The Raven Tower

I thought this book was pretty good, though it has a bit of a rough start. Once you get past the initial part and get used to the first/second person narrative it becomes much better. It's also not a particular long story, but the characters, especially the Strength and Patience of the Hill, are cool.

I can recommend this as a quick jump into Ann Leckie's works, particularly if you are more interested in fantasy than her usual science fiction.

For a full review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2023/11/book-review-raven-tower-by-ann-leckie.html

Standard fantasy narrative, except...

The narrator is a god and uses second person narrative to follow a human "main" character. The human is trans, and this isn't a defect, or a super power, it just is present in the world and accepted. Although twins are hated and feared in some cultures, despite not controlling how they are born.

Very Leckie, and also my favourite, I think. It's faster paced than the Ancillary books. Less tea and gloves.

This was a pretty good book, I'd give it 5 stars but the conversation about how it's okay to be trans was patronizing and cringey and forced. Coulda had more than one trans character instead of having a cis character ramble about her trans aunt. It was cool to have a trans character whose story didn't revolve around being trans, though.