Book Review: Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

October 16, 2020October 16, 2020 Hadeer2 Comments

Harrow the Ninth
Tamsyn Muir

Tor.com, 2020
★★★★☆

So, the thing about Harrow the Ninth is that it is completely fucking incomprehensible. On purpose. It’s also kind of brilliant.

But like, here’s the thing. You don’t realize that it’s brilliant until after the fact, and the only reason I made it through the whole book for there to be an after the fact, is because I looked up spoilery articles and trawled reddit subforums for – I kid you not – hours. I read detailed summaries. I read discussion threads. I read theories. See, I’m the kind of reader who loathes being confused. Seriously, nothing will get me to DNF a book faster; it’s the main reason I was so frustrated with Gideon the Ninth. So, when I started this book and immediately felt myself sink into total confusion, I was like, fuck it, we’re going to Spoiler City.

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Book Review: The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang

August 28, 2020August 28, 2020 Hadeer7 Comments

The Dragon Republic
R.F. Kuang

Harper Voyager, 2019
★★★★★

There are some books that, while not perfect, just make you feel very strongly. I was on tenterhooks the whole time I was reading The Dragon Republic. I was so heavily invested in the characters and their relationships with one another that I really didn’t care about anything else in the book, so I easily overlooked the minor issues with pacing that may have bogged down another novel.

In The Dragon Republic, Rin finds her self dealing with the fallout of her actions at the end of The Poppy War. What this means, practically speaking, is that she is dealing guilt, or rather guilt at her lack of guilt, opium addiction, PTSD, and a a nation overrun with bitter Mugenese soldiers who have no home to return to. Then Yin Vaisra, the Dragon Warlord and Nezha’s father, strides into this mess and declares his intent to transform Nikan into a democracy, so he essentially begins to wage war against the Empress, Su Daji. Since Rin is intent on killing Su Daji, she allies herself with Vaisra.

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Book Review: The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

August 6, 2020August 6, 2020 Hadeer4 Comments

The Blade Itself
Joe Abercrombie

Orbit/Gollancz, 2006
★★★★☆

The Blade Itself is a rather standard, basic high fantasy, which isn’t necessarily a criticism (I enjoy basic European-esque fantasy very much!), but I guess I just expected more from this series, since it’s often spoken of as one of the best in the genre. I enjoyed it, to be sure, but I wasn’t blown away. Much more classic fantasy than I was expecting, with some clear inspiration from A Song of Ice and Fire. Based on this book alone, I’d say this series is 1000% overrated and over-hyped, but I keep hearing that the sequels make up for it, so I’m withholding judgement. Continue reading “Book Review: The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie” →

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Book Review: The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley

July 20, 2020July 27, 2020 HadeerLeave a comment

The Light Brigade
Kameron Hurley

Saga, 2019
★★★☆☆

Well, shit.

I have no idea how to give this a proper rating, as I pretty much hated reading it, and not, as I had expected, because it is confusing (though it definitely is) but mainly because it’s so fucking bleak. That is, of course, the point – hard military sci-fi isn’t about to shy away from all the visceral realities of war – but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. I’m also generally not a fan of dystopias because they often hit too close to home; so much of dystopic visions Hurley has come up with in The Light Brigade don’t seem too far off from what we’re living now. It’s kind of terrifying, when you think about it too closely. Continue reading “Book Review: The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley” →

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Book Review: The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

July 18, 2020July 27, 2020 HadeerLeave a comment

The City in the Middle of the Night
Charlie Jane Anders

Tor, 2019
★★★☆☆

The City in the Middle of the Night takes great care to develop its characters, character arcs, character dynamics, and its worldbuilding, and pretty much forgets all about having a cohesive plot. The biggest criticism of this book would be that it is meandering and slow. It’s not that it doesn’t know where it wants to go – now that I’ve finished, I can step back and see the general plot arc meant to be established here – but it doesn’t get there clearly or quickly enough. There’s a lot of waffle and pointless journey stuff in between all the important bits, and this book, already rather short, could have been way shorter. Continue reading “Book Review: The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders” →