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The Splinter in the Sky
A USA TODAY BESTSELLER
A “breathtaking space opera� ( Publishers Weekly , starred review) about a young tea expert who is taken as a political prisoner and recruited to spy on government officials—a role that may empower her to win back her nation’s independence—perfect for fans of N.K. Jemisin and Nnedi Okorafor.
The dust may have just settled in the failed war of conquest between the Holy Vaalbaran Empire and the Ominirish Republic, but the last Emperor’s surrender means little to a lowly scribe like Enitan. All she wants is to quit her day job and expand her fledgling tea business. But when her lover is assassinated and her sibling is abducted by Imperial soldiers, Enitan abandons her idyllic plans and weaves her tea tray up through the heart of the Vaalbaran capital. There, she learns just how far she is willing to go to exact vengeance, free her sibling, and perhaps even secure her homeland’s freedom.
A “breathtaking space opera� ( Publishers Weekly , starred review) about a young tea expert who is taken as a political prisoner and recruited to spy on government officials—a role that may empower her to win back her nation’s independence—perfect for fans of N.K. Jemisin and Nnedi Okorafor.
The dust may have just settled in the failed war of conquest between the Holy Vaalbaran Empire and the Ominirish Republic, but the last Emperor’s surrender means little to a lowly scribe like Enitan. All she wants is to quit her day job and expand her fledgling tea business. But when her lover is assassinated and her sibling is abducted by Imperial soldiers, Enitan abandons her idyllic plans and weaves her tea tray up through the heart of the Vaalbaran capital. There, she learns just how far she is willing to go to exact vengeance, free her sibling, and perhaps even secure her homeland’s freedom.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published July 11, 2023
145 people are currently reading
17k people want to read
About the author
Kemi Ashing-Giwa
18books208followersKemi Ashing-Giwa is a writer and grad student based in Palo Alto.
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August 31, 2024THE SPLINTER IN THE SKY is a sci-fi spy thriller about a tea specialist-turned-assassin who embarks on a mission to save her sibling. Along the way, she takes on an empire. I recently saw my debut novel described, separately, as “tear apart the empire with your bare hands wish fulfillment" and "space opera escapism." I'd say that both are right!
ŷ is a space for readers, first and foremost—I don't read your reviews, so if you have any questions/comments/concerns, you can contact me via my website kashinggiwa.com. If you want updates and book recommendations from me, my newsletter is , and I'm on Blue Sky @kashinggiwa.bsky.social.
ŷ is a space for readers, first and foremost—I don't read your reviews, so if you have any questions/comments/concerns, you can contact me via my website kashinggiwa.com. If you want updates and book recommendations from me, my newsletter is , and I'm on Blue Sky @kashinggiwa.bsky.social.
April 21, 2023
I really wanted this to be better. And I genuinely think it is a pretty good book for a debut novel! I guess what I mean is, I wanted to like it more than I did. The problem is, if you read a lot of scifi like I do, nothing in here stands out as unique. BUT if you DON'T read a lot of scifi, please check it out. And maybe don't keep reading my review.
Basically the entire time I was reading I couldn't stop comparing all giant plot points this book to A Memory Called Empire:
-the colonized person getting into the the literal empire heart of their colonizer searching for someone important to them who was taken away/maybe killed
-sapphic romance with the enemy (in power)
-the beginnings of a revolution against the annexation of a moon/small country
All of these themes are great to have in scifiand fantasy. Unfortunately, the social commentary aspect felt a little heavy handed for me personally, and I think in A Memory Called Empire many of the same messages were handled with more finesse. But also...while those are great themes, they shouldn't ALL be in the same book...AGAIN...in a very very similar arrangement. While I love Empire, I want to read things similar to it...not a b-list copycat attempt. (not saying she copied it or anything) Which sounds HARSH. Sorry.I also thought the twists revealed weren't that great and didn't always make sense.
Probably because if you're writing a standalone scifinovel, it needs to be over 360 pages. There just simply isn't enough time to worldbuild. And the romance was weird and annoyingly predictable, because the mc literally falls for two different women in power close together? First, her local governor, then the God Emperor herself when she's taken away DUE to the loss of the governor lover? It felt flat and not developed well.
And the term God Emperor seemed directly taken from Dune? mmmm
I will definitely keep an eye on this author for future work, and like I said it's a solid book. Writing is good too. I kept going because I think it's incredibly important to help support marginalized authors in scifi, because even though there is now a rise in marginalized authors with mainstream attention, the genre is still overwhelmingly cishet white old dudes and we don't need any more of that.
Basically the entire time I was reading I couldn't stop comparing all giant plot points this book to A Memory Called Empire:
-the colonized person getting into the the literal empire heart of their colonizer searching for someone important to them who was taken away/maybe killed
-sapphic romance with the enemy (in power)
-the beginnings of a revolution against the annexation of a moon/small country
All of these themes are great to have in scifiand fantasy. Unfortunately, the social commentary aspect felt a little heavy handed for me personally, and I think in A Memory Called Empire many of the same messages were handled with more finesse. But also...while those are great themes, they shouldn't ALL be in the same book...AGAIN...in a very very similar arrangement. While I love Empire, I want to read things similar to it...not a b-list copycat attempt. (not saying she copied it or anything) Which sounds HARSH. Sorry.I also thought the twists revealed weren't that great and didn't always make sense.
Probably because if you're writing a standalone scifinovel, it needs to be over 360 pages. There just simply isn't enough time to worldbuild. And the romance was weird and annoyingly predictable, because the mc literally falls for two different women in power close together? First, her local governor, then the God Emperor herself when she's taken away DUE to the loss of the governor lover? It felt flat and not developed well.
And the term God Emperor seemed directly taken from Dune? mmmm
I will definitely keep an eye on this author for future work, and like I said it's a solid book. Writing is good too. I kept going because I think it's incredibly important to help support marginalized authors in scifi, because even though there is now a rise in marginalized authors with mainstream attention, the genre is still overwhelmingly cishet white old dudes and we don't need any more of that.
Shelved as 'dnf'
June 28, 2023DNF at 27%
The Splinter in the Sky is an interesting concept that was in desperate need of more time before publication. There are the beginnings of an intricate story of political intrigue, but the finished product reads like a first draft. There were too many coincidences and random events, character motivations were impossible to follow, and the world building was limited to the bare minimum.
Likening this book to NK Jemisin does a disservice to both the book and its readers. It creates expectations of depth and complexity that The Splinter in the Sky was not prepared to meet. The writing style is simplistic and to the point. Though this makes the book a fast and easy read, it also makes it a bit dull.
This book rushes through an incredibly complex political intrigue story and fills the gaps with coincidences that require the reader to suspend their disbelief a bit too often. The beginning of the book is a series of random events to get the main character, Enitan, where she needs to be for the story to take place. These awkward moments in the plot highlight that Enitan is the last person who should be in this position. It could have been charming if the book had ever seriously recognized that she was out of her depth. However, instead of showing Enitan struggle and grow, she is miraculously able to navigate complex situations flawlessly and all of the information she needs falls into her lap.
This could serve as a fantastic introduction for readers new to the space opera genre. However, the reliance on convenient reveals and the lack of world building makes the story feel frustratingly incomplete.
The Splinter in the Sky is an interesting concept that was in desperate need of more time before publication. There are the beginnings of an intricate story of political intrigue, but the finished product reads like a first draft. There were too many coincidences and random events, character motivations were impossible to follow, and the world building was limited to the bare minimum.
Likening this book to NK Jemisin does a disservice to both the book and its readers. It creates expectations of depth and complexity that The Splinter in the Sky was not prepared to meet. The writing style is simplistic and to the point. Though this makes the book a fast and easy read, it also makes it a bit dull.
This book rushes through an incredibly complex political intrigue story and fills the gaps with coincidences that require the reader to suspend their disbelief a bit too often. The beginning of the book is a series of random events to get the main character, Enitan, where she needs to be for the story to take place. These awkward moments in the plot highlight that Enitan is the last person who should be in this position. It could have been charming if the book had ever seriously recognized that she was out of her depth. However, instead of showing Enitan struggle and grow, she is miraculously able to navigate complex situations flawlessly and all of the information she needs falls into her lap.
This could serve as a fantastic introduction for readers new to the space opera genre. However, the reliance on convenient reveals and the lack of world building makes the story feel frustratingly incomplete.
July 11, 2023
Enitan is a young tea brewer who gets kidnapped and held as a hostage by the empire that has colonized her people. With promises of freeing her people and getting back her missing sibling, she agrees to be a spy for the empress.
I wasn't really sure how to talk about this book once I finished it. It took me a bit to get into because it's pretty much your standard empire story. There was a lot of effort put into building up this world around the characters and the politics surrounding it but I wasn't completely sold on the characters. Having just finished reading an action packed story with a major empire and gods and goddess and a well developed pantheon and lots of character work this didn't give me the same excitement. I didn't start to really pay attention to what was happening in it until around the second half of the book when the characters started showing a little more personality and we started getting some twists and surprises thrown at is.
A romance is teased but not really followed through. In the beginning we see bits of a romance Enitan has with a governess named Ajana which quickly comes to an end and then Enitan is thrust into this ordeal why still pining that loss. So then we seeing the empress quickly taking a likely to her as an outsider and other comment on the special attention Enitan is shown. where you wonder It's a dynamic a lot of authors love to play around with in these types of stories and I kept wondering if Enitan will actually fall for her colonizer but that's not really answered until the end.
It's a very readable story with all the right pieces but it wasn't a standout for me. I think another round of developmental editing to flesh out the characters more was needed. With very straightforward prose and situations being somewhat easy for Enitan to get the upperhand in, her victories don't always feel earned.
I'm not sure if this is a standalone because it ends in a way that leaves possibilities open for a sequel.
I received an arc from S&S in exchange for an honest review.
I wasn't really sure how to talk about this book once I finished it. It took me a bit to get into because it's pretty much your standard empire story. There was a lot of effort put into building up this world around the characters and the politics surrounding it but I wasn't completely sold on the characters. Having just finished reading an action packed story with a major empire and gods and goddess and a well developed pantheon and lots of character work this didn't give me the same excitement. I didn't start to really pay attention to what was happening in it until around the second half of the book when the characters started showing a little more personality and we started getting some twists and surprises thrown at is.
A romance is teased but not really followed through. In the beginning we see bits of a romance Enitan has with a governess named Ajana which quickly comes to an end and then Enitan is thrust into this ordeal why still pining that loss. So then we seeing the empress quickly taking a likely to her as an outsider and other comment on the special attention Enitan is shown. where you wonder It's a dynamic a lot of authors love to play around with in these types of stories and I kept wondering if Enitan will actually fall for her colonizer but that's not really answered until the end.
It's a very readable story with all the right pieces but it wasn't a standout for me. I think another round of developmental editing to flesh out the characters more was needed. With very straightforward prose and situations being somewhat easy for Enitan to get the upperhand in, her victories don't always feel earned.
I'm not sure if this is a standalone because it ends in a way that leaves possibilities open for a sequel.
I received an arc from S&S in exchange for an honest review.
January 13, 2025
4.5 stars rounded up
Phenomenal debut! I can see why this is being compared to NK Jemisin and Nnedi Okorafor, though I don't think it's fair to compare it to their later work in terms of nuance and complexity. That said, I think this author could get there and I really enjoyed this book. I feel like perhaps some of the criticism of it is overly harsh. The Splinter in the Sky is a space opera centering a character from a colonized world determined to save her sibling, even if it means going to the capital city of the empire. Chock full of political intrigue, danger, an interesting sci-fi world, great characters, a bit of romance, and themes of colonization and cultural appropriation, it's fantastic and a wild ride. So glad I picked it up! I look forward to reading more from this author.
Phenomenal debut! I can see why this is being compared to NK Jemisin and Nnedi Okorafor, though I don't think it's fair to compare it to their later work in terms of nuance and complexity. That said, I think this author could get there and I really enjoyed this book. I feel like perhaps some of the criticism of it is overly harsh. The Splinter in the Sky is a space opera centering a character from a colonized world determined to save her sibling, even if it means going to the capital city of the empire. Chock full of political intrigue, danger, an interesting sci-fi world, great characters, a bit of romance, and themes of colonization and cultural appropriation, it's fantastic and a wild ride. So glad I picked it up! I look forward to reading more from this author.
August 1, 2023
2 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum
I have some conflicted feelings about this book. On the one hand, the general concept behind it is sound, though whether it is because of overzealous messaging or inexperience by the author (The Splinter in the Sky is Kemi Ashing-Giwa’s debut), the story itself comes across so aggressively bland and mediocre that it’s difficult to even point to what wasn’t working.
As the novel opens, we meet protagonist Enitan Ijebu, a linguistics scholar and tea hobbyist who lives in the province of Koriko occupied by forces of the Holy Vaalbaran Empire. While the Empire and the neighboring Ominirish Republic has ostensibly agreed to a peace treaty following years of bloody war, it is revealed that Vaalbara still has its sights on expansion. One day, upon returning home to find her sibling Xiang missing, Enitan learns that Vaalbara has been snatching citizens of Koriko off the streets in order to forcibly recruit them into their armies. And now, it has happened to her beloved sister.
Determined to rescue Xiang, Enitan agrees to be a political hostage so that she can be taken to the Splinter, the capital of Vaalbara. After all, if there are any answers to be found, they should be at the heart of the Empire. But then, things immediately take a turn for the worse when her transport is intercepted by the Ominirish. Rather than kill her though, they end up making her an offer she can’t refuse. With a new Imperator on the Vaalbaran throne, the Republic is desperate for information on their enemy and want Enitan to spy for them in exchange for their help to get her and Xiang out. Having no love for the Empire, Enitan readily accepts the deal, though matters quickly become more complicated upon her arrival at the Splinter when she makes the acquaintance of the very person she is meant to spy on. The newly elevated God-Emperor Menkhet is nothing like she expected, and when she too asks Enitan to spy on her behalf, our protagonist finds herself caught in a very difficult situation.
With a premise so strongly rooted in political intrigue, I truly did want to love this book—was fully prepared to love this book—but unfortunately, the more I read the more disenchanted I became. First of all, nothing about the story, the characters, their relationships, or the setting really excited me. Everything about The Splinter in the Sky was just so very average and at times also derivative and predictable that it was difficult not to feel a little disappointed.
Then there were the themes of colonialism. While on the surface I can appreciate what Ashing-Giwa was going for, her handling of the social commentary was simply way too ham-fisted and unsubtle, leading to the almost complete overshadowing of the political drama that I wanted to read about in the first place. Enitan herself was also a wholly unlikeable protagonist because of the massive chip on her shoulder. Even though I could sympathize with her people’s plight and understand the reasons for her resentment and anger, I can’t say I cared for the way she acted like she and she alone had a monopoly on righteous rage, and suffice it to say, this lack of self-awareness on her part got really old, really fast.
In general, I’m fine with social commentary in sci-fi, an ideal genre for exploring societal issues and themes through the topics it covers. But when an author tries to deliver that commentary at the expense of character and story development in a way that’s too obvious, that’s another matter entirely. Not surprisingly, that took away some of my enjoyment here. Along with the novel’s generic themes, cookie cutter characters and overall lack of standout traits, I’m sad to say The Splinter in the Sky fell short of my expectations.
I have some conflicted feelings about this book. On the one hand, the general concept behind it is sound, though whether it is because of overzealous messaging or inexperience by the author (The Splinter in the Sky is Kemi Ashing-Giwa’s debut), the story itself comes across so aggressively bland and mediocre that it’s difficult to even point to what wasn’t working.
As the novel opens, we meet protagonist Enitan Ijebu, a linguistics scholar and tea hobbyist who lives in the province of Koriko occupied by forces of the Holy Vaalbaran Empire. While the Empire and the neighboring Ominirish Republic has ostensibly agreed to a peace treaty following years of bloody war, it is revealed that Vaalbara still has its sights on expansion. One day, upon returning home to find her sibling Xiang missing, Enitan learns that Vaalbara has been snatching citizens of Koriko off the streets in order to forcibly recruit them into their armies. And now, it has happened to her beloved sister.
Determined to rescue Xiang, Enitan agrees to be a political hostage so that she can be taken to the Splinter, the capital of Vaalbara. After all, if there are any answers to be found, they should be at the heart of the Empire. But then, things immediately take a turn for the worse when her transport is intercepted by the Ominirish. Rather than kill her though, they end up making her an offer she can’t refuse. With a new Imperator on the Vaalbaran throne, the Republic is desperate for information on their enemy and want Enitan to spy for them in exchange for their help to get her and Xiang out. Having no love for the Empire, Enitan readily accepts the deal, though matters quickly become more complicated upon her arrival at the Splinter when she makes the acquaintance of the very person she is meant to spy on. The newly elevated God-Emperor Menkhet is nothing like she expected, and when she too asks Enitan to spy on her behalf, our protagonist finds herself caught in a very difficult situation.
With a premise so strongly rooted in political intrigue, I truly did want to love this book—was fully prepared to love this book—but unfortunately, the more I read the more disenchanted I became. First of all, nothing about the story, the characters, their relationships, or the setting really excited me. Everything about The Splinter in the Sky was just so very average and at times also derivative and predictable that it was difficult not to feel a little disappointed.
Then there were the themes of colonialism. While on the surface I can appreciate what Ashing-Giwa was going for, her handling of the social commentary was simply way too ham-fisted and unsubtle, leading to the almost complete overshadowing of the political drama that I wanted to read about in the first place. Enitan herself was also a wholly unlikeable protagonist because of the massive chip on her shoulder. Even though I could sympathize with her people’s plight and understand the reasons for her resentment and anger, I can’t say I cared for the way she acted like she and she alone had a monopoly on righteous rage, and suffice it to say, this lack of self-awareness on her part got really old, really fast.
In general, I’m fine with social commentary in sci-fi, an ideal genre for exploring societal issues and themes through the topics it covers. But when an author tries to deliver that commentary at the expense of character and story development in a way that’s too obvious, that’s another matter entirely. Not surprisingly, that took away some of my enjoyment here. Along with the novel’s generic themes, cookie cutter characters and overall lack of standout traits, I’m sad to say The Splinter in the Sky fell short of my expectations.
March 26, 2024
Has been compared to (5 stars) and (4 stars), so I was sufficiently teased to pick this up. A bit of a popcorn version thereof, with a dash of queer romance. Gloves, tea ceremonies and gender pins on people‘s clothing make me want to re-read the Imperial Radh trilogy (#1 is ) by once again.
It‘s not all niceties though, our main character lives on a moon that has been annexed by an empire that considers violence as a necessary evil. Empire means pain and subjugation.
Within those circumstances our main character Enitan lives a relatively uneventful life. She is a lowly scribe. In her free time she tries to set-up her tea business. Then her lover is killed and her brother is abducted and Enitan embarks on a journey of discovery and revenge.
This takes a hard look at colonialism, stolen art and racism. But there is also fluff, humour, queer romance, diversity, espionage and a relatively simple plot. All the mysteries are solved almost as an aside. I would class this as light reading.
Good audio narration.
My favourite quote: Bigotry is a downward flowing river
PS: Apparently the gender pins appear in , not Imperial Radch� oh well, anyway, they are all very good books� 😏
It‘s not all niceties though, our main character lives on a moon that has been annexed by an empire that considers violence as a necessary evil. Empire means pain and subjugation.
Within those circumstances our main character Enitan lives a relatively uneventful life. She is a lowly scribe. In her free time she tries to set-up her tea business. Then her lover is killed and her brother is abducted and Enitan embarks on a journey of discovery and revenge.
This takes a hard look at colonialism, stolen art and racism. But there is also fluff, humour, queer romance, diversity, espionage and a relatively simple plot. All the mysteries are solved almost as an aside. I would class this as light reading.
Good audio narration.
My favourite quote: Bigotry is a downward flowing river
PS: Apparently the gender pins appear in , not Imperial Radch� oh well, anyway, they are all very good books� 😏
July 27, 2023
3.5 rounded up. This was good. There were moments when I had horrible, political court intrigue flashbacks from the Goblin Emperor but they were fleeting. Enitan had a bit too much me, me, me in her personality but overall I thought the characters and the story was good. I thoroughly enjoyed her inability to get on board with her siblings romance even though it was completely appropriate.
I would read another by Ashing-Giwa
I would read another by Ashing-Giwa
July 29, 2023
DNF at 63% (p. 215 of 336, I think).
I really wanted to like this book, but it just wasn't for me. All the plot elements felt really contrived, especially the relationship between the main character and the Imperator. The reader didn't get to see that relationship develop much; it seemed like they just decided to be close friends and in the span of a few pages they were. Other things seemed to happen far too quickly as well. From what I could tell from the narrative, all the action of the part of the book I read seemed to occur in the space of a month or two. A plot event would happen, then a "few days later" some other major event would occur. It wasn't intense action, just what seemed like normal story events happening very quickly.
I also thought the main character, Enitan, was a little hypocritical (though I'm not entirely sure that's the right word in this instance). She spends a fair amount of time pointing out the negative qualities of the Imperial society that conquered her planet. Which is absolutely fair; there's clearly an allegorical element here about colonialism and I don't mean to minimize that or scoff at it. But she repeatedly talks about how the people of this empire are all the same, selfish, ignorant, bigoted, etc. And sure, many of them are -- almost all of the people she encounters casually view her as a "savage" and ask rude questions about her culture, which they clearly do not understand, while enjoying some of the products of that culture. But it felt to me like Enitan was kind of doing the same thing they were: dismissing an entire people as one-dimensional. Maybe that changed in the later part of the book; I don't know. (And it added to my negativity to the relationship between Enitan and the Imperator: this person is the representative of an entire culture you hate, Enitan; why are you so friendly with her? What changed your mind?)
For me, though, the biggest problem with this book was that it was written in the present tense. It's a stylistic choice I always find off-putting, but that's absolutely just a matter of personal preference.
EDIT: Having looked at some of the other reviews of this book, I agree with those people who think the book could have used another round of editing and polishing. There are some good ideas here, but it does feel like the plot relies on a lot of coincidence to move the story along, and everything needed to be fleshed out and given time to develop.
I really wanted to like this book, but it just wasn't for me. All the plot elements felt really contrived, especially the relationship between the main character and the Imperator. The reader didn't get to see that relationship develop much; it seemed like they just decided to be close friends and in the span of a few pages they were. Other things seemed to happen far too quickly as well. From what I could tell from the narrative, all the action of the part of the book I read seemed to occur in the space of a month or two. A plot event would happen, then a "few days later" some other major event would occur. It wasn't intense action, just what seemed like normal story events happening very quickly.
I also thought the main character, Enitan, was a little hypocritical (though I'm not entirely sure that's the right word in this instance). She spends a fair amount of time pointing out the negative qualities of the Imperial society that conquered her planet. Which is absolutely fair; there's clearly an allegorical element here about colonialism and I don't mean to minimize that or scoff at it. But she repeatedly talks about how the people of this empire are all the same, selfish, ignorant, bigoted, etc. And sure, many of them are -- almost all of the people she encounters casually view her as a "savage" and ask rude questions about her culture, which they clearly do not understand, while enjoying some of the products of that culture. But it felt to me like Enitan was kind of doing the same thing they were: dismissing an entire people as one-dimensional. Maybe that changed in the later part of the book; I don't know. (And it added to my negativity to the relationship between Enitan and the Imperator: this person is the representative of an entire culture you hate, Enitan; why are you so friendly with her? What changed your mind?)
For me, though, the biggest problem with this book was that it was written in the present tense. It's a stylistic choice I always find off-putting, but that's absolutely just a matter of personal preference.
EDIT: Having looked at some of the other reviews of this book, I agree with those people who think the book could have used another round of editing and polishing. There are some good ideas here, but it does feel like the plot relies on a lot of coincidence to move the story along, and everything needed to be fleshed out and given time to develop.
September 1, 2023
Fun.
Queer representation, anti-colonialist themes, political intrigue, and tea, what's not to love.
Thoughts to come when I have time.
Queer representation, anti-colonialist themes, political intrigue, and tea, what's not to love.
Thoughts to come when I have time.
July 20, 2023
Now THIS is the kind of book I love!
It has all the ingredients needed for me to love a book: tea being a central point in the plot and the protagonist's life, top-notch worldbuilding, amazingly developed complex imperial politics, queer representation, and anti-colonialist themes.
I liked and sympathized with the main character, Enitan, from the very beginning. Poor Enitan's story starts with her working as a scribe in a job she hates, her lover being assassinated, and her sibling Xiang being kidnapped. There is such a delightful, balanced mix of politics, action, and double (triple?) agent espionage in this book, I couldn't stop reading.
With space operas like this, it is very easy for the story to just become a jumble of names of political officials you don't care about and planets you don't remember the significance of. But the opposite is true in this book - it felt easy to keep the rather large cast of characters straight, and I never felt confused. All of the characters, from the most important to those who just show up once, felt sufficiently different from one another and had personalities that jumped off the page. I particularly loved the concept of the God-Emperor, Menkhet; she was a very interesting character, and the only thing I would change about the book is to add some POV chapters from her POV, because I absolutely adore how her and Enitan's relationship developed throughout the story.
If you liked Arkady Martine's A Memory Called Empire or Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice, this is the book for you. 5 enthusiastic stars for this amazing space opera! Can't wait for more from Kemi Ashing-Giwa!
It has all the ingredients needed for me to love a book: tea being a central point in the plot and the protagonist's life, top-notch worldbuilding, amazingly developed complex imperial politics, queer representation, and anti-colonialist themes.
I liked and sympathized with the main character, Enitan, from the very beginning. Poor Enitan's story starts with her working as a scribe in a job she hates, her lover being assassinated, and her sibling Xiang being kidnapped. There is such a delightful, balanced mix of politics, action, and double (triple?) agent espionage in this book, I couldn't stop reading.
With space operas like this, it is very easy for the story to just become a jumble of names of political officials you don't care about and planets you don't remember the significance of. But the opposite is true in this book - it felt easy to keep the rather large cast of characters straight, and I never felt confused. All of the characters, from the most important to those who just show up once, felt sufficiently different from one another and had personalities that jumped off the page. I particularly loved the concept of the God-Emperor, Menkhet; she was a very interesting character, and the only thing I would change about the book is to add some POV chapters from her POV, because I absolutely adore how her and Enitan's relationship developed throughout the story.
If you liked Arkady Martine's A Memory Called Empire or Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice, this is the book for you. 5 enthusiastic stars for this amazing space opera! Can't wait for more from Kemi Ashing-Giwa!
June 23, 2022
Full disclosure, I was lucky enough to read an early version of this, and I'm extremely biased. But I have no chill and I can't wait for you all to read this incredible book. Add it to your want-to-read shelf RIGHT NOW!
May 24, 2023
I received an advance copy of this book as a ŷ giveaway.
I feel really conflicted about this book. There is so much potential and so many amazing opportunities and possibilities. It has some really great aspects. But overall, the book fell short. It feels like an amateur, early draft, of something that could have been great or from an author who will be really amazing someday.
The Splinter in the Sky is a sci-fi book set in a different reality with multiple worlds, peoples, and settings. The book is written from the perspective of Enitan and we follow her through her quest to rescue and protect her sibling. The problems with the novel come in a few varieties: Sense of Time, Motivation, and Pacing. I'm going to try and keep this general, but there may be some spoilers.
So .... yeah. Enitan is a well-rounded and interesting character, which is great since we spend the entire novel with her. And the world-building is really impressive, even if I felt the author got a bit distracted describing some of the details instead of focusing on the characters and plot. There was a lot of potential, but it failed to deliver on it.
I feel really conflicted about this book. There is so much potential and so many amazing opportunities and possibilities. It has some really great aspects. But overall, the book fell short. It feels like an amateur, early draft, of something that could have been great or from an author who will be really amazing someday.
The Splinter in the Sky is a sci-fi book set in a different reality with multiple worlds, peoples, and settings. The book is written from the perspective of Enitan and we follow her through her quest to rescue and protect her sibling. The problems with the novel come in a few varieties: Sense of Time, Motivation, and Pacing. I'm going to try and keep this general, but there may be some spoilers.
So .... yeah. Enitan is a well-rounded and interesting character, which is great since we spend the entire novel with her. And the world-building is really impressive, even if I felt the author got a bit distracted describing some of the details instead of focusing on the characters and plot. There was a lot of potential, but it failed to deliver on it.
Shelved as 'didn-t-finish'
July 11, 2023DNF at 56%
This was not a bad book, but it was not a book for me. This felt a bit like it was one book trying to be several different books and it just wasn't coming together for me. The writing was really nice and I really like a lot of the ideas in this, just the execution was falling a bit short. I will definitely check out other works from this author as she releases them, but for this one, I just am not invested. At my stopping point, it feels like a pretty solid 3 star read.
So some of the things that I liked:
- Nontraditional family structures
- An angry/prickly heroine
- Queernorm society
- Rebellion story with anti-imperialist themes
- MC is a tea expert
- Political intrigue
Some of the things that just weren't working super well for me:
- While I liked the character we were following, I felt like the only thing that was super well fleshed out about her was her anger. I felt like we were meant to have a lot of feelings for what I was experiencing but she didn't have the depth to her that would make me feel her emotions
- Where I stopped, there was the beginning of an enemies to lovers storyline that already felt incredibly insta-lovey
- There is a heavy political intrigue theme as the MC is a political prisoner who is using her status to spy for multiple different entities; however, she starts out way out of her depth and then is all of a sudden an expert and taking on weirdly advanced assignments.
- Part of the reason for the above things though is because I don't think there is a clear indication of passage of time. It felt like we were supposed to be covering months, if not years in the first 50% but based on the way it is written, it seemed like it was just a few days. This I think contributed to the flatness of the characters, the insta-love feel of the romance, and the sudden prowess of the MC in her spy game
- There was already a lot of changing of plot threads and motivations from the beginning of the book to the middle with very uneven pacing. I think that had I been more invested in either the character or the storyline I would have pushed through to see how it ended, but as it is I'm not particularly enthralled with either.
So, long story short, there are good ideas, but not a great execution. There is other SFF that tackles these ideas in a more nuanced and enjoyable manner; however, I do see a lot of promise in the writing and will look for this author's sophomore novel.
Thank you to Netgalley and Saga Press for an eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The Splinter in the Sky is out July 11, 2023.
This was not a bad book, but it was not a book for me. This felt a bit like it was one book trying to be several different books and it just wasn't coming together for me. The writing was really nice and I really like a lot of the ideas in this, just the execution was falling a bit short. I will definitely check out other works from this author as she releases them, but for this one, I just am not invested. At my stopping point, it feels like a pretty solid 3 star read.
So some of the things that I liked:
- Nontraditional family structures
- An angry/prickly heroine
- Queernorm society
- Rebellion story with anti-imperialist themes
- MC is a tea expert
- Political intrigue
Some of the things that just weren't working super well for me:
- While I liked the character we were following, I felt like the only thing that was super well fleshed out about her was her anger. I felt like we were meant to have a lot of feelings for what I was experiencing but she didn't have the depth to her that would make me feel her emotions
- Where I stopped, there was the beginning of an enemies to lovers storyline that already felt incredibly insta-lovey
- There is a heavy political intrigue theme as the MC is a political prisoner who is using her status to spy for multiple different entities; however, she starts out way out of her depth and then is all of a sudden an expert and taking on weirdly advanced assignments.
- Part of the reason for the above things though is because I don't think there is a clear indication of passage of time. It felt like we were supposed to be covering months, if not years in the first 50% but based on the way it is written, it seemed like it was just a few days. This I think contributed to the flatness of the characters, the insta-love feel of the romance, and the sudden prowess of the MC in her spy game
- There was already a lot of changing of plot threads and motivations from the beginning of the book to the middle with very uneven pacing. I think that had I been more invested in either the character or the storyline I would have pushed through to see how it ended, but as it is I'm not particularly enthralled with either.
So, long story short, there are good ideas, but not a great execution. There is other SFF that tackles these ideas in a more nuanced and enjoyable manner; however, I do see a lot of promise in the writing and will look for this author's sophomore novel.
Thank you to Netgalley and Saga Press for an eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The Splinter in the Sky is out July 11, 2023.
March 27, 2023
On the outpost of Koriko, scribe Enitan Ijebu lives under the oppressive regime of the Holy Vaalbaran Empire and would much rather spend her time growing her tea business. When her sibling Xiang goes missing, Enitan seeks the assistance of her occasional lover, Ajana, the governor -- who then is found killed the next day. As retribution, the Empire demands a hostage be sent from Koriko to the capital of the Empire, and Enitan uses the opportunity to enter the heart of power and find out answers for herself, even if she must turn spy to do it.
This thriller-y space opera gets worldbuilding right, all the way down to the little details, through quick but vivid brush strokes: the politics within a theocratic empire led by a living "god," how that empire treats the people they consider to be "barbarians" (including the theft of their artifacts), how the architecture and city planning differ between the Empire and Koriko, who speaks what language, and so on. It also offers an excellent examination of imperialism and colonization along with the dehumanizing effects of all the layers of racism (even from those who claim to be enlightened).
The characters possess a relatable complexity from the start. Enitan, for example, chafes against the attitudes of Vaalbaran officials but enjoys a relationship with one of them, while her sibling Xiang is a dedicated architecture student but also someone who gets high on skeyroot with their friends. Enitan's development as a character really takes off when she must navigate the high society of the Vaalbaran Empire, the threats of the sentinels, and the attention of the God-Emperor herself. The diversity of representation felt very natural and fully accepted by the characters themselves.
Overall, this gripping story kept my interest engaged from the very start (from the first cup of tea!) and led me on a memorable adventure. 5 stars,
Thank you, Saga Press/Simon and Schuster and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.
This thriller-y space opera gets worldbuilding right, all the way down to the little details, through quick but vivid brush strokes: the politics within a theocratic empire led by a living "god," how that empire treats the people they consider to be "barbarians" (including the theft of their artifacts), how the architecture and city planning differ between the Empire and Koriko, who speaks what language, and so on. It also offers an excellent examination of imperialism and colonization along with the dehumanizing effects of all the layers of racism (even from those who claim to be enlightened).
The characters possess a relatable complexity from the start. Enitan, for example, chafes against the attitudes of Vaalbaran officials but enjoys a relationship with one of them, while her sibling Xiang is a dedicated architecture student but also someone who gets high on skeyroot with their friends. Enitan's development as a character really takes off when she must navigate the high society of the Vaalbaran Empire, the threats of the sentinels, and the attention of the God-Emperor herself. The diversity of representation felt very natural and fully accepted by the characters themselves.
Overall, this gripping story kept my interest engaged from the very start (from the first cup of tea!) and led me on a memorable adventure. 5 stars,
Thank you, Saga Press/Simon and Schuster and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.
June 8, 2023
HIGHLIGHTS
~let’s hear it for non-traditional family structures!
~when will colonialists realise colonising is cringe (and also evil)
~tea-growing is the chillest hobby
~being a spy for/with/against the Emperor is so very not-chill
~a truly unbelievable number of coincidences
The Splinter in the Sky is an extremely readable, swift-paced sci fi standalone of political intrigue and colonialism. Ashing-Giwa’s prose has that indefinable, engaging quality that soothes the mind and lets the story sweep you away; chapters slip past with comfortable ease, and before you know it, you’ve finished the book entirely!
That being said � hold your horses, tiger. Splinter is a fun read, but comparing it to the works of N.K. Jemisin and Nnedi Okorafor is unfair to it, and pretty misleading for readers. Someone tell the marketing department to calm down, please.
The truth is that Splinter is a little hard to talk about � or rate � because it’s full of contradictions. Not inconsistencies � I spotted no plotholes and had no ??? moments with the worldbuilding, nothing like that. But this is a book that is very straightforward…despite tackling issues like colonialism and the entire plot revolving around secretive political intrigue. The worldbuilding that has gone into the Korikese, Enitan’s people, is original and interesting…but the Empire is incredibly boring and lacking in detail. This is the hardest thing Enitan has ever had to do…but the answers she’s searching for just fall into her lap again and again.
~let’s hear it for non-traditional family structures!
~when will colonialists realise colonising is cringe (and also evil)
~tea-growing is the chillest hobby
~being a spy for/with/against the Emperor is so very not-chill
~a truly unbelievable number of coincidences
The Splinter in the Sky is an extremely readable, swift-paced sci fi standalone of political intrigue and colonialism. Ashing-Giwa’s prose has that indefinable, engaging quality that soothes the mind and lets the story sweep you away; chapters slip past with comfortable ease, and before you know it, you’ve finished the book entirely!
That being said � hold your horses, tiger. Splinter is a fun read, but comparing it to the works of N.K. Jemisin and Nnedi Okorafor is unfair to it, and pretty misleading for readers. Someone tell the marketing department to calm down, please.
The truth is that Splinter is a little hard to talk about � or rate � because it’s full of contradictions. Not inconsistencies � I spotted no plotholes and had no ??? moments with the worldbuilding, nothing like that. But this is a book that is very straightforward…despite tackling issues like colonialism and the entire plot revolving around secretive political intrigue. The worldbuilding that has gone into the Korikese, Enitan’s people, is original and interesting…but the Empire is incredibly boring and lacking in detail. This is the hardest thing Enitan has ever had to do…but the answers she’s searching for just fall into her lap again and again.
July 29, 2023
Kemi Ashing-Giwa has written a masterpiece of a debut novel. The Splinter in the Sky has so many layers; it isn't just a space opera or a spy thriller, or an anti-imperial, anti-colonial treatise, or the story of a sister fighting to save her sibling, or a political intrigue fantasy. It's all of these things and more.
Enitan's tenacity, her grit and determination, her ability to roll with the punches and adapt herself to every environment she finds herself in, all conspire to make her the perfect narrator for this multifaceted story. Every other character is expertly drawn as well, from the sympathetic noblewoman who becomes Enitan's patron of sorts in the Splinter, to the mysterious and alluring God-Emperor, to the sibling Enitan seeks to rescue.
This book is a stunning portrayal of the evils of empire and the relationship between oppressor and oppressed. Nothing is one-note or shallow; everything is treated with nuance and explored to great and sensitive depth. I found myself captivated by the brisk pacing and immersive descriptions, and while I can't say I loved every character (if you do, there's something wrong with you), the ones I did love completely stole my heart.
I can't wait to see what Kemi Ashing-Giwa does next.
Enitan's tenacity, her grit and determination, her ability to roll with the punches and adapt herself to every environment she finds herself in, all conspire to make her the perfect narrator for this multifaceted story. Every other character is expertly drawn as well, from the sympathetic noblewoman who becomes Enitan's patron of sorts in the Splinter, to the mysterious and alluring God-Emperor, to the sibling Enitan seeks to rescue.
This book is a stunning portrayal of the evils of empire and the relationship between oppressor and oppressed. Nothing is one-note or shallow; everything is treated with nuance and explored to great and sensitive depth. I found myself captivated by the brisk pacing and immersive descriptions, and while I can't say I loved every character (if you do, there's something wrong with you), the ones I did love completely stole my heart.
I can't wait to see what Kemi Ashing-Giwa does next.
August 14, 2024
Dnfed at 12% wasn't connecting to the characters and world building. I did enjoy some unique elements but didn't vibe with the story.
August 9, 2023
Disclaimer: I received this book through a GoodReads Giveaway but the review is my honest opinion and not influenced by the giveaway.
My biggest problem with this sci-fi book was understanding it...so many characters, so many mythical locations, all with difficult names to remember. Once I got into the flow of it it did pick up near the end. I don't want to reveal any spoilers but the moral of the story is one of hope. The story was very LGBTQ friendly which, as an ally I had no problem with--however the use of the characters' preferred pronouns confused me a bit as to the use of "they" to just mean a single person. I realize that this usage is proper grammar when gender is indefinite or unknown but it still tended to confuse me throughout the story as to who was being referred to. Societal hierarchy in this world appeared to be largely matriarchal.
This was the author's debut novel so I have to give credit for the achievement.
My biggest problem with this sci-fi book was understanding it...so many characters, so many mythical locations, all with difficult names to remember. Once I got into the flow of it it did pick up near the end. I don't want to reveal any spoilers but the moral of the story is one of hope. The story was very LGBTQ friendly which, as an ally I had no problem with--however the use of the characters' preferred pronouns confused me a bit as to the use of "they" to just mean a single person. I realize that this usage is proper grammar when gender is indefinite or unknown but it still tended to confuse me throughout the story as to who was being referred to. Societal hierarchy in this world appeared to be largely matriarchal.
This was the author's debut novel so I have to give credit for the achievement.
August 10, 2023
2.5+ stars.
Kemi Ashing-Giwa’s The Splinter in the Sky is a very promising debut novel. There are issues. Primarily, a reliance on coincidence that becomes grating and detracts from the impact of the story but otherwise I enjoyed it and would be more than willing to read more of Giwa’s work.
Kemi Ashing-Giwa’s The Splinter in the Sky is a very promising debut novel. There are issues. Primarily, a reliance on coincidence that becomes grating and detracts from the impact of the story but otherwise I enjoyed it and would be more than willing to read more of Giwa’s work.
November 2, 2023
Bit of a flop, this one. I can see what she was trying to do, and I can appreciate some of the worldbuilding choices, but this just really didn't do it for me.
I don't think Ashing-Giwa really understood her characters fully. She didn't give them enough time to change and grow. It seemed like they immediately had the skills they needed to win. In short, the characters simply weren't that believable. Someone called an Imperator, who sounds like they should be menacing and imperious, is actually just this wholly benevolent person who just wants to do good, but she's just being held back by these five people on the Shadow Council. And so all we have to do is just kill those five people and then everything is solved. Very unconvincing.
Also, the romance plot was way too predictable.
I don't think Ashing-Giwa really understood her characters fully. She didn't give them enough time to change and grow. It seemed like they immediately had the skills they needed to win. In short, the characters simply weren't that believable. Someone called an Imperator, who sounds like they should be menacing and imperious, is actually just this wholly benevolent person who just wants to do good, but she's just being held back by these five people on the Shadow Council. And so all we have to do is just kill those five people and then everything is solved. Very unconvincing.
Also, the romance plot was way too predictable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2023
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
As someone who drinks about two pots of tea a day, I knew I had to read The Splinter in the Sky. And what I read was a story deeply entrenched in colonization, rebellion, and rage. Instantly my rage was steeped as The Splinter in the Sky examines the way colonization permeates our foot, the way we address each other, and the art. The world building was, from the very beginning, entrancing and angering as we can see the cultural appropriation. The direct and insidious ways the colonization and erasure are continuing.
As someone who drinks about two pots of tea a day, I knew I had to read The Splinter in the Sky. And what I read was a story deeply entrenched in colonization, rebellion, and rage. Instantly my rage was steeped as The Splinter in the Sky examines the way colonization permeates our foot, the way we address each other, and the art. The world building was, from the very beginning, entrancing and angering as we can see the cultural appropriation. The direct and insidious ways the colonization and erasure are continuing.
November 19, 2023
I am not the target audience for this book. I am not a person of color, nor am I a member of a culture that has suffered from the effects of colonialism or imperialism. This book isn't for me, and I don't want to discount the fact that it could well resonate with the people it IS written for. It has a lot to say about the legacy of colonialism and imperialism, cultural appropriation, theft and negation, and the "othering" of people outside your own culture/frame of reference. It is not hard to see the parallels between points made in the novel and real-world history and current events.
Ultimately, though, I felt this book was more interested in exploring concepts and being a screed against colonialism than an actual story. There are so many characters introduced with barely any differentiation between them--if someone's a member of the Vaalbaran Empire, there's at least a 95% chance they will be a caricature of a mustache-twirling colonizer, cartoonish in their villainy. There is no subtlety to any of it, with one exception, and the reveal of that character's true nature is so head-scratchingly nonsensical that the whole thing fell flat. The worldbuilding tosses a few interesting ideas around, but falls into the sci-fi trap of introducing concepts without context. Synths, for example, are never mentioned until 2/3s through the book, when multiple synth characters appear out of the blue. These feel like first-book missteps, as do several conversations that feel stilted to give the audience as much information as possible without being pure infodump. I also felt the happy ending was *too* happy, with things wrapped up in too neat and tidy of a bow. For a story very concerned with how strong and seemingly intractable the powers of empire are, they sure are dealt with easily. I needed at least an implication that things would be hard to fix instead of what was almost a fairy-tale, magical thinking resolution.
I don't think this book was awful, but there are so many other books that explore these concepts and ideas better (Looking at you once again, A Memory Called Empire, or even something like The Space Between Worlds). There just wasn't enough genuine book here for me.
Ultimately, though, I felt this book was more interested in exploring concepts and being a screed against colonialism than an actual story. There are so many characters introduced with barely any differentiation between them--if someone's a member of the Vaalbaran Empire, there's at least a 95% chance they will be a caricature of a mustache-twirling colonizer, cartoonish in their villainy. There is no subtlety to any of it, with one exception, and the reveal of that character's true nature is so head-scratchingly nonsensical that the whole thing fell flat. The worldbuilding tosses a few interesting ideas around, but falls into the sci-fi trap of introducing concepts without context. Synths, for example, are never mentioned until 2/3s through the book, when multiple synth characters appear out of the blue. These feel like first-book missteps, as do several conversations that feel stilted to give the audience as much information as possible without being pure infodump. I also felt the happy ending was *too* happy, with things wrapped up in too neat and tidy of a bow. For a story very concerned with how strong and seemingly intractable the powers of empire are, they sure are dealt with easily. I needed at least an implication that things would be hard to fix instead of what was almost a fairy-tale, magical thinking resolution.
I don't think this book was awful, but there are so many other books that explore these concepts and ideas better (Looking at you once again, A Memory Called Empire, or even something like The Space Between Worlds). There just wasn't enough genuine book here for me.
February 14, 2024
3.5 stars. I liked a lot about this book. I thought the premise and setting were interesting. I think Enitan is a good main character with lots of personality and relationships that I care about. I would absolutely recommend this book.
Examining colonization and oppression is important. However, and I'm trying not to let this affect my rating, but ALL of the sapphic high fantasy or sci fi I've read lately has had that as a dynamic in the main relationship and I'm honestly tired of it. And its always one person is ACTIVELY oppressing the other, not just an ignorant participant in it. This book definitely does try to deconstruct that, with Menkhet being one of the good ones and fighting to dismantle the empire, but her apologizing all the time just got in the way of the relationship being fun and something to root for.
I thought the plot was interesting, if a little drawn out. And again, the examination of the ways colonialism manifests is necessary, but it felt very on the nose and obvious. I felt like they lacked a bit of nuance and were just checking off a list of 'ways colonialism is bad.' For example, I feel like an audience would've connected more to the museum stealing artifacts if we had a personal connection to one of them and an understanding why it was important to a character.
Examining colonization and oppression is important. However, and I'm trying not to let this affect my rating, but ALL of the sapphic high fantasy or sci fi I've read lately has had that as a dynamic in the main relationship and I'm honestly tired of it. And its always one person is ACTIVELY oppressing the other, not just an ignorant participant in it. This book definitely does try to deconstruct that, with Menkhet being one of the good ones and fighting to dismantle the empire, but her apologizing all the time just got in the way of the relationship being fun and something to root for.
I thought the plot was interesting, if a little drawn out. And again, the examination of the ways colonialism manifests is necessary, but it felt very on the nose and obvious. I felt like they lacked a bit of nuance and were just checking off a list of 'ways colonialism is bad.' For example, I feel like an audience would've connected more to the museum stealing artifacts if we had a personal connection to one of them and an understanding why it was important to a character.
January 29, 2024
In principle, this is the sort of "New Model" space opera that I should be reading. In practice, though I liked the main character, and there was an adequate level of detail, I had two major issues. One, I just didn't find some of Enitan's personal relationships plausible. Two, I thought that the history and politics of the imperial conflict which ultimately drives the plot could have been better developed. Having damned with faint praise, I would like to compliment the author on their first novel from a leading publishing house, and I will be considering their work in the future.
March 16, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy of The Splintering the Sky.
I quite like this book. The setting is familiar from SF and fantasy: a subjugated people are led to freedom by the unlikely heroine. What makes the book special is strong characterization, believable interpersonal relationships - whether characterized by affection, enmity, or familial attachment - and refined prose. Kemi Ashing-Giwa is a very elegant writer and I found her writing very smooth and readable. She is also demonstrably very smart - PhD candidate at Stanford - and that intelligence shines through. She is unafraid to tackle sacrifice, her heroes and villains are multi-dimensional, and it is easy to immerse yourself in her world building. Is this SF? I don’t think so; it is fantasy disguised as SF, but quite well done.
I quite like this book. The setting is familiar from SF and fantasy: a subjugated people are led to freedom by the unlikely heroine. What makes the book special is strong characterization, believable interpersonal relationships - whether characterized by affection, enmity, or familial attachment - and refined prose. Kemi Ashing-Giwa is a very elegant writer and I found her writing very smooth and readable. She is also demonstrably very smart - PhD candidate at Stanford - and that intelligence shines through. She is unafraid to tackle sacrifice, her heroes and villains are multi-dimensional, and it is easy to immerse yourself in her world building. Is this SF? I don’t think so; it is fantasy disguised as SF, but quite well done.
August 3, 2023
With thanks to Edelweiss and Gallery / Saga Press for providing an ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
"The Splinter in the Sky" is a debut sci-fi novel by Kemi Ashing-Giwa, which can be praised for its diversity, censure of imperialism and colonization, dehumanizing effects of racism, and realistic science in "science fiction."
Unfortunately, for this reader, the flavor is in the writing, and this novel felt too much like an early draft that needed a lot of revision.
The stand-alone novel takes place at a time of a political turmoil within the oppressive Holy Vaalbaran Empire, which just signed a peace agreement with the Omnirish Republic.
On the outpost moon of Koriko, scribe Enitan would much rather spend her time brewing and serving tea. When her sibling Xiang is kidnapped and her lover is murdered, Enitan is thrust into the middle of treacherous politics when she is surrendered as a hostage to the Empire. Soon, she finds herself using this opportunity to fight for Koriko's freedom as she navigates the high society of the Empire, and copes with the attention of the God-Emperor herself.
The setting is familiar enough with a group of oppressed, subjugated people who are led to freedom by an unlikely heroine. Where it all falls apart is pacing (very rushed) and character motivation (either changing, or unclear, or changing for unclear motives). Then there is the underwhelming sense of the "reveals" or plot resolutions (the villain is revealed early and defeated with very little fanfare, despite being scarily powerful for decades).
To feel like a fully-fledged lived-in novel, both the plot and the characters needed to be given much more room to breathe. Instead, I felt as if I was reading early attempts at fanfiction.
This book did not work for me - but I wish the author much success in the future.
"The Splinter in the Sky" is a debut sci-fi novel by Kemi Ashing-Giwa, which can be praised for its diversity, censure of imperialism and colonization, dehumanizing effects of racism, and realistic science in "science fiction."
Unfortunately, for this reader, the flavor is in the writing, and this novel felt too much like an early draft that needed a lot of revision.
The stand-alone novel takes place at a time of a political turmoil within the oppressive Holy Vaalbaran Empire, which just signed a peace agreement with the Omnirish Republic.
On the outpost moon of Koriko, scribe Enitan would much rather spend her time brewing and serving tea. When her sibling Xiang is kidnapped and her lover is murdered, Enitan is thrust into the middle of treacherous politics when she is surrendered as a hostage to the Empire. Soon, she finds herself using this opportunity to fight for Koriko's freedom as she navigates the high society of the Empire, and copes with the attention of the God-Emperor herself.
The setting is familiar enough with a group of oppressed, subjugated people who are led to freedom by an unlikely heroine. Where it all falls apart is pacing (very rushed) and character motivation (either changing, or unclear, or changing for unclear motives). Then there is the underwhelming sense of the "reveals" or plot resolutions (the villain is revealed early and defeated with very little fanfare, despite being scarily powerful for decades).
To feel like a fully-fledged lived-in novel, both the plot and the characters needed to be given much more room to breathe. Instead, I felt as if I was reading early attempts at fanfiction.
This book did not work for me - but I wish the author much success in the future.
July 17, 2023
Enitan is a scribe and tea specialist that is set to save her home from the crippling oppression of the empire after her sibling, Xiang, was kidnapped. The story begins when she is taken as a political prisoner to the Splinter.
Let me start by saying that the world building in this is THOROUGH. You can tell the author took great care into creating such a unique world. It’s complex but not too complicated to follow.
What do you do when you’re faced with such a corrupt empire that’s absorbing and destroying your home? Can you change it by burning it all down? Or rebuild from within? There is strong commentary on slavery, cultural appropriation, the white savior trope, assimilation, and so many others.
I see a lot of reviewers complaining about there not being enough character development or they weren’t connected to Enitan. I disagree completely. I could feel the rage that she always had when she was serving the elite of the empire during her tea ceremonies. The way she had to “behave� and code switch in order to get anywhere on the Splinter with elitist Vaalbarans. She felt helpless and desperate. Vaalbara is a machine destroying her home and everything she loves.
This is a queer normative space opera that I would recommend.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you S&S for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Let me start by saying that the world building in this is THOROUGH. You can tell the author took great care into creating such a unique world. It’s complex but not too complicated to follow.
What do you do when you’re faced with such a corrupt empire that’s absorbing and destroying your home? Can you change it by burning it all down? Or rebuild from within? There is strong commentary on slavery, cultural appropriation, the white savior trope, assimilation, and so many others.
I see a lot of reviewers complaining about there not being enough character development or they weren’t connected to Enitan. I disagree completely. I could feel the rage that she always had when she was serving the elite of the empire during her tea ceremonies. The way she had to “behave� and code switch in order to get anywhere on the Splinter with elitist Vaalbarans. She felt helpless and desperate. Vaalbara is a machine destroying her home and everything she loves.
This is a queer normative space opera that I would recommend.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you S&S for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 1, 2023
DNF @ 69%. I’ve tried to read this exclusively for days and it’s painfully bland.
This was boring. Beyond boring. The premise is interesting with Enitan’s magic coming from tea and her sibling being kidnapped, but like beyond that??? Wtf was even happening in this?? I made it this far and had not a single clue of ..anything! There was also a “romance� that was teased but dropped and picked up repeatedly like a hot potato with no clear distinction so, also that.
This felt like it was probably a short story that somehow got published as a full length novel without adding anything of substance to make it that. It was just chunks of words serving no purpose.
Idk. This was just like ..the foundation was there but the execution was bad 🤷🏾♀�
This was boring. Beyond boring. The premise is interesting with Enitan’s magic coming from tea and her sibling being kidnapped, but like beyond that??? Wtf was even happening in this?? I made it this far and had not a single clue of ..anything! There was also a “romance� that was teased but dropped and picked up repeatedly like a hot potato with no clear distinction so, also that.
This felt like it was probably a short story that somehow got published as a full length novel without adding anything of substance to make it that. It was just chunks of words serving no purpose.
Idk. This was just like ..the foundation was there but the execution was bad 🤷🏾♀�
November 20, 2023
This was fine? I think maybe I had too high expectations, but nothing in this really jumped out at me.
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