I should say, it’s my 2,000th review written, not posted, since I started reviewing books in 2008. This one’s been holding me up.
Baru Cormorant is one of those series where you really have to be in the right mood. And you have to make sure to take the time to let the story breathe. At least for me, this isn’t a book you can just read straight through in a matter of days, or even in a week. It’s too raw and stressful and there is so much detail. And the protagonist is so morally gray, and her situation so fraught.
I liked this one, not as much as the first one, but this one has some challenges the first one didn’t. After Baru has made her first power move and succeeded (and failed), this one has more logistics and table-setting and opening up the world for the next two books. We get more POVs here than just Baru, there are flashbacks, and there are a significant amount of story set in a new nation, the Oriati, which is the Masquerade’s main challenge. They can’t figure out how to conquer them, and their traditional tactics (like the ones used to conquer Baru’s home) have not worked.
I have a feeling the next two books are going to be gradually even harder to get through for me because the closer Baru gets to her goal, the closer she gets to losing her humanity. This is the central concern of the book, and the thing that interests me, but it also keeps wanting to ruin me emotionally, so reading these books is, as I said before, fraught.
Will hopefully get to book three later this summer. No idea when four will be out.
Read Harder Challenge 2021: Read a book you’ve been intimidated to read.