The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de BodardMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I just read this one, considering whether to read the series. I read books nominated for major awards, and de Bodard gets nominated a lot. And while she uses a variety of settings--Southeast Asia, Central
America, France, spaceships--the structure of the setting seems to end up very similar. We have feudal Houses vying for control of a space and culture. In this one, it seems like a lot of reviewers got frustrated with de Bodard for presuming that we understand how the characters would sacrifice for a Great House, rather than building that understanding. As far as I can tell it's just how she rolls.
I enjoyed this book more than most of hers, actually. The writing is engaging and flows well. But it's the same old stuff. Made worse by the fact that this Great House stuff is a Thing now, and it seems like most of the award nominees structure their narratives around sparring feudal houses. I actually think the characters have potential to drive the plot further. But please tell us a new story!
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