Book Club: after I indoctrinated two friends into the Gideon the Ninth world, we all grouped together to read and discuss other books. This was so good my friend had to call us in the middle of the night her time to have an impromptu “Locked Tomb Book Club” meeting.
When I was doing my catch up review writing, I thought I was done and then I was just about to congratulate myself on finishing out my backlog of reviews when I sensed that I was missing something huge. Something MASSIVE.
[EL AND ORION, YOU ARE MISSING PATIENCE PLEASE LOOK FOR IT.]
Ahem. Sorry, where was I?
Reading this book made me remember that while it’s always good to read new and upcoming authors, there is a reason why we have authors that we deem “must reads.” When Novik announced that she was releasing the first book in a new duology (now, unfortunately/fortunately expanded into a trilogy), I immediately wanted to read it based solely on my love for Spinning Silver and the first few books in the Temeraire series. And, to be honest, I really liked A Deadly Education (the rep! the concept! el!) but it had some flaws that detracted from my enjoyment as well (bad rep! learning about the concept through endless inner monologues! orion!).
Leave all that aside. Wow did Novik knock this one out of the park, a classic middle-of-trilogy outing in the vein of the best (Empire Strikes Back esque). We take the gains of the first novel and expand on them in the most rational and reasonable of ways. El now has…friends? People who care about her? Who look out for her back? What is she supposed to do with this?
Novik’s romance has always been a weak point for her–the lost opportunity of Lawrence/Tenzing, the less said about Agnieszka/the Dragon the better. We could call Spinning Silver a highlight but it’s…not the main driver of that novel, either. It’s not a spoiler to say that this time around she’s gotten substantially better–we left the last novel with Orion clearly trying to indicate that he’s interested in El, who’s unsure of what she wants to do but clear about how she can do it (strict mana, no enclaves).
This review is going everywhere because I loved so much of this book that I could write a mini review on each part. I personally felt like the East/West center of power dynamic that Novik set up was handled well, with a nuance that mirrors real-life politics while also introducing magical rationale. El’s gradual affirmation of the fundamental inequality of enclaves and getting others to understand that as well is also really nuanced, because it grows out of her experiences and her upbringing, which was also priviledged and sheltered.
And the Scholomance! As a character it really stepped it up this time around. [The poor, misunderstood Scholomance that didn’t actually want to be killing students all along, it wants to fulfil its Prime Directive but it’s been left with this crappy school and its terrible defenses and lack of resources and has suffered years upon years of misery].
And the ending! That ending! THAT ENDING. I was saying this at the end of A Deadly Education but it means SO MUCH MORE NOW.
[and just to recapitulate, this exchange is all the things:
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I know it’s not fair, El. But I just need to know. I never had a plan except to go home and kill mals. I never wanted anything else. But now I do. I want you. I want to be with you. I don’t care if it’s in New York or Wales or anywhere else. And I just need to know if that’s okay. If I can—if I can have that. If you want that, too.”
AND THIS IS IMPORTANT, THIS IS A THING SHE THINKS IN REPLY:
I hadn’t any business agreeing to be with someone who told me in all sincerity that I was his only hope of happiness in the world, at least not until he’d sorted his own head out and diversified.
That’s the best. That is all.]
I know a book every year is a blistering pace for an author but please, Novik, please hurry.