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schneefink) wrote2018-11-20 04:37 pm
schneefink) wrote2018-11-20 04:37 pm
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The Creature Court trilogy, by Tansy Rayner Roberts
Someone on DW linked to the Kickstarter to get these books re-released a few months ago and I decided to support it, and now the books are finally here! I read them about a week ago in just three days because they're very compelling. (And then made notes to post about them but almost forgot.)
I love the "magic" system. Shapeshifters, but the smaller the animal the more of them you turn into, and in addition to animal forms depending on how strong you are you have a Lord form and a chimaera form. And in all forms you can fly, which is great.
There's also a pretty strict social order, with courtesi and Lords and Kings and the Power and Majesty, which is a fertile ground for power struggles and beautiful loyalty/fealty kink and angst, very nice.
And every night they fight a battle against the sky. Which, since most people awaken their powers when they enter puberty, means that the entire court is full of former basically child soldiers who have never known anything other than war; consequentially all of them are pretty messed up, understandable but ouch. Velody got her powers (back) as an adult, so from the beginning she has an entirely different perspective on everything. They are messed up in various interesting ways though.
The plot is okay, interesting and well done mostly but occasionally too, hm, chaotic for my taste, but the strength of this trilogy is definitely in the world and the characters.
Starting with Tasha's cubs, and especially Garnet and Ashiol – wowowow. Codependent af and so bad for each other. Ashiol swearing to Priest, of course Garnet was unhappy about that especially with how they come from different social classes. Later Garnet capturing and torturing Ashiol (that was after Poet gave him the pocketwatch), and Ashiol just accepted it, to prove his loyalty… and then Garnet tried to ritually marry him and is upset that after all that torture Ashiol hesitated for a single moment to hand himself over to Garnet entirely, and Garnet is so upset that he rips Ashiol's animor from him. That was great in book 3, how first we find out that what Garnet did to Ashiol at the end was maybe not entirely intended, and then find out that Garnet did want Ashiol free and at his side, and later Ashiol says he only hesitated because he didn't even want to be Garnet's equal. *facepalm* (But when he could have become Garnet's courteso he didn't, probably still too proud.) They are so messed up.
The rest of Tasha's cubs too, Lysandor is the only one who got out, good for him. I liked Poet a lot more in book 3, but it still didn't explain exactly how he brought Tierce and Velody and Garnet back. And Livilla, who finally found her own people to protect only to die shortly afterwards – and then she comes back? That wasn't really explained that well, but again, whatever. (Warlord definitely came back too, right? Why not.)
I'm kinda curious how the AU would go without the institutionalized sexist ideas that women can't become kings - Tasha's plans would definitely have been very different.
And into this mess comes Velody, the outsider, the one not raised in the court and therefore able to see how fucked up it all is. The first half of book 2 was so wonderful here, where the Lords are kinda cooperating and so not used to it. (Poor Priest.) Velody is torn between worlds, she likes being a dressmaker, but she also likes the power of being a King and fighting the sky and that came across very well. Sometimes/often feels like the only sane person in the room, having to deal with *gestures* all that, and she does well. I really liked her, even if most of the time I felt sorry for her. (Except when she's in the sky and enjoying the fight.)
I liked Delphine and Rhian too, mostly; Delphine isn't really my type and she's a mean person, but it is a shitty situation and freaking out is understandable, and she grows. I liked Rhian too, but we never really got an explanation for what she becomes and I was a bit annoyed by that.
There were a lot of things especially in the third book where it annoyed me that they weren't explained better, like Livilla coming back or what the deal is with Topaz' salamander form or with the Clockwork Saints. The explanation about why the sky is fighting them and what it wants came very late, and while the actual resolution – all of them having to give up their animor – makes sense, the final battle and confrontation overall felt like a chaotic mess and not in a good way.
Other than that, I liked the worldbuilding, and I liked the city, and how the different sides hang together. I liked Isangell too. Her ending up with Kelpie was a surprise, not sure I really ship them but I am so here for Isangell deciding to rule on her own and having a female lover.
I love the "magic" system. Shapeshifters, but the smaller the animal the more of them you turn into, and in addition to animal forms depending on how strong you are you have a Lord form and a chimaera form. And in all forms you can fly, which is great.
There's also a pretty strict social order, with courtesi and Lords and Kings and the Power and Majesty, which is a fertile ground for power struggles and beautiful loyalty/fealty kink and angst, very nice.
And every night they fight a battle against the sky. Which, since most people awaken their powers when they enter puberty, means that the entire court is full of former basically child soldiers who have never known anything other than war; consequentially all of them are pretty messed up, understandable but ouch. Velody got her powers (back) as an adult, so from the beginning she has an entirely different perspective on everything. They are messed up in various interesting ways though.
The plot is okay, interesting and well done mostly but occasionally too, hm, chaotic for my taste, but the strength of this trilogy is definitely in the world and the characters.
Starting with Tasha's cubs, and especially Garnet and Ashiol – wowowow. Codependent af and so bad for each other. Ashiol swearing to Priest, of course Garnet was unhappy about that especially with how they come from different social classes. Later Garnet capturing and torturing Ashiol (that was after Poet gave him the pocketwatch), and Ashiol just accepted it, to prove his loyalty… and then Garnet tried to ritually marry him and is upset that after all that torture Ashiol hesitated for a single moment to hand himself over to Garnet entirely, and Garnet is so upset that he rips Ashiol's animor from him. That was great in book 3, how first we find out that what Garnet did to Ashiol at the end was maybe not entirely intended, and then find out that Garnet did want Ashiol free and at his side, and later Ashiol says he only hesitated because he didn't even want to be Garnet's equal. *facepalm* (But when he could have become Garnet's courteso he didn't, probably still too proud.) They are so messed up.
The rest of Tasha's cubs too, Lysandor is the only one who got out, good for him. I liked Poet a lot more in book 3, but it still didn't explain exactly how he brought Tierce and Velody and Garnet back. And Livilla, who finally found her own people to protect only to die shortly afterwards – and then she comes back? That wasn't really explained that well, but again, whatever. (Warlord definitely came back too, right? Why not.)
I'm kinda curious how the AU would go without the institutionalized sexist ideas that women can't become kings - Tasha's plans would definitely have been very different.
And into this mess comes Velody, the outsider, the one not raised in the court and therefore able to see how fucked up it all is. The first half of book 2 was so wonderful here, where the Lords are kinda cooperating and so not used to it. (Poor Priest.) Velody is torn between worlds, she likes being a dressmaker, but she also likes the power of being a King and fighting the sky and that came across very well. Sometimes/often feels like the only sane person in the room, having to deal with *gestures* all that, and she does well. I really liked her, even if most of the time I felt sorry for her. (Except when she's in the sky and enjoying the fight.)
I liked Delphine and Rhian too, mostly; Delphine isn't really my type and she's a mean person, but it is a shitty situation and freaking out is understandable, and she grows. I liked Rhian too, but we never really got an explanation for what she becomes and I was a bit annoyed by that.
There were a lot of things especially in the third book where it annoyed me that they weren't explained better, like Livilla coming back or what the deal is with Topaz' salamander form or with the Clockwork Saints. The explanation about why the sky is fighting them and what it wants came very late, and while the actual resolution – all of them having to give up their animor – makes sense, the final battle and confrontation overall felt like a chaotic mess and not in a good way.
Other than that, I liked the worldbuilding, and I liked the city, and how the different sides hang together. I liked Isangell too. Her ending up with Kelpie was a surprise, not sure I really ship them but I am so here for Isangell deciding to rule on her own and having a female lover.
no subject
Thanks for this overview.
no subject
(It would also mean that nobody could shift into an animal much larger than themselves, so no elephant shifters etc, but that part of it is sad so I try not to think about it.)
Velody turns into a lot of mice, and though she understandably usually fights in her other forms I still enjoy imagining a flying swarm of mice ^^