Jana
I don't usually write reviews so this is going to be a rough one
I'd give this a 3.5/5
This is a collection of four novellas
I really liked the first one and the third one, I'd rank them 4/5 and 4.5/5.
I liked the second and the fourth novellas as well, they weren't bad in my opinion, I'd rank them 3.5/5 and 3/5.
I love the worldbuilding in this world, I love how gender is being treated in this world, it's a refreshing take in the fantasy sphere, maybe I haven't read enough of LGBTQIA+ fantasy and I haven't seen more rep like this, but the way this series treats gender and sexuality is great and it feels like it's not something that feels like it's forced in, it's an element that's prevalent in the world, it's well thought out and it never feels out of place.
Mx Yang is nonbinary and queer so I am not really surprised about how well and respectfully the LGBTQIA+ aspects are being treated, I still really appreciate their efforts and the way their vision comes true so smoothly
The magic system has depth but it's very easy to understand, it's an interesting system I'd like to see explored more in later novellas if Mx Yang decides to write more books set in Ea.
The politics of the world are interesting and the dynamics of it are present in even the smallest aspects of the story, it's great.
The character work is excellent as well, the characters are believable and interesting.
This collection and series is however not without faults
The prose was rough at times
The addition of modern curse words in the second book as slightly jarring, but I got used to it
I liked the story and the plot of novella 4 really much, I however really disliked how the story was told, it was told by an old woman retelling her past, it felt like a lacklustre finale to the series, but I respect what Yang was attempting there, they tried to make every novella different yet similar, they're all told in different ways
The first one was told over 4 decades
The second one was a bit basic compared to the others, it was just a typical novella format
The third, one my favourite, was told through diary entries, it was great
The fourth one was the old woman telling her story, I already mentioned that it felt lacklustre
Overall I enjoyed my time with this omnibus, if Yang ever decides to return to Ea, I will immediately pick it up.
This series is overall worth it just for the concepts
