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The Mirror Empire (2014)

by Kameron Hurley(Favorite Author)

3.76 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0857665553 (ISBN13: 9780857665553)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Angry Robot

series

Worldbreaker Saga

review 1: Because I liked Hurley's God's War series so much, I expected to like this equally. But it was shy of 5 stars for me because of 1) the ending (about which I won't say more to avoid spoilers for anyone who hasn't read it)and 2) how confusing it was to keep the characters, their alliances, and the countries/worlds/cultures straight. I kept turning to the glossary at the end as a reminder of who people were. For those who want a brief summary of what it's about- it's a world where there are 4 satellites which take turns being dominant, and "gifted" musicians tuned to one of the satellites, powerful when the individual's satellite is ascendant and less powerful or not at all when that satellite is in decline. The fourth satellite- Oma- is ascendant only every 2,000 years, ... moreand brings with it mass destruction. The three main countries are Saidua, Dorinah and Dhai- all with history of wars with each other. Currently, Saidua is being destroyed, city by city, by a new foe, and seeks help from the Dhai. The key characters (among a long list of important secondary characters as well) are Akhio (the new leader of the Dhai), Maralah (acting war minister for Saidua), Zezili (a general of the Saidua) and Lilia (15 year old taken in by the Dhai when her mother was killed). Everyone is vying for control and desperate to avoid war and destruction by Oma or enemies. The world is fascinating and different, the characters interesting and appealing, and I will be picking up the sequel when it's out.
review 2: The book started out with a lot of promise. it had an intriguing story and people and worlds that were different enough from the run-of-the mill to make it really interesting. Sadly although the worldbuilding was excellent, none of the characters were engaging or memorable enough to hold my interest long enough to finish the book :( I really wanted to like this book and i kept reading long after i wanted to stop because i wanted to find something that would ignite a spark of interest. but not being able to invest in any of the characters- all of whom were pretty wooden and uncompelling- i couldn't have cared less what happened to them or their story, which was a pity. the book also meandered too much, a crisper pace and tighter writing would have improved it immensely. less

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