A review by changeablelandscape
Lifelode by Jo Walton

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

At long last, a Jo Walton book that I wholeheartedly enjoyed!  I appreciated the focus on the domestic, and I thought it worked reasonably well -- there is still what looks like a Things Happening plot, but  I would argue that despite
the magic and the armies, nothing really does happen in this book, not in a world-meaningful way.  (That's a compliment, I think it's lovely to write a fantasy novel without fantasy novel stakes!    This is not a fantasy of agency; everyone, even the characters most caught up in the plot, really just want to get on with their lives, and the world functions well enough as it is -- the only reason Hanethe and Jankin change the world is because they don't have another choice, and it isn't clear to anyone (including the reader) what that change was, or whether or not it'll have any meaningful impact on the rest of the characters.
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