This fantasy novel tells a North-Africa-inspired story of colonial
powers' glossed over prejudices and silky cruel oppression of those they
subjugate. The heavy themes of empire and colonialism make this a grim
and heart-wrenching read.
Touraine, the conscript who is made to serve Balladaire from childhood and who returns to her homeland Qazal on assignment, discovers she doesn't belong anywhere. Her master and cohorts abominate her at heart while making her toil for them; her folks in her homeland recoil from her as she is too foreign and not even speaking their language. Her struggles with the meaning of "belonging" are to impact on the hard choices she has to make when an uprising becomes inevitable.
Luca is the calculating Queen regnant who is a naked believer in empire but tries to polish the patina with empathy. She makes her share of bad choices with seemingly good intentions and Touraine, her lover, has no qualms tearing off her hypocritical mask.
Touraine finally throws in with the Qazali rebels' lot when she concludes that her loyalty lies with her own people.
This couple of sentences sums up the central theme:
Touraine was starting to think it was impossible to come from one land and learn to live in another and feel whole. That you would always stand on shaky, hole-ridden ground, half of your identity dug out of you and tossed away.
The writing is emotion-evocative and the author has done a superb job at characterization.
I'm giving this novel 4.6 stars, rounded up.
Touraine, the conscript who is made to serve Balladaire from childhood and who returns to her homeland Qazal on assignment, discovers she doesn't belong anywhere. Her master and cohorts abominate her at heart while making her toil for them; her folks in her homeland recoil from her as she is too foreign and not even speaking their language. Her struggles with the meaning of "belonging" are to impact on the hard choices she has to make when an uprising becomes inevitable.
Luca is the calculating Queen regnant who is a naked believer in empire but tries to polish the patina with empathy. She makes her share of bad choices with seemingly good intentions and Touraine, her lover, has no qualms tearing off her hypocritical mask.
Touraine finally throws in with the Qazali rebels' lot when she concludes that her loyalty lies with her own people.
This couple of sentences sums up the central theme:
Touraine was starting to think it was impossible to come from one land and learn to live in another and feel whole. That you would always stand on shaky, hole-ridden ground, half of your identity dug out of you and tossed away.
The writing is emotion-evocative and the author has done a superb job at characterization.
I'm giving this novel 4.6 stars, rounded up.
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