BOOKS | Review: In The Vanishers' Palace by Aliette de Bodard

Name: In The Vanishers' Palace

Author: Aliette de Bodard

Publisher: JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.

Date published: October 2018

Genre: Fiction, fantasy, romance, science fiction, retellings

Pages: 198

Rating: 4/5

In a ruined, devastated world, where the earth is poisoned and beings of nightmares roam the land...
A woman, betrayed, terrified, sold into indenture to pay her village's debts and struggling to survive in a spirit world.
A dragon, among the last of her kind, cold and aloof but desperately trying to make a difference.
When failed scholar Yên is sold to Vu Côn, one of the last dragons walking the earth, she expects to be tortured or killed for Vu Côn's amusement.
But Vu Côn, it turns out, has a use for Yên: she needs a scholar to tutor her two unruly children. She takes Yên back to her home, a vast, vertiginous palace-prison where every door can lead to death. Vu Côn seems stern and unbending, but as the days pass Yên comes to see her kinder and caring side. She finds herself dangerously attracted to the dragon who is her master and jailer. In the end, Yên will have to decide where her own happiness lies—and whether it will survive the revelation of Vu Côn’s dark, unspeakable secrets...

- From Goodreads.

This was a surreal, unique, creative and inventive story that I very much enjoyed reading. It was quite difficult to grasp what was happening at times and some of the explanations could have been clearer, but overall it was very interesting and thought-provoking.

The writing style used was very complicated and descriptive, with language that at some points was very beautiful and added a lot of emotion to what was happening, but at some points just added a little too much confusion and simple language might have been preferable in those places to help with comprehension of what was happening.

The story had a very exciting plot with very clever foreshadowing that almost made me gasp out loud when I made the connection. It made for a very thrilling climax and I felt it had a very satisfying ending.

However some points in the plot seemed to happen suddenly with little build up. Perhaps a little slower pacing and more development in places could have been beneficial. Maybe if the book had been longer, more time could have been spent on build up and explaining the world of the story.

I loved the characters, they all felt real and had an important part to play, and I thought the tension and connection between Yên and Vu Côn was very well written.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable twist on the Beauty and the Beast tale, with very fascinating world buidling, a thrilling plot and a great romance. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a unique female/female love story, and I will certainly be reading it again.

BOOKS | Review: A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer

Name: A Heart So Fierce and Broken

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Date published: January 2020

Genre: Fiction, young adult, fantasy, romance, retellings

Pages: 450

Rating: 4/5

This review contains vague and non-specific spoilers.

Find the heir, win the crown.
The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed in Emberfall. Although Rhen has Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers.
Win the crown, save the kingdom.
Rumored to be the heir, Grey has been on the run since he destroyed Lilith. He has no desire to challenge Rhen - until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. Her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother’s violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall?
The heart-pounding, compulsively readable saga continues as loyalties are tested and new love blooms in a kingdom on the brink of war.

- From Goodreads.

A Heart So Fierce and Broken was a good follow up to the first book in the Cursebreakers series, A Curse So Dark and Lonely. It expanded the world and developed the characters that did not get as much focus in the previous book.

Although I did enjoy the new perspectives, and it was interesting to read from Grey's point of view since we did not get to in the first book, I was a little sad we did not get more from Rhen and Harper. I understood why it was important to focus on Lia Mara and Grey, but it was unfortunate we did not get more of Harper and Rhen since I loved them both so much in the first book.

I did love the romance between Lia Mara and Grey. It had a nice, slow build up and it was very soft and sweet. They definitely complimented each other well and it was very compelling to read about their feelings for each other and the difficulties they faced because of those feelings.

The plot twist at the end of the novel was definitely unexpected,but I wonder if the implications of it will make the third book feel a little repetitive. It was a good twist but I wonder if it will make it feel like that characters are facing problems they should have already overcome in the first book. I think I might have preferred a happier and more wrapped up ending for this book with a new conflict then presented in the next book, but I understand that leaving this book on a cliffhanger and leaving more room for conflict will make readers look eagerly towards the next book and will make the start of the next book more exciting.

Some parts of the ending were very satisfying though. I was glad with the actions Lia Mara took as they felt like the right choice for her character growth and what she did was hinted at earlier in the book so that felt very gratifying.

Overall, while it took me a while to get through the book and I questioned some of the choices made throughout the story, I thought it was well-written and followed up well on the events of the first book. It left me excited for the third book and hopeful that things will wrap up well for the characters in that one.