Unfortunately, I’m gonna have to DNF this book. I love the author and I love the ideas presented. Silk fire is a massive ambitious piece of work and the first attempt at fantasy from this author. The story is big and expensive and incredibly creative. I think that with a little bit more polishing, it could be brilliant.

Silk Fire suffers from too much ambition without a strong Application. The first few chapters of the book are a massive info dump, with characters vaguely discussing the politics of the past and their frustrations with said politics. The info dumps are expansive and continuous, but they’re so vague that you don’t 100% understand what’s going on at any point. A good way to compare this is with Gideon the Ninth, A book famous for being very cool but incredibly confusing. Soak fire has the same confusing factor but it’s hard to match the coolness that is Gideon, which makes it a bit of a chore.

I loved every single idea presented here. I thought the world was Badass and the characters and the intricate politics have a lot of potential, but confusing a reader in the first 150 pages isn’t a good way to start a series. If there was a little bit more effort cleaning this up and slowly introducing the politics gracefully rather than shoehorning them into the front half of the book, I think that there would be potential for some greatness here. There is a chance that some folks who are smarter and better at reading than I will understand what is going on and truly love this book. I wish the author well as I love their Twitter account and think that their approach to storytelling on the conceptual level is awesome.

Silk Fire is a behemoth. This is an almost 900 page book based on the page number that my Kindall provided. Jumping into A book this large, just know what you’re getting in for. I would recommend it to readers you consider themselves advanced who are comfortable with working with info dump materials and do not mind it so much.

It hurts to say, but I decided to DNF this book at 12%. Five stars for the cover, though. The combination of turquoise and brown/orange is mesmerizing and beautifully fits the title. The cover is just pure silk and fire.

The first chapters don’t read like silk, though. They read like an all-consuming fire full of hysteria and distress. It’s unstoppable. Never a moment of peace, never a moment of silence. So many things that were happening, so many (difficult) names, so many words to read, so many times that I stopped reading because I was overwhelmed. I tried, I really did. It might be an it’s me, not you thing, I’m not sure. If you’re thinking of reading this book, please check out other reviews.

This read like a 16 year old wrote it, there was no true depth to anything that happened. It just felt like the writer wanted someone to pat them on the back and say how deep and interesting they were but it was all just the same as stories my friends wrote when we were kids! and the sex read like fan fiction, and not in a fun way.

The world building is so creative that it draws you in immediately. I loved the blend of magic and science and how beautifully written it is. I also appreciate the 4 pages of names, pronunciations and the breakdown of who owns the mega buildings at the start of the book, it allows you to flip back if you forget something but also helps you make the connections needed as the story goes on.

It's refreshing to read a plot based on a matriarchal city/society. That alongside dragons, Gods, magic, passion and love, what more could I ask for?

*I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review*

The cover for this book absolutely drew me in. I saw another review that described this as avatar but for adults and I think that's a brilliant description of this rich and incredible world inside this book! An episodic, romantic and beautiful queer adventure. I cannot wait to read more!

This was unlike anything i have read before! So much diversity, some much queerness, and so much of everything a fantasy reader like me loves. I think this should be pegged a little as an avatar the last airbender but for adults

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.