Cayla
This was, by the author’s own telling, a story about “assimilation and language and the seduction and horror of empire,” and it was a damn good one. How language and culture intertwine, how poetry can become propaganda can become cultural identity, how a fascination with the exotic might confuse one’s own sense of home and self and loyalty… and all through the lens of a brilliant cast of characters with sparkling wit and fascinating complexities.
A beautiful reminder of how prose can be poetic without being purple, and how effectively language can be woven when the writer truly knows what they want to say.
I loved every word of it.
This was, by the author’s own telling, a story about “assimilation and language and the seduction and horror of empire,” and it was a damn good one. How language and culture intertwine, how poetry can become propaganda can become cultural identity, how a fascination with the exotic might confuse one’s own sense of home and self and loyalty… and all through the lens of a brilliant cast of characters with sparkling wit and fascinating complexities.
A beautiful reminder of how prose can be poetic without being purple, and how effectively language can be woven when the writer truly knows what they want to say.
I loved every word of it.
Updated a reading goal:
Read 30 books in 2026
Progress so far: 15 / 30 50%
As the use of alchemy chips away at the alchemist’s soul, so too has this book scraped me a bit more raw for having read it. My lack of a full 5 stars here is less a reflection of the book’s quality (which is excellent, and Marie Lu should be very proud), and more because my own soul requires just a tad more levity and hope than the grimdark of this particular story. But that said, this one will stick with me and I do highly recommend it if you’re in search of complex characters and powerful prose.
As the use of alchemy chips away at the alchemist’s soul, so too has this book scraped me a bit more raw for having read it. My lack of a full 5 stars here is less a reflection of the book’s quality (which is excellent, and Marie Lu should be very proud), and more because my own soul requires just a tad more levity and hope than the grimdark of this particular story. But that said, this one will stick with me and I do highly recommend it if you’re in search of complex characters and powerful prose.
