Book Review – A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine (Teixcalaan #2)
Science Fiction | Adult | 496 pages
Published on 2nd March 2021 by Tor

Synopsis

My rating:

Review

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh. Five perfect stars. I love this series so much. I didn’t think it could improve on Memory, but somehow it did. I’ve flagged this for mild spoilers, but I will try not to go too far.

I loved that we got multiple POVs in this. And not just Mahit and Three Seagrass either. I was particularly enamoured of Eight Antidote’s sections. I love him. He just wants to find his place as possible emperor while still being a kid at heart. 💙

This is definitely a more military aspect to the series than Memory. Both are fast-paced in their own way (I’m still blown away that the first book takes place over the course of just a week), but where the first is political intrigue and murder mystery, this is the empire going to war. Don’t worry, we still have PLENTY of politics though. 

Talking of politics, oh wow. This series is utterly stunning in how well the politics are portrayed. One of my favourite aspects is that we see people’s intentions (largely duck serenely gliding on water while desperate kicking under the water 😂) but also other’s interpretations of them (omg this very deliberate action means ALL THE THINGS). It felt so very real. And shows so clearly that what you see someone do well doesn’t mean that they are as confident or deliberate as they seem.

The aliens were AMAZING (though damnit fungi, why is it always fungi) and I loved that they managed to figure out how to converse even though both sides are clearly going “who are these non-people and what do they want”. And I really enjoyed all the realisations (especially those back on the planet) about who they were and how they perceived things.

Once again, Arkady Martine manages to blow me away with how many layers every action in the book has. 

I also loved that we get more with Mahit and Reed’s relationship – it’s not just jumping in at the deep end, it’s frustration and uncertainty as well as longing. It’s knowing that you can’t always survive on lust alone.

I just want mooooooore. So much more. I assume there will be at least one more book because it is left open (way more than the first one was, which could have stood alone). I think that it surely has to revolve around Lsel Station finally and see what the fallout of everything Mahit and Yskandr do in the first two books is. Or at least I hope we get that 😀

Buy A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine from Waterstones.

Note: This is an affiliate link. If you purchase something using one of these links, I’ll get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks!