Book Review: Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard

 

⋆⋆½

Content Warning: death, violence, parental abuse, colonization, racism, arson, attempted rape (non-graphic), abusive relationship, implied grooming, implied homophobia.

Princess Thanh was sent away to the foreign court of Ephteria as a child, and now, she is returning to her home country as an adult. Promoted to head negotiator and diplomat, she struggles with her mother's expectations and the weight of traumatic memories of her hostage past. When her first love, the striking Princess Eldris, comes to Thanh's mother's court, it sends her into a panicked state, unsure of how to deal with Ephteria's increasingly forceful demands or the love she feels for Eldris. There's something else Thanh must contend with, too: the powerful fire that burned down Ephteria's royal palace... and the magic that has followed her home.

I was so excited to read this novella that takes place in a fantasy world inspired by pre-colonial Vietnam, complete with a sapphic romance and comparisons to Howl's Moving Castle. The first few pages intrigued me, particularly because of the extraordinarily beautiful writing, but the longer I read, the more I found myself disliking Thanh's characterization and the paper-thin world. In spite of the aforementioned gorgeous writing style, there's little description to evoke the imperial palace that Thanh resides in, and the rest of the characters feel like little more than stereotypes.

The main issue is probably that this is a novella -- it's hard to truly worldbuild in only one-hundred pages, and unfortunately, it didn't quite succeed here. I would've loved to know more about Thanh's home country, Bình Hải, but sadly, the glimpses we get of it are tantalizing, but not enough to truly capture any depth. The same goes, then, for the characters: Eldris, in particular, is a strong example of being so blatant in her motivations that it's almost laughable. The most intriguing character is actually Thanh's mother, who at times shows compassion for her daughter that is always quickly eclipsed by criticism and disappointment. The relationship between Eldris and Thanh is not compelling, and it's hard to see what exactly is it that Thanh finds so beautiful and interesting about her. 

I can't say much about the fire element of the story without spoiling it, so I'll keep it brief, but it was another aspect that felt full of potential and ended up falling flat. I also found it hard to believe that a certain relationship Thanh develops happens so quickly and abruptly. It just didn't make sense to me -- perhaps on the other person's end, but on Thanh's? 

With all of this being said, I do want to emphasize once more that de Bodard is an extremely talented writer, and that the problem is, perhaps, more to do with the format that this book is published in. It's just incredibly difficult to make a novella feel fully-developed due to its brevity! de Bodard has published many other stories and books, and I'll certainly be giving them a shot, as I do feel that this one was full of potential, regardless of its flaws.