Saturday, May 7, 2011

Review: The Floating Islands by Rachel Neumeier

Tags: YA, fantasy, war, magic, dragons, girls masquerading as boys, flying

Summary

The moment Trei, a newly orphaned Tolounnese and Islander half-breed, arrives on the Floating Islands to live with his uncle’s family, he is immediately drawn to the kajuraihi, men trained to ride the magicked winds that protect the Islands. As Trei trains to become a kajurai, his cousin Araenè has dreams of her own. She wants to become a chef, but Island women are only supposed to want and run their households.

Tragedy forces Araenè down a completely unexpected path: training to become a mage and learning to use magic. When war-happy Tolounne threatens the Floating Islands with new and frightening technology, Trei, Araenè, and their new respective friends find creative ways to use their new skills to help save the Islands.

Review

It’s no secret how much I love a good well-written high fantasy, one replete with intricate societal customs, political upheavel, and, of course, magic. So I was delighted when THE FLOATING ISLANDS was exactly what I wanted: a captivating and gorgeously written fantasy world.

I don’t think I have the words to describe why I loved Rachel Neumeier’s writing style so much. It’s not “purple prose-y” in that poetic, whimsical, or heartachingly beautiful way that I like in other books; instead, it’s like the perfect prose-prose, uncomplicated diction that paints an astonishingly clear picture of the setting. You see what the characters see without needing to read ten pages of minute description per scene. It’s hard to explain. It just…does the job of descriptive prose exactly right, and that’s why I call it perfect.

Araenè and Trei are wonderful protagonists with curious and unique adventures. I think Araenè will appeal to people who like reading about girls masquerading as boys to do grand things. The type of magic that she learns is fascinating and a feast for the senses, featuring glowing glass spheres, doors that don’t always lead to the same places each tiem, and flavors of spieces and herbs.

Trei’s experience as a kajurai was cool, too, if slightly less well described than Araenè mage-learning. The kajuraihi also brings us Ceirfei, Trei’s friend and fellow kajurai, who is so noble, level-headed, and admirable. Mages and kajuraihi alike contribute to the protection of the Islands in a fascinating set of tense war scenes.

All in all, as a fantasy enthusiast, I loved THE FLOATING ISLANDS. It effortlessly presents to us a different and thoroughly imaged world, yet dumbs nothing down for readers. The ending is satisfying and yet hints at the possibility of a sequel, which I would most happily welcome. Definitely a book I want to reread and that I’ll be recommending to lovers of high fantasy!

Cover discussion: I like how this illustration lends an air of epicness to the book, although I'm not sure how well it will work towards attracting its target audience. Luckily, the subtle cover image, plus the awesome synopsis, sucked me right in!

Knopf Books / Feb. 8, 2011 / Hardcover / 400pp. / $16.99

Personal copy.

10 comments:

  1. nice job explaining the style of writing. sometimes you read the description of a high fantasy (or just a fantasy, really) book and then the writing is not your flavor at all.

    thanks for sharing this review! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds like a wonderful book, really do like it when when you can just 'see' the world and it's characters. :) and a cracking new fantasy book will always be high on my wanted list. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Okay, now I must get this book as soon as possible. It sounds just like my kind of read and I know we have similar taste in books so I trust your reviews.

    Thanks & glad you liked it so much :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I know what you mean, there's just something magical about a well written high-fantasy. I think this will hav to go on my TBR right away!! It looks amazing, thank you for the review :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. This one has been on my wishlist for a while... and it got there because of the cover alone! Glad to hear it's actually worth reading.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for the recommendation. I love the way you describe the writer's style. I am also a fan of high fantasy. I will look out for this one when I go to the US in the Summer.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I've never seen this book before. It sounds awesome! I really love the cover, too.

    I'll definitely keep my eyes open for it at the bookstore. I'm glad you shared this one!

    Jennifer of Little Shelf

    ReplyDelete
  8. When you recommend it, and the book is also a high fantasy, I really can't ignore it. I shall be reading this one soon! Great review.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I just finished this lovely book and the first thing I did was look on the internet to see if a sequel was planned. Given that we are left wondering what price may need to be paid, the door is open for another adventure in this charming world.

    ReplyDelete

Hello! I'm so excited to read what you have to say. Due to high amounts of spam, I'm forced to disabled anonymous comments for the time being. Sorry for any inconvenience this causes, and I hope you can understand and still appreciate the content here!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...