Joined8 months ago
Easily one of my favorite books! I read it so fast because I had to know what happened next. Now feel like I need to reread it to fully explore all the themes. I don't think I've ever fallen in love with a book or author this fast
My full review can be found on in this video on my youtube channel
“Then find out. Find out the nature of the Cosmos”
Ren thought it was somewhat unreasonable to ask her to puzzle out what philosophers and theologians had been trying to answer for millennia, but she returned to the library. And came back with more questions still.
“But how does the existence or nonexistence of the gods affect me? Why does it matter how the universe came to be?”
“Because you're part of it. Because you exist. And unless you want to only ever be a tiny modicum of existence that doesn't understand its relation to the grander web of things, you will explore.”
“Why should I?”
“Because I know you want power.” He tapped her forehead again. “And how can you borrow power from the gods when you don't understand what they are?”
- Chapter 9 (6:40)
December 2022
OH MY GOSH THAT ENDING THO
November 2023
I'm really glad I gave this book a second try! I have now reread it because I love the writing and the atmosphere and the characters!
My full thoughts (and my adventures making November cakes can be found on my youtube channel
Review from January 2017, preserved for comparison purposes:
DNF page 80 ish
I'll admit that I did not give this one much of a chance. But the pace is soooo sloooow, the characters are uninteresting, and nothing at all has happened. I looked at a few reviews to see if it is worth continuing, and decided to ditch it when I read the race is not until the very end and only lasts about 10 pages. Umm, no.
The narrators for the audio book are awesome.
Very gripping yet very enraging.
I understand the point of the book was how easy it was to accept the way things are, even if those things are horrible. And the complexities of caring for people who perpetuating those horrible things.
But
Dana is way too accepting of a rapist. She even encourages her ancestor into accepting being raped, and is happy when they have a child together. Would I really want my ancestor to be raped just so I could exist?! I'm not sure my family tree or existence is worth someone else's pain and suffering. Of course if it hadn't been Rufus, it could have easily been someone else. Who knows what would have happened to Alice if Rufus wasn't around. But Dana's attitude still feels icky.And then Dana kills Rufus when he tries to rape her. That seems very hypocritical
This is also a book about a concept. I would have preferred it be a book about characters. We didn't see the deeply intense internal personal conflict that could have easily arisen from a story like this.
See my video review on youtube by clicking here
I don't think I'll ever get tired of rereading the Temeraire books. This is my 5th reread and I love it just as much as when I first read it.
The common pitch of the Temeraire books is Napoleonic War plus dragons, which is the setting for these books, but I feel that's not the best way to describe them. Sure they fight some battles, but the story is focused on relationships and we see a lot of the day to day of the characters. In some ways it almost feels like a cozy fantasy. At the same time, it deals with heavy themes, so that might not be the best way to describe it either. Maybe the word I'm looking for is character driven.
At the start of the book we meet a naval captain named Laurence as he captures a French ship and finds a dragon egg aboard.
Laurence has heard that bonding with a dragon from the moment it hatches is very important, and he reluctantly becomes the dragon's companion, which requires him to give up his ship and naval career to join the dragon airforce. The airforce is not well regarded, and Laurance is forced to confront his own negative opinion of the airforce while he grows increasingly fond of his dragon companion, Temeraire.
And what a delightful dragon Temeraire is! Temeraire is enthusiastic and inquisitive and has an almost puppy light energy. He wants to go flying, explore new places, and have his chance in battle, because he finds it all very exciting. He is also an intelligent breed of dragons and convinces Laurence to read to him about science, history, and mathematics. Laurence is not a strong reader, but his love for Temeraire outweighs his dislike of reading.
The bond and friendship between Laurence and Temeraire is really what keeps me coming back to these books. I find them delightful to read about!
Temeraire is also a dragon who is delighted by gold and jewels. One of the most beautiful scenes is where Laurence is commenting to Temeraire that he isn't wealthy enough to provide gold hoards and Temeraire says “I should rather have you than a heap of gold, even if it were very comfortable to sleep on.” And then later Temeraire asks Laurence if he'd rather give up dragon riding and go back to the navy, Laurence responds “I'd rather have you than any ship in the navy.” Gaah! Bookending that plot point with them choosing each other is just so beautiful
Lawrence has a strong sense of duty and patriotism, which is why he agreed to become a dragonrider in the first place - he knows how desperate England is in need of more dragons. But Temeraire does not share this sense of duty, and often questions why they must do things they don't like. This is a theme that continues throughout the series, as Temeraire pushes Laurence to really think about his positions.
To hear my spoiler thoughts, see my video review
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