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katieinca's review against another edition
4.0
Just what I was looking for - great to be back in this world (swordsmen and swordswomen! plotting! humor! romance! ... and tiny hints at the potential for magic), with new and old characters. I wasn't expecting a prequel, and I do think it would be entirely approachable even if you've never read Swordspoint et al (but do go read those). I found it pretty put-down-able for the first half or so, which was surprising; I figured as a serial every entry would leave you absolutely on the edge of your seat.
Will definitely read season 2, and am glad to see it's available as a collection too.
Will definitely read season 2, and am glad to see it's available as a collection too.
crimsoncor's review against another edition
5.0
Okay, so after being somewhat disappointed by Fall of Kings, we're back on top here. Riverside has always given me vibes of Sanctuary from the Thieves World anthology and with the shared world stuff going on here, those vibes are even stronger. And that is great because there really isn't awesome shared world fantasy (or fantasy adjacent if you want to get particular about the genre here) being written much any more.
There is some slight unevenness in the writing here, but overall it ranges from passable to outstanding and the story-telling is top notch. In classic prequel style, we know the outcome for many of the characters, but there is so much more to learn and enjoy about them that it never gets dull. And the new characters introduced! Kaab and her entire extended family are such a welcome addition to the Riverside stew, getting to see the European-esque culture of Riverside through a vaguely mezzo-American Aztec-inspired trading culture is just so well done. Everything about this sings and scintillates.
There is some slight unevenness in the writing here, but overall it ranges from passable to outstanding and the story-telling is top notch. In classic prequel style, we know the outcome for many of the characters, but there is so much more to learn and enjoy about them that it never gets dull. And the new characters introduced! Kaab and her entire extended family are such a welcome addition to the Riverside stew, getting to see the European-esque culture of Riverside through a vaguely mezzo-American Aztec-inspired trading culture is just so well done. Everything about this sings and scintillates.
caitgauthor's review against another edition
5.0
Tremontaine is binge-worthy and full of chocolate!
HOLY CRAP, THIS BOOK IS FREAKING AMAZING! In fact, it’s not really a book but a written series with each chapter as an episode. I began reading Season One, which consisted of thirteen episodes, and totally dived in. There are several authors in this series, too, but magically, all the episodes read as if they were done by one person.
The characters are fantastic, from the fearless Kaab, to the endearing genius Micah, and to the beautiful and wicked Diane. Also, Rafe and, and, and . . . I can't say because of spoilers, but OMIGOSH!
I cannot wait to read Season 2. I am totally addicted.
(I'll be publishing a longer review on my website on July 21, 2017.)
HOLY CRAP, THIS BOOK IS FREAKING AMAZING! In fact, it’s not really a book but a written series with each chapter as an episode. I began reading Season One, which consisted of thirteen episodes, and totally dived in. There are several authors in this series, too, but magically, all the episodes read as if they were done by one person.
The characters are fantastic, from the fearless Kaab, to the endearing genius Micah, and to the beautiful and wicked Diane. Also, Rafe and, and, and . . . I can't say because of spoilers, but OMIGOSH!
I cannot wait to read Season 2. I am totally addicted.
(I'll be publishing a longer review on my website on July 21, 2017.)
tellingetienne's review against another edition
3.0
This was a really interesting project to read. I enjoyed it a lot, although there were episodes that I struggled to get into because of the author's specific style. All in all, it was a really solid work. If you enjoyed the other books set in this world, I think you'd very much enjoy this serial.
ellelainey's review against another edition
4.0
* NOTE: It wouldn't let me copy my entire review (8 pages) so let me just say that I fell in love with Rafe and Will, I want to read more about Joshua and Micah, and I hope Diane burns in the deepest pit of hell. *
Book – Tremontaine (Season One)
Star rating - ★★★★☆
No. of Pages – 462
Cover – quirky and clever!
POV – 3rd person, multi character, often omni-present
Would I read it again – Yes!
Genre – LGBT, Fantasy, Serial, Historical, Coming-of-Age, Queer
Content Warning – mild violence, sexual situations, adultery/cheating, prostitution
Orientations – MM, MF, FF
** COPY RECEIVED THROUGH NETGALLEY **
This is my second Serial Box production and I'll admit that I loved the beginning of the other series 'ReMade' but had trouble with the fact that so many various authors wrote parts that made up the whole. Some authors voices didn't work, for me, but that isn't a problem I had with this series. For once, though each author's voice is very talented, I could easily have read this from start to finish without knowing there was more than one author. They all tried to keep the same “voice” and atmosphere to their shorts that made it possible to read each one as a new chapter in a whole cohesive story. Characterisation, setting, mood, and the attention to detail never slipped.
~
OVERALL
This collection sucked me right into the world of Riverside and Tremontaine. I've not only added the paperbacks of all three seasons to my pay-day buy list, but I've also added the three paperbacks of the Riverside series. I just know that Kushner can't disappoint me, now.
The overall setting of the plot has strong hints of A Song of Ice and Fire, and The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy. All of which is to the good, because I love those books and that type of world. It adds enough historical possibilities to enough fantasy elements that I end up with the best of both worlds.
Every episode has a complete story arc all of its own, but which also pieces together with the other episodes to create a woven tapestry of an overall arc throughout the season. Each episode is just a small part of a bigger puzzle.
Each episode adds more and more mystery, asking and answering questions within each episode, that all boil down to one large plot that it intricately woven between a handful of characters:
Diane and William Tremonatine – Duke and Duchess – who are suffering financial difficulties that William is largely unaware of, because Diane has made some unwise gambles that didn't pay off, and is scrambling to fix the awful mess they're in.
Rafe – a talented, passionate scholar who falls head over heels for William, gets in the way of Diane's plots, and takes in the helpless, hapless, and innocently naive Micah.
Micah – a girl everyone assumes is a boy, due to her cousin's plan of dressing her so to keep her safe on the unfamiliar streets of the city. She's a farm girl with a head for numbers, exceedingly talented, and adorably innocent and unaware of the ramifications her numbers could have on an entire people.
Ixkaab – first daughter of the first daughter, fighter, member of the service, and irrascible hot-head. She's got a thing for Tess the Hand, a master female forger – huzzah for women's rights! – and skill with a blade and for spying. But, in trying to protect her family from one threat, she haplessly stumbles into ignoring another much more serious threat.
Applethorpe – a skilled swordsman, fascinated by Ixkaab's fighting ability, who has some secret past that took him his home of Riverside, taught him skill with the sword, and brought him back an even bigger mystery than before. He knows people, understands political undercurrents, and inadvertently drops himself right in the middle of a wasps nest of political intrigue and mayhem.
Through all these characters – all of whom provide a POV scene of their own, at some point, no matter how large or minor – have a bearing on the overall plot. Through their eyes (sometimes omni-present) we watch the mystery of the Tremontaine house unfold. And potentially disintegrate. And I absolutely love that it's Ellen Kushner who bookends the season, writing the first and last chapters. Although, I do have to admit that Episode 10, by Joel Derfner gave me a book hangover.
Yes, there were some editing issues, a few spaces before commas, inconsistent editing, a change of font issue, missing full stops, backwards quotation marks. Small things that would probably go largely unnoticed if I wasn't a naturally picky grammar/editing nazi. Which I hold my hands up to confess I am. Things that mean I can't give a 5 star, flawless, rating. Each episode contains editing issues and inconsistently use a single scene of present tense, that doesn't always make sense.
I have to mark what I have in front of me, and with those errors, and a few 4 star episodes amongst the rest of the 5 star episodes, I had to properly calculate the final rating.
That will not stop me from devouring Season 2 over the next week, nor buying all three seasons, and the entire Riverside trilogy, in paperback the minute I get paid.
Book – Tremontaine (Season One)
Star rating - ★★★★☆
No. of Pages – 462
Cover – quirky and clever!
POV – 3rd person, multi character, often omni-present
Would I read it again – Yes!
Genre – LGBT, Fantasy, Serial, Historical, Coming-of-Age, Queer
Content Warning – mild violence, sexual situations, adultery/cheating, prostitution
Orientations – MM, MF, FF
** COPY RECEIVED THROUGH NETGALLEY **
This is my second Serial Box production and I'll admit that I loved the beginning of the other series 'ReMade' but had trouble with the fact that so many various authors wrote parts that made up the whole. Some authors voices didn't work, for me, but that isn't a problem I had with this series. For once, though each author's voice is very talented, I could easily have read this from start to finish without knowing there was more than one author. They all tried to keep the same “voice” and atmosphere to their shorts that made it possible to read each one as a new chapter in a whole cohesive story. Characterisation, setting, mood, and the attention to detail never slipped.
~
OVERALL
This collection sucked me right into the world of Riverside and Tremontaine. I've not only added the paperbacks of all three seasons to my pay-day buy list, but I've also added the three paperbacks of the Riverside series. I just know that Kushner can't disappoint me, now.
The overall setting of the plot has strong hints of A Song of Ice and Fire, and The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy. All of which is to the good, because I love those books and that type of world. It adds enough historical possibilities to enough fantasy elements that I end up with the best of both worlds.
Every episode has a complete story arc all of its own, but which also pieces together with the other episodes to create a woven tapestry of an overall arc throughout the season. Each episode is just a small part of a bigger puzzle.
Each episode adds more and more mystery, asking and answering questions within each episode, that all boil down to one large plot that it intricately woven between a handful of characters:
Diane and William Tremonatine – Duke and Duchess – who are suffering financial difficulties that William is largely unaware of, because Diane has made some unwise gambles that didn't pay off, and is scrambling to fix the awful mess they're in.
Rafe – a talented, passionate scholar who falls head over heels for William, gets in the way of Diane's plots, and takes in the helpless, hapless, and innocently naive Micah.
Micah – a girl everyone assumes is a boy, due to her cousin's plan of dressing her so to keep her safe on the unfamiliar streets of the city. She's a farm girl with a head for numbers, exceedingly talented, and adorably innocent and unaware of the ramifications her numbers could have on an entire people.
Ixkaab – first daughter of the first daughter, fighter, member of the service, and irrascible hot-head. She's got a thing for Tess the Hand, a master female forger – huzzah for women's rights! – and skill with a blade and for spying. But, in trying to protect her family from one threat, she haplessly stumbles into ignoring another much more serious threat.
Applethorpe – a skilled swordsman, fascinated by Ixkaab's fighting ability, who has some secret past that took him his home of Riverside, taught him skill with the sword, and brought him back an even bigger mystery than before. He knows people, understands political undercurrents, and inadvertently drops himself right in the middle of a wasps nest of political intrigue and mayhem.
Through all these characters – all of whom provide a POV scene of their own, at some point, no matter how large or minor – have a bearing on the overall plot. Through their eyes (sometimes omni-present) we watch the mystery of the Tremontaine house unfold. And potentially disintegrate. And I absolutely love that it's Ellen Kushner who bookends the season, writing the first and last chapters. Although, I do have to admit that Episode 10, by Joel Derfner gave me a book hangover.
Yes, there were some editing issues, a few spaces before commas, inconsistent editing, a change of font issue, missing full stops, backwards quotation marks. Small things that would probably go largely unnoticed if I wasn't a naturally picky grammar/editing nazi. Which I hold my hands up to confess I am. Things that mean I can't give a 5 star, flawless, rating. Each episode contains editing issues and inconsistently use a single scene of present tense, that doesn't always make sense.
I have to mark what I have in front of me, and with those errors, and a few 4 star episodes amongst the rest of the 5 star episodes, I had to properly calculate the final rating.
That will not stop me from devouring Season 2 over the next week, nor buying all three seasons, and the entire Riverside trilogy, in paperback the minute I get paid.
rebeccacider's review
3.0
Well, that was a long reading experience.
The Riverside books are among my favorite, but I never got around to finishing Tremontaine, finding that the serial format (and price point per episode) didn't really work for me. I ended up returning to it as an audiobook, which was maybe not the best format for this title. Not because of the narration—Sarah Mollo-Christensen is an unparalleled voice-actor, and Katherine Kellgren is fabulous as Diane—but because the darned thing is so cursedly long, and a slow pace is made slower by the audio format.
The best thing about this book is the introduction of the Kinwiinik culture. Tremontaine addresses the question of why a European fantasy world has New World goods by inventing seafaring Aztec-inspired merchants who keep the Hill's chocolate pots full and engage in diplomatic machinations to protect their interests both in the City and back home. Yeah, it's awesome. It's so rare to see New World cultures portrayed in fantasy fiction, and I am going to go out on a limb and attribute its success here to Alaya Dawn Johnson, who draws on indigenous New World cultures in her book The Summer Prince.
In addition to the worldbuilding, I quite liked the premise of Tremontaine and its cast of characters—from a younger Diane embarking on her career of political intrigue to Micah, an autistic turnip-farmer turned scholar who just wants to be left alone with her mathematics. (Also, a young, cute Vincent Applethorpe is a supporting character, which inexplicably made me very happy.)
Alas, the pacing. I don't mind slower books, but I felt like the episodic format encouraged the writers to get bogged down when it came to moving forward plot and character. The character beats felt repetitive, and despite the word count, certain characters (such as Will) just did not feel well-developed at all. Kushner's other Riverside collaboration, The Fall of the Kings, had a similar problem. Swordspoint is a short and snappy novel, and The Privilege of the Sword gets away with its length because it is a deeply psychological bildungsroman. I don't know what the formula is for writing a longer book that reads like the original Swordspoint, but I suspect it involves a faster-paced, more cinematic storyline.
I still enjoyed a lot about this book, and I am curious as to what happens next (although I feel a bit ambivalent about some of the plot developments, especially Diane's backstory). So perhaps I will pick up Season Two at some point? But not on audio.
The Riverside books are among my favorite, but I never got around to finishing Tremontaine, finding that the serial format (and price point per episode) didn't really work for me. I ended up returning to it as an audiobook, which was maybe not the best format for this title. Not because of the narration—Sarah Mollo-Christensen is an unparalleled voice-actor, and Katherine Kellgren is fabulous as Diane—but because the darned thing is so cursedly long, and a slow pace is made slower by the audio format.
The best thing about this book is the introduction of the Kinwiinik culture. Tremontaine addresses the question of why a European fantasy world has New World goods by inventing seafaring Aztec-inspired merchants who keep the Hill's chocolate pots full and engage in diplomatic machinations to protect their interests both in the City and back home. Yeah, it's awesome. It's so rare to see New World cultures portrayed in fantasy fiction, and I am going to go out on a limb and attribute its success here to Alaya Dawn Johnson, who draws on indigenous New World cultures in her book The Summer Prince.
In addition to the worldbuilding, I quite liked the premise of Tremontaine and its cast of characters—from a younger Diane embarking on her career of political intrigue to Micah, an autistic turnip-farmer turned scholar who just wants to be left alone with her mathematics. (Also, a young, cute Vincent Applethorpe is a supporting character, which inexplicably made me very happy.)
Alas, the pacing. I don't mind slower books, but I felt like the episodic format encouraged the writers to get bogged down when it came to moving forward plot and character. The character beats felt repetitive, and despite the word count, certain characters (such as Will) just did not feel well-developed at all. Kushner's other Riverside collaboration, The Fall of the Kings, had a similar problem. Swordspoint is a short and snappy novel, and The Privilege of the Sword gets away with its length because it is a deeply psychological bildungsroman. I don't know what the formula is for writing a longer book that reads like the original Swordspoint, but I suspect it involves a faster-paced, more cinematic storyline.
I still enjoyed a lot about this book, and I am curious as to what happens next (although I feel a bit ambivalent about some of the plot developments, especially Diane's backstory). So perhaps I will pick up Season Two at some point? But not on audio.
chirson's review against another edition
4.0
I read the season without having read the original novels by Kushner, and knowing very little about them beyond the fact that they are a staple where queer sff is concerned.
The truth is, I started reading Tremontaine season 1 a long while ago. I got through the first three episodes on my own before becoming frustrated with the format, particularly when some sections appeared to become repetitive (giving us the same information to clue in a reader who read the last part a month ago would be okay, but I felt like some of the overlap was due to different authors of the episodes re-treading the ground just to be sure). Then I decided it was just too expensive for me to go on buying the episodes and resolved to wait to see if some discount would become available after the season concludes.
Months passed and I didn't forget about Tremontaine, but its flaws seemed to stand out in my memory more than its strengths. Still, when I saw the whole season on offer on NetGalley, I clicked on it immediately and got down to reading.
The world of Tremontaine is immersive and interesting. A faux-European city engaged in trade with faux-Southern American empire, populated by scholars, traders, immigrants, the working poor, criminal element and aristocrats (usually more than one of the above applies to any given character). The characters are purposefully diverse in a way that mostly works (I'm still not sure some elements of Micah's characterisation weren't a bit too on the nose by-the-numbers), the world vibrant, the storylines - well, here is where I'm less convinced. I really enjoyed the second half of the season (and particularly the last 3-4 installments). Frankly, it is only at that point that I felt like the novel came together and the pacing improved a lot (in that there was enough relevance to what I was reading to keep me wanting to find out what happens next). Still, it's binge-reading that benefits the book and makes it possible to appreciate the way the format can be made to work for it; instead of chapters, we get episodes which get different directorial / authorial flair, sometimes with a really good result (like when flashbacks flesh out the world in episode 12, or like when we get more insight into the life of a particular character, or simply different stylistic devices are used, as in episode 10). I liked Joel Derfner's chapters the most, and, unfortunately Malinda Lo's first chapter - the least. And so, if the authorial variety allows for some advantages, there are also moments when it works less well, like when Malinda Lo's more descriptive (and at times kind of unbearable for me, but YMMV) style gave me some definite pause with how annoying it made Rafe and the Duke sound. I wrote about all of that when reviewing individual episodes.
And now on with the spoilery part of the review.
And now to comment on the characters: range is great, but depth could have been improved at times. Kaab and Diane are perhaps the most well-developed and interesting (and their mutual recognition of each other as worthy adversaries was a good moment in the novel). Micah could use some more consistency and being more well-rounded instead of the authors using things that to me felt a bit... cheap and by the numbers (although there are some moments that are quite great, the cow scene was nothing if not on the nose). And then there's Rafe. I didn't enjoy reading Rafe not because he's a bit of a jerk - that I could buy - but because by the end of the day his casual cruelty and misogyny addressed at the wife of his lover seem justified because, well, she is the ultimate villain in his story. When, in fact, a point could be made more strongly about the way in which his very cruelty is what enables the duke's bad behaviour, ultimately resulting in the duchess becoming even more of a villain.
The final complain would be addressed at the way the season ends - very little feels resolved and while I appreciate the value of making the readers want more, I wish there was some more finality to the season finale. Still, I am inclined to check out the next episodes, so objective achieved, I suppose. I just hope there'll be more plotting and less swordplay, but that's probably my problem, not the book's.
I read episodes 4-13 courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
The truth is, I started reading Tremontaine season 1 a long while ago. I got through the first three episodes on my own before becoming frustrated with the format, particularly when some sections appeared to become repetitive (giving us the same information to clue in a reader who read the last part a month ago would be okay, but I felt like some of the overlap was due to different authors of the episodes re-treading the ground just to be sure). Then I decided it was just too expensive for me to go on buying the episodes and resolved to wait to see if some discount would become available after the season concludes.
Months passed and I didn't forget about Tremontaine, but its flaws seemed to stand out in my memory more than its strengths. Still, when I saw the whole season on offer on NetGalley, I clicked on it immediately and got down to reading.
The world of Tremontaine is immersive and interesting. A faux-European city engaged in trade with faux-Southern American empire, populated by scholars, traders, immigrants, the working poor, criminal element and aristocrats (usually more than one of the above applies to any given character). The characters are purposefully diverse in a way that mostly works (I'm still not sure some elements of Micah's characterisation weren't a bit too on the nose by-the-numbers), the world vibrant, the storylines - well, here is where I'm less convinced. I really enjoyed the second half of the season (and particularly the last 3-4 installments). Frankly, it is only at that point that I felt like the novel came together and the pacing improved a lot (in that there was enough relevance to what I was reading to keep me wanting to find out what happens next). Still, it's binge-reading that benefits the book and makes it possible to appreciate the way the format can be made to work for it; instead of chapters, we get episodes which get different directorial / authorial flair, sometimes with a really good result (like when flashbacks flesh out the world in episode 12, or like when we get more insight into the life of a particular character, or simply different stylistic devices are used, as in episode 10). I liked Joel Derfner's chapters the most, and, unfortunately Malinda Lo's first chapter - the least. And so, if the authorial variety allows for some advantages, there are also moments when it works less well, like when Malinda Lo's more descriptive (and at times kind of unbearable for me, but YMMV) style gave me some definite pause with how annoying it made Rafe and the Duke sound. I wrote about all of that when reviewing individual episodes.
And now on with the spoilery part of the review.
Spoiler
I think one of my main issues with the book is that while I was able to enjoy my foray into the world it created, the relationships it asked me to invest in felt unearned. The way their shared passion made the main (gay) couple act towards everyone else made it difficult for me to root for anything but their separation. Meanwhile, the lesbian relationship basically progresses from instant one-sided attraction to the characters being together with very little exploration into what made the characters want to be together (or even have sex). In fact, Kaab's relationship with her dead lover is much more interestingly developed than her current one. And I wish it was more interesting because I like non-dead lesbians in my fiction; instead, the dead one is the one I wish I could know more about.And now to comment on the characters: range is great, but depth could have been improved at times. Kaab and Diane are perhaps the most well-developed and interesting (and their mutual recognition of each other as worthy adversaries was a good moment in the novel). Micah could use some more consistency and being more well-rounded instead of the authors using things that to me felt a bit... cheap and by the numbers (although there are some moments that are quite great, the cow scene was nothing if not on the nose). And then there's Rafe. I didn't enjoy reading Rafe not because he's a bit of a jerk - that I could buy - but because by the end of the day his casual cruelty and misogyny addressed at the wife of his lover seem justified because, well, she is the ultimate villain in his story. When, in fact, a point could be made more strongly about the way in which his very cruelty is what enables the duke's bad behaviour, ultimately resulting in the duchess becoming even more of a villain.
The final complain would be addressed at the way the season ends - very little feels resolved and while I appreciate the value of making the readers want more, I wish there was some more finality to the season finale. Still, I am inclined to check out the next episodes, so objective achieved, I suppose. I just hope there'll be more plotting and less swordplay, but that's probably my problem, not the book's.
I read episodes 4-13 courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
gunidur's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
kittykornerlibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this... I loved the blend of political intrigue, romance, and humor in the story. In spite of duels, poisoning, and murder, the story had a lighthearted quality about it that I found very engaging. I enjoyed the cultural differences between the Traders and the Locals and I loved the inclusion of gay/lesbian romance. The chilly, calculating Duchess of Tremontaine; the warmhearted young foreign princess from a merchant family; the young turnip farmer turned mathematical student... I enjoyed all the characters and how their stories came together. I can't wait to read the series now!