Review - Tower of Mud and Straw

Tower of Mud and Straw

I received an electronic ARC of this book via NetGalley for an honest review.

The premise of this novella appealed to me immediately. The protagonist is a disgraced government minister, sent off from the capital to oversee the construction of a possibly-cursed tower in a not-entirely-peaceful borderland. Each of the component chapters tells an important part of the story, which covers a surprising amount of ground in relatively few pages. In some ways, short length is this novella's greatest weakness. There's enough plot for a full-length novel here, and in a longer form I think the worldbuilding and characterization could have been stronger.

At times it feels like a novella meant to be read within an already-established world (actually, to the point that I double-checked Goodreads halfway through to make sure that there was not a previous book that I'd missed), rather than a freestanding work. It's a neat world, though, and I would have loved to see more of what makes it tick.

The italicized notes that represent Shea's thoughts and "conversations" with his sister are often the most evocative and touching sections. He's a compelling character, one that would be interesting to see develop over a longer span of time. The same is true of many of the secondary characters--I would especially have liked to see more of Brielle and Aidan, who have such distinct backgrounds and motives and merit a deeper look. I'd read a novella centered on either of them.

There's a strong dreamlike quality throughout, which I noticed well before I came to the author's note at the end describing it as having come from a dream.

All in all, my biggest complaint is that characterization and worldbuilding are more often sketched than painted with depth. But what's here is a fun read, and I hope to see more from this author in the future!

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