was potential there with the themes bfirst history! easing myself into it before i get to the henriad next semester. this one was kinda boring. there was potential there with the themes but it mostly wasn't realized. the bastard was minorly interesting and i could probably do something with blanche and i should give hubert some more thought (but probably won't bc i don't care quite enough)....more
Violet's voice was so unique and had me engaged from the very beginning. I loved the themes of friendship and family and how rthis was?? really good??
Violet's voice was so unique and had me engaged from the very beginning. I loved the themes of friendship and family and how relationships were developed, and there were moments where I was struck with the beauty of it all....more
A classic? that I actually enjoyed?? that's not Shakespeare??? I'm as shocked as you are, truly.
Jane Austen is, in fact, an icon. This is the first fuA classic? that I actually enjoyed?? that's not Shakespeare??? I'm as shocked as you are, truly.
Jane Austen is, in fact, an icon. This is the first full novel of hers I've read (the time I read half of Pride and Prejudice in middle school does not count), so I can't compare it to her others, but it was full of nuance and I was totally invested in what was going on (though my girl Jane could have maybe used a copy editor or at least a guide about the proper placement of commas, goodness gracious).
I'm not going to go into the nuances in social commentary and satire and its unique approach as sort of a sequel or second chance at romance because Austen is popular to study, I'm sure a billion people have done it better than I could. I will say that the way she writes characters, despite having a large cast, is very real-people–based. Like, we all know a Mary or an Admiral Croft. The way they're written, despite taking place in what, 1815, will immediately bring to mind a situation you've been in or someone you know who's always making things about them, or an older person who's consistently forgetting everyone's names but means only the best and you can't fault them at all.
It's the first required reading of the semester!! Who's excited?!?!
(*crickets*)
Anyway, I feel like this would actually be somewhat interesting in a soIt's the first required reading of the semester!! Who's excited?!?!
(*crickets*)
Anyway, I feel like this would actually be somewhat interesting in a sort of morbid curiosity way if the language were more accessible and I actually understood more of it. This is why it gets two stars - for the potential....more
I have no idea why I like political fantasies, but I absolutely do. This was a very well-written political fantasy! There was scheming and our POV wasI have no idea why I like political fantasies, but I absolutely do. This was a very well-written political fantasy! There was scheming and our POV was a main political figure (or, her mother was, and she was her mother's heir). And she liked politics! And she was learning how to maneuver her way around them!
It did take me forever to read it but I think that was mostly because I was in a rut of
The strength was definitely in the politics and twists and scheming and much less in the execution of action scenes, but like, i'm not here for the action scenes. I'm here for the impressive worldbuilding that was delivered very clearly in this fascinating world of mage-marks and Falcons and city-states united under one empire and political schemings.
Amalia is an interesting narrator. She wasn't anything special, in my opinion, but she was interesting and not hard to read and had fairly solid character development. I like how she's into the politics of everything and growing into her mother's shoes and also her close relationship with her mother in the first place. I thought it was a satisfying ending when (view spoiler)[she decided she wouldn't date Marcello because of political reasons because although it was bittersweet for her, she knows what she values and her goals and how she is to accomplish those goals in line with what she values most. (hide spoiler)]
I love Zaira and how she's completely unselfconscious but still has a little bit of emotions she tries to hide in order to stay strong and brash. Her comments are hilarious. Marcello didn't really do much for me at all, and neither did most of the other characters except for La Contessa. She supports Amalia but they still clash like mother and daughter usually do, and they have such a close relationship that isn't just fake like so many others. It seems real, and La Contessa is a good character in her own right. In the author interview at the back of the book, she said Zaira and La Contessa were both her favorite characters and the hardest for her to write, and that definitely showed.
I usually don't include a favorite line but this one surprised me so much that I laughed aloud. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it certainly wasn't this:
"So what happens if they kidnap you?" "My mother kills them."
In context with a lead-in that doesn't hint at that direction at all, it's hilarious. There are a few spots (usually when Zaira speaks, or unexpected wry sarcasm) that just aren't what I expected there and I laughed.
In summary: New adult, which I've been kinda on the lookout for! Great political fantasy with well-developed politics and worldbuilding!...more
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