What Am I Reading Wednesday - January 18

[lebateleur]

I have the sneaking sensation I'm forgetting a book or two here; I'll add them later if I remember what they are.

What I Finished Reading This Week

Paladin’s Grace – T. Kingfisher
What a mixed bag. There are aspects of this book that are objectively good, others that are objectively bad, and others that are a matter of personal taste that mostly did not work for me but in a few cases did, and how.

The objectively good:

• The worldbuilding. It’s medieval Europe-based fantasy (but not cookie-cutter medieval Europe-based fantasy) underpinned by intriguing and believably developed political and religious systems.
• The supporting female protagonist is awesome.
• The other protagonists are likable at the book’s outset and conclusion.
• The male love interest’s interactions with the protagonist are well written when it counts most (i.e., consent done right).
• Which makes for some very hot sex scenes, when they appear.
• You can anticipate the plot twists if reading with an eye to detail, but they’re well-incorporated, rather than obnoxiously telegraphed.
• The volume appears to have been copyedited, which is more than I can say for many recent offerings in this genre (including Kingfisher’s own A Wizard’s Guide To Defensive Baking).

The objectively bad:

• The love story is repetitive, tedious, and frankly unbelievable: despite every very, very, anvil-to-the-head obvious indication that the female lead is very much into the male and vice versa, they spend over 80 percent of the book moping and bemoaning the fact that they are so unattractive, so boring, so broken by their past that the other person (so attractive! So genuine! So worthy! So cool!) couldn’t possibly be interested in them, oh no. It takes two otherwise genuinely likable characters and makes them unlikable for being so unrealistically dense, and craters any chance of romantic tension developing, instead of creating it.
• The narrative drops the worldbuilding and plot development—including intriguing intra- and inter-court politics and several gruesome murders—to waste time on the romantic mooning.
• Kingfisher repeatedly misuses the verbs “lay” and “lie”.

The subjective:

• Much of the dialogue is written in “snarky redditor” style. It’s clever and often funny, but what’s the point of writing a novel in a medieval Europe-based fantasy setting if you populate it with characters who sound like they’re communicating on 21^st century social media?
• The romance is without question the focus. As I wanted this book to dig into the religious and worldbuilding elements of its setup (What do the members of religious order do after their god dies?) this would have disappointed me even had said romance been well-written.
• A character does something at the 90 percent mark that absolutely hits one of my favorite iddy tropes. While it did not make up for all of the stuff that did not work for me up to that point, I, uh, still kind of loved it for that.

What I Am Currently Reading

Her Majesty's Royal Coven – Juno Dawson
I'm only a few chapters in, but so far this book is reminding me of Daniel O'Malley's The Rook, except written by someone who has actually met a human woman. I am hopeful.

Paladin’s Strength – T. Kingfisher
This book’s protagonists include several secondary characters from Paladin’s Grace, one of whom also looks set to embark on a romance of his own. So far it’s avoided the elements I liked least about Paladin’s Grace, but said elements weren’t present in that volume’s early chapters either, so I suppose we shall see.

Ariadne – Jennifer Saint
I remember under_the_silk_tree being rather underwhelmed by this one, and that’s been my experience so far as well.


What I’m Reading Next

I acquired no new books of my own this week; however, I did go bookgazing at the library and ended up signing out Alan Moore’s newest, which is a collection of short stories.

これで以上です

Comments

[under_the_silk_tree]

Ariadne is one of my favorite Greek heroines, so I went in with high expectations. Only to be fairly underwhelmed, it also felt like a missed opportunity. I will be interested in your thoughts when you are done.

I really need to read T. Kingfisher"s work. I've heard mostly good things.

[lebateleur]

I'm just under halfway through Ariadne and so far I would say it is not bad, just bog standard YA romance. Having read Madeline Miller and Jo Graham, though, my expectations are also set high.

I like Kingfisher a lot. If she were interested in fully writing her fantasy worlds (versus having them as window dressing) I would love them.

[senmut]

I think T. Kingfisher will be my woman author or new-to-me author square on bingo.

[lebateleur]

I like Kingfisher's writing a lot--if she would just fully embrace her fantasy settings, I would love her.

[lirazel]

It’s medieval Europe-based fantasy (but not cookie-cutter medieval Europe-based fantasy)

That cookie-cutter worldbuilding is one of my ultimate fantasy pet peeves. I have no patience for it anymore.

. It takes two otherwise genuinely likable characters and makes them unlikable for being so unrealistically dense, and craters any chance of romantic tension developing, instead of creating it.

Ugh.

but what’s the point of writing a novel in a medieval Europe-based fantasy setting if you populate it with characters who sound like they’re communicating on 21st century social media?

Such a good question! But yeah, it's subjective and I guess a lot of people are into that.

I wanted this book to dig into the religious and worldbuilding elements of its setup (What do the members of religious order do after their god dies?)

Relatable!

[lebateleur]

That cookie-cutter worldbuilding is one of my ultimate fantasy pet peeves. I have no patience for it anymore.

Then you might like Kingfisher! (Can't remember if you have read her or not.) Her worldbuilding reminds me a lot of Diana Wynn Jones or Rachel Hartman: you can see where she's drawing her ideas from, but the spin is very much her own.

But yeah, it's subjective and I guess a lot of people are into that.

Alas, it is the thing that keeps me from loving her books, versus just liking them a great deal.

[lirazel]

I'm not sure how I feel about Kingfisher. I remember trying Clockwork Boys and really disliking it, but I liked Nettle and Bone pretty well.

[lebateleur]

I've not read either of those, but one thing I find fascinating about Kingfisher in any of her authorial identities is how disparate her writing can be from book to book