A review by elwirax
Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard

adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I was enthralled by the Vietnamese inspired setting of "Fireheart Tiger" described in the synopsis and by the time I got to the promise of a sapphic romance I was sold. Sadly I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped to. 

It was difficult to connect to many of the characters, such are the consequences of a novel which is not fully fledged and relationships are established off the page. Giang was a very interesting character yet her character wasn't explored nearly as much as I'd hoped. The love triangle in this novella was quite insubstantial and overshadowed much of the lush worldbuilding, political intrigue and important themes such as the impact of colonialism. 

I think that the potential was definitely there yet aspects where simply not fleshed out as much as they could've been if this novella was longer. There were enjoyable moments and the writing was quite lovely but as a whole I wanted a bit more in terms or character development and worldbuilding.
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