columnclub's reviews
506 reviews

I'm still sitting with my feelings on this one, because it did have a lot of the things I usually love about Pulley's writing, but her recurring habits in writing female characters keep sticking in my throat. Takiko Pepperharrow was by far the most interesting character in this book for me, but I get the sense that Pulley is always fundamentally more interested in her male characters, and expects that they will be more sympathetic. Thaniel, though, is frequently jealous and resentful of Takiko in ways that only served to make me dislike him. I wish we'd had a novel that had been focused on Takiko, and that had shown her friendship with Countess Kuroda and explored in full the science Grace is doing in the mountains. It's a real shame we didn't get much of any of that. Between this, the meandering plot and the dull miscommunication trope that splinters the central romance, this has easily been my least favourite of Pulley's novels so far.

This felt a lot clunkier than the first one, and the plotting/pacing didn’t feel as tight. I hope someone takes the phrase “in the moment” hostage so Sando can’t use it going forwards 

I'd never have picked this up if not for a very enthusiastic recommendation from a friend, but I was pleasantly surprised! The prose can be really clunky, but I can usually gloss over that if I'm enjoying a story enough. Vin was a fantastic character and I'm excited to see where things go in the sequel.

I really enjoyed the first half, but my personal preference is for plot to take precedence over romance rather than the other way around, and I cringe a little when a book feels too much like a fanfic. There are some lovely character moments, but for me the worldbuilding and politics didn't have enough meat to them.

Just sublime

I was honestly so gutted by how much I didn't connect with this. After how much I loved The Goblin Emperor, my expectations were pretty high, but much of what I loved in that book didn't work for me in this new context. Overall I thought it was sorely missing a sense of pace and energy, and unfortunately the reading experience was frustrating at times.

I forgave the way the plot meandered in The Goblin Emperor, since the focus was largely on Maia and his character development. Here, though, there are multiple murders to be solved, and Celehar is too static and closed off to really be the anchor for a narrative that doesn't emphasise action or plot. (Understandably, I guess, though his backstory isn't expanded on here as much as it could have been.)  There's an emphasis on decency that was so refreshing and charming in The Goblin Emperor, but here, with a character that's reactive rather than active and morose rather than hopeful, it feels somehow dreary. At its most frustrating, the novel has him drinking tea and thinking about how there's nothing else to be done at present.

I don't think either the reflective style or the meandering structure are at all suited to the mystery genre, and unfortunately, there wasn't enough else here to compensate for that. It genuinely pains me to say it, but I don't think I'll pick up the next one.