Lotus And Thorn

by Sara Wilson Etienne

[Silvara]

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I received this book for free from Penguin in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I loved how detailed the world and it's customs was. I liked reading about how life inside the Dome was different from both the area the Citizens lived, as well as the desert area. We get to see what kind of technology was lost, as well as what was important enough to have stayed in use after 500 years.

I liked how Leica grew as a character during the book. And I loved getting to know her friends in the Dome. I liked her sisters as well, but we don't really get to interact with them a lot.

There was, but also wasn't romance in the book. In some ways there was, because Leica ends up in a relationship because of having to pose as a Kisaeng. But in all the important (and usual!) ways, it wasn't really romance. Lust yes. Physical attraction, yes. But romance? Not so much.

There is both science and fantasy in the book. Most of the Dome is run by a computer, and all the important things they need to survive, as well as a lot of comforts, require electricity and or robots to keep them running. But there are also some fantasy elements as well.

I didn't expect the twist at the end, at all. But it totally worked. I don't know if there is supposed to be a sequel, but the ending works either way. There's just enough left hanging that a sequel could happen. While wrapping up all the important bits, so if this is a standalone you aren't left with a ton of lose threads.

If you like your sci-fi and fantasy mixed, you need to read this book.

This review was originally posted on Fantasy of the Silver Dragon