I had really high hopes for this book, but I ended up not finishing it at all. Maybe it just wasn't for me, but it felt like one continuouse info-dump without much of a point to it. Everything felt very convoluted and somewhat pointless, I simply couldn't get into it.

A massively over-ambitious work that doesn't fully shine and only scores in the name of ideas. The incredible creativity that reflects in the thought of a matriarchal society serving as a backdrop for a queer political high fantasy to unfold deserves praise. Sadly, the aspect of crafting is a disappointment. It's not the design of an evil matriarchal society that is offensive because immorality can be a virtue of any society and the hands of oppression can also vary; it's the lack of complexity that is saddening. Taking the easier route of projecting a bunch of women who have ruled a world for more than ten thousand years as an exact replica of any patriarchal world set up in most epic fantasy is a disservice to the potential of the author's idea. Sadly, the plot doesn't offer cohesion of any sorts, leaving confusion in the wake of its revelation. The politics loses to this confusion. The magic system was a collateral damage in the fire that burnt this story's promise. But the found family of sex workers and the polyamory managed to deliver something so that could be a saving grace of sorts —even though the characters were a little too preoccupied with sex. The fantastical elements could've been a strong point also, if they weren't overdone with everything from dragons to spaceships and from dinosaurs to hoverboards. Truly a let down.

After reading the first 7% of the book, I went to investigate some of my concerns with the gender-bent patriarchy/matriarchy element of the world-building. This, in addition to the conversation about Orientalism in the work and promises that the writing does not get stronger as it goes on, has encouraged me not to finish reading the book. I do not intend to post a review across my platforms because I believe the conversation is already out there and being carried on cogently by other reviewers who read the book in full. If a book can't do right by women, it's not a book I can read in good faith.

I really really tried to finish this one. I got halfway through before giving up and writing this review bc this novel keeps putting me in a reading rut. The idea of this? Pretty solid. The reality? The “feminist” society is so much as to be comical, the plot line is bloated and overburdened, and there’s no real descriptors as to what the actual f is going on with these characters

Sadly this book was not for me. I unfortunately could not finish and had to DNF after the first few chapters.
Nothing made sense, and there was a lot of info-dumping.

Shame, since this cover is so pretty.

I'm very picky when it comes to fantasy books (which is ironic because I hail it as my favorite genre) and requesting Silk Fire took a lot of courage out of me. But after two tries of reading the book, I couldn't get through the first few pages. The lore is very incomprehensible even though I know the premise might be super interesting ahead. I just couldn't read on, I'm sorry.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC to review. I did not enjoy this book and could not get into it at all.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book

no rating - due to changes in personal reading preferences, I will be leaving this book unread and unrated.

Overall just... Not great! I think this was an ambitious novel with a lot of questionable ideas that was just not done very well.

In this matriarchal society where men's lives are drained to sustain the women who rule in a cycle of misandry, our male courtesan Kore fights to survive in—and perhaps even overturn— the system, alongside his two lovers. The author has a distinct perspective, as a trans man, that informs his work. Ultimately, however, the world itself is a confusing mess while the characters are flat and hard to like.

It's not an enjoyable experience, trying to read this book. The writing is too dense with convoluted wording and world-building to the point where the pacing drags. I take issue with some of the logistical elements of the worldbuilding, but also the heavy emphasis on a very Orientalist setting that is not at all reflected by the cast of distinctly non-Asian main characters.

Mostly, however, the themes in the story are just not... appealing to me as a reader. If handled with more nuance and understanding of real-world matriarchies and the issues with intersectional feminism, perhaps it could have meant something. But as it stands, the themes in the book are Not It.

Not a book I'd recommend to most people, except those who are just really curious and have a lot of free time to try and decipher what's going on here. It was certainly a unique book.

<i>Silk Fire</i> by Zabé Ellor is a fantasy novel set in a matriarchal world in which the main social currency takes the form of “essence” - a limited resource that’s exchanged in personal encounters between two people. The protagonist, Koré, is a sex worker who owns and runs the most well known brothel in the city, and has political aspirations to get back at his father, the husband of the current ruler, who he has a strained and complex relationship with.

The world of the novel is complex, with a lot of threads to follow through the course of the book. There are also some interesting characters with intriguing dynamics that I wanted to really dive into and see more of. I found myself wanting to spend a little longer in moments to really understand why characters were doing the things that they were doing and get to grips with how the world worked. I felt like so much was happening in a short period of time and it all piled up to make quite a confusing picture.

I had a whole review written up, but I’d rather not review this book any firther after the authors remarks. Even before that, I wasn’t really into the story or the writing though.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really tried my best to get through this book but had to DNF less than halfway through. The writing left much to be desired and I was particularly upset with the treatment of women in this story. It had potential, but everything fell flat.

Hmmm

Perhaps I'll need to revisit this one with a re-read.
I feel it had an awesome premise but the delivery/execution of the idea was a bit heavy

This book was a DNF for me. It was rife with misogyny masquerading as feminism, and on top of that, the orientalism was extreme. The story itself was too slow to really hook me.

Immediately no. That’s was badly written.

There could have been more but there wasn’t.

Those who enjoyed it enjoyed, those who didn’t, didnt

I made it about 20% of the way through before DNFing. I agree with the other reviews. The book is just trying to be too much without having the depth or nuance necessary. It was particularly apparent in the books handling of women.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC.

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish. Not for me.

At this point I don't feel morally comfortable supporting this author or this story and I wish I had never requested an ARC. I'm not interested in exposing myself to orientalism or misogyny.

Unfortunately, I had to pick up this book several times and force myself through it. It is incredibly confusing and information-heavy in the first half (I'm a history major, I've read a lot of boring stuff, and I don't read fiction to be bored. Although the story had a lot of potential -especially concerning the main character's desire for revenge- it just doesn't play out in a way that makes sense. I'm giving it two stars because I don't have the heart to only give it one when the author is a decent writer; I just didn't like this story.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but sadly a lot of it was just too confusing. There were also a lot of criticisms online that I found myself agreeing with.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity, I wish I could have enjoyed it.