Fireheart Tiger

When I first saw the announcement of this novella, I didn't even need to know the premise before adding it to my tbr. And when I saw that stunning cover, my excitement only doubled. I had so much confidence that the author would wow me in just a few pages, and I'm so happy to report that I was right.

I find the novella format very fascinating - the less number of pages should realistically not give us enough time to feel invested in the characters or the stakes, but what I've realized through reading quite a bit of short fiction in 2020 is that the authors who frequently write in this format are masters at their craft, skillfully able to make us emotionally engaged in the story right from the get go. And that's exactly what happened here.

Thanh is a very sympathetic character and I instantly liked her, started worrying for her and just wanted her to be safe. I can't go into details about the other characters without revealing spoilers but every one of them was fully realized, and it was fascinating to me that I was able to glean most of their motivations despite everything being so subtle. The world building is also seamlessly integrated without any infodumps, giving us the right amount of information so that we can follow along with the political intrigue and the diplomatic negotiations. The pacing is perfect, never feeling rushed but also fast enough that's it's easy to forget everything else while reading it. And I just can't say enough about the prose - it was absolutely beautiful and poetic and so very full of feeling.

But the most surprising part of the book was how delicately the author handled some of the themes. The primary one is a critique of colonialism, showing us how arrogant the imperial powers are about their inherent righteousness, calling the others “savages” and subtly threatening to occupy them. We also see how this arrogance manifests in personal relationships, a sense of entitlement that makes them feel that they have the right to love and can't be denied, manipulating and gaslighting to get their way. The author never tells us any of this though, she makes us feel and understand all of it just through normal seeming character interactions, and I thought it was brilliantly executed.

In the end, all I can say is that if you love short fiction, you can't miss this. If you love Asian sapphic fantasy stories like I do, then this is absolutely perfect for you. And I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a flawless blend of cutthroat politics, diplomatic maneuvering and a pining romance, set in a lush and beautiful fantasy world.