The Black Tides of Heaven (The Tensorate Series, 1)

It's difficult to put into words how amazing this novella is. Within it is an expertly crafted world, built subtly but convincingly, complex characters, political strife that actually feels important, and an interesting magic system. Through this novella, Yang explores gender and sexuality: people in this world are born without a gender, and are thus referred to with they/them pronouns until they "confirm" as male or female - or stay genderless. The two main characters are twins who confirm as different genders, and the care Yang puts into pronouns is wonderful; there's one beautiful scene where Akeha realizes that he is a boy, and the subtle change from they/them to he/him in the writing reflects this. Akeha is also gay, which I felt spoke to how gender and sexuality are independent of each other, and yet again, the care put into his story arc is amazing. I feel like I'm rambling on, but the gist of my review is the fact that Yang has packed so much into this story and put so much care into their writing that the world and characters feel tangible. This was an absolutely stunning novella and J.Y. Yang is undoubtedly a new favorite author.

I’ve looked forward to reading The Black Tides of Heaven for months now and only just got around to picking it up recently. I ended up finishing it in around two to three hours of reading time in a single day. It’s also a novella, which means that it’s around less than 250 pages, so there really isn’t any excuse for me not to read it, considering its short length and the fact that it’s critically-acclaimed.I was not disappointed by this book. It does condense more than three decades in one volume, but I find that it’s handled relatively well. However, there are parts when it can feel kind of rushed, hence why I docked half a star from the final rating. Still, The Black Tides of Heaven is an absolute stellar novella and I would heartily recommend it. It is also one of the most unique stories I’ve read in a while, my only regret being that I did not read it earlier.The novella spans several decades and follows the lives of twins Akeha and Mokoya. They are the youngest of the Protector’s children, the woman who rules the Protectorate with an iron fist. I loved the worldbuilding in this novella. I’ve see it described somewhere as ‘silkpunk’ and I agree that it’s the feel I got while reading. All of the elements of the ‘punk’ genre is present here, coupled with an Asian-based culture.I enjoyed the Asian setting of the world it’s set in. There are elements from different cultures present in the world. Personally, I welcome any setting that’s based on the diverse cultures in Asia and I found the setting to be very lush and immersive. While it is short, it manages to paint a vivid picture of the world and the setting. The magic system is based on something called Slack, which I don’t fully understand yet, but what I gathered to be something that is connected to the world. I also think that it’s based on natural elements, but I’m not too sure. Apparently it’s based on the classical Chinese elements? Again, I’m not exactly sure. I don’t mind not understanding the magic system though- maybe I’m just slow, which is why I didn’t get it.Slackcraft is also apparently extremely prevalent in the world and a lot of people rely on it in their everyday lives, giving rise to the Machinists, a group of people who want the population to become less reliant on slackcraft. The magic shown here still managed to be pretty interesting and I’m definitely going to read on to learn more.However, the most interesting part of the novella, and one of the primary reasons why I would heartily recommend it to YA readers is because of the diverse representation. This is also an Own Voices book because the author is non-binary. While I am not non-binary, I think that queer youth might really enjoy reading these novellas because of how the representation is treated. Here, children are born genderless. They are referred to in neutral pronouns and basically ‘confirm’ their gender later on when they become adults.This actually becomes a major plot point in the book as Mokoya confirms her gender as female while Akeha confirms as male. I’m actually wondering if Akeha is in fact non-binary as it seemed like he/they felt compelled to confirm a gender since Mokoya did so. I’m not quite sure but in any case, this actually becomes a catalyst for them being separated and drifting apart.Aside from that, there’s plenty of diversity portrayed here in terms of sexuality. All kinds of sexuality are deemed acceptable in society and I haven’t seen censure for it. The main character here is in a relationship with another man and no one really gave him a hard time for it. I think that it really shows that you can write about a problematic fantasy society without homophobia and books are often better without any.The characters are well-developed for such a short novel. There’s plenty of growth to be seen here and I liked how they were portrayed. I think that the characters are very interesting and I enjoyed following their journey through the years here in this book. What I also appreciate is the fact that there are so many powerful women figures in this novella. They aren’t put on a pedestal either- it showed that powerful women can be complex, they can be manipulative and power-hungry or kind and nurturing. This queer, feminist take on the genre is definitely a welcome one.The plot does progress so fast, it sometimes makes my head spin. Still, it remains compelling and made me eager to read more. It’s mostly character-driven here and shows us the progression of the characters and how they became how they’re like in the present. The climax and the ending were a bit surprising, but also powerful and heart-wrenching. The writing is beautiful and there are some very poetic lines which I’ve highlighted on my Kindle app.Overall, I’d recommend The Black Tides of Heaven regardless of who you are. It’s a beautiful story and has one of the best inclusive world-building I’ve seen so far. I am definitely going to pick up The Red Threads of Fortune and The Descent of Monsters and I’ll also anticipate whatever JY Yang might release next.

I’m not sure how to describe this book. Others have described it as silkpunk (it’s not), Asian fantasy (kind of but not really), or some sort of epic thingy (that’s not written in the style of an epic at all). I don’t usually like to provide details of an author’s created world in my reviews because authors work really hard to introduce readers to their worlds in their stories. Who am I to short circuit that introduction? At the same time, though, I want to give others kind of a heads up of what they’re getting into if they were to pick the book up. So, the highlights: it is an entirely fictional world, set in an entirely fictional country that has magic, and the magic fuels technology levels to more-or-less 19th century/early 20th century. There is an “Asian” flavor, but that’s confined to pretty much names and some creature/legend stuff.Now that the description of the world is out of the way, we come to the real question…is it any good? I don’t know if it’s good or not – I’m not some gatekeeping arbiter of all that is Good and Worthy in the written world – but I do know that it is not a book that I particularly enjoyed reading.The length of the book felt wrong. I know that this is the first of a series, and that’s fine, I’m not bothered by the way the story ended. No, my complaint is that the story felt…jerky. I didn’t understand characters’ motivations, and it was not because the author was showing rather than telling; it was because sometimes the characters’ actions made no sense. I had a hard time really understanding WHY the protagonists felt the way they did towards various authority figures or each other.The world building is uneven. It seemed like the author tried to fit too much into one tiny book: unique gender dynamics, a magic system, a political situation, various factions, ethnic groups. Some of those aspects of the world – unique gender dynamics and a magic system – were described at least at a basic level such that I could follow the action and hope that the sequels provide more detail. On the other hand, MAJOR characters are sometimes given only two or three “lines,” and I didn’t understand why I should or should not be rooting for one particular political entity over another. I didn’t understand the main central external conflicts of the book.The Black Tides of Heaven also felt heavy. It’s a depressing read, with almost no humor or joy to be found within. There are occasional cool action sequences, but the extremity of the violence and aftermath of pain and sadness counters whatever short-lived joy a fan of action scenes may experience. And sometimes, when I feel that I was expected to feel sad, I felt nothing, due to the aforementioned lack of characterization or world building.As is, the book had some fine elements and interesting concepts. It just felt more like a rough draft of a longer, better book.

This is a high-level fantasy that raises the bar significantly! The story is amazing, the world-building very interesting and presented naturally, and the characters are fascinating with action scenes that are nothing short of amazing.The story revolves around the twins Mokoya and Akeha, children of the Protector, born to fulfill a debt to the Grand Monastery. As time progresses, we follow their growth, with an increasing focus on Akeha's story. Both twins exhibit distinct and consistent personalities.The author's style is quite poetic, and the descriptions of the scenarios are breathtaking! There's plenty of magic, action, and political conflict—a full plate indeed.It's impossible not to mention how gender is presented: people are born neutral and, as they grow—some early, some later, and some never—they come to understand their gender and assume it. Emotional and sexual orientation is another story; there are no predefined rules about it. The way it's described and interwoven into the story is perfect.I went straight from book one to book two, and I can't think of a better endorsement than that. If you're looking for a beautifully crafted queer fantasy book, I totally recommend this one.

I'm not entirely sure how I find this book. but once I started it I couldn't stop. Brilliant read from start to finish. Glad the story isn't over just yet.

🍁4.5 STARS🍁An wonderful book with unique writing style, unique characters and an amazing world!Following Akeha 'The Spare Child' as they grow up with their twin, under the cruel eye of their mother, struggling to understand themselves and where they stand in this world was incredible and curiously relatable.I've read many books where the MC identifies as gender neutral, but this felt like it did that representation justice.I wills have to say though, it was a confusing read at times. It is quite difficult to grasp how things are in this world which may also be due to me not being knowledgeable of the any cultural influences. The story has so many gaps as well. This style probably isn't for everyone. But still, it was interesting to me that the book still managed to captivate me so well even with all the things thatbwe didn't seem to be privy to.

Elecciones. Sobre todo me quedo satisfecho con la importancia que este libro le da a las elecciones.Se trata de una novela de ciencia ficción/fantasía en un escenario oriental, en donde surge el conflicto entre el imperio reinante, el Protectorado, que obtiene su potencia de los Tensores, magos que pueden manipular la realidad a partir de cinco elementos básicos: tierra (gravedad), agua (movimiento), fuego (calor y frio), bosque (carne y sangre) y metal (electricidad), y la facción contraria, Los Maquinistas, que proponen poner al alcance de la gente común las habilidades de los iluminados a través de la tecnología, incipiente y un poco steampunk, y por supuesto que el status quo no se va a quedar tan tranquilo, así que tenemos revueltas y represión desde un inicio.En ese marco nacen los gemelos, Sanao Akeha y Sanao Mokoya, hijas gemelos de La Protectora, quienes son entregadas desde muy pequeños al Gran Monasterio para ser educadas como Tensores Pugilistas, una variedad de monjes guerreros con poderes obtenidos a través de disciplina y educación, como pago de una deuda de la emperatriz.Desde el principio se pone buena la cosa, nos damos cuenta que en este mundo cada individuo nace sin un genero definido, y será a lo largo de su vida que elegirá un sexo biológico, que no necesariamente corresponde a sus preferencias sexuales, sin que este tema opaque la relación entre los gemelos(as), que se piensan siempre unidos, siempre juntas, convirtiéndose esa relación en el eje de todo el libro, aun y cuando las elecciones que tomen las hermanas se contrapongan durante su crecimiento.Cabe mencionar que esta novela tiene otra que es su gemela, The Red Threads of Fortune, que no es necesariamente una continuación, sino un relato paralelo, sugiriendo incluso la autora que elija cada lector el que mejor le parezca para leer primero, y enfocándose cada libro en uno de las dos gemelos.Se agradece la libertad y la confianza con que imbuye la autora a sus lectores, descriptivamente es ligera y sugiere muchas cosas sin imponerlas a la imaginación, no en una omisión de su oficio, sino justamente dando un espacio para el dialogo interno entre la escritora y nosotros.Lo recomiendo mucho, y espero que se traduzca al español porque es un libro que quiero compartir y regalar.

(critique beaucoup, beaucoup plus complète sur mon blog, adresse sur mon profil)Cette novella Silkpunk (steampunk-fantasy sinisante), la première d’un diptyque ouvrant un cycle plus vaste, propose un monde très bien construit, dans lequel on peut rester dans un état asexué aussi longtemps qu’on le souhaite, jusqu’à ce qu’on ait compris qui on est, homme, femme, ou rien de tout cela, et qu’on ait choisi son sexe. Mélangeant culture chinoise, raptors, gadgets alimentés par la magie et technologie plus prosaïque, ce monde très crédible (malgré un mélange d’éléments à la base assez improbable) se révèle passionnant. Mais le vrai joyau de ce texte est constitué par ses protagonistes, deux jumeaux à la psychologie très développée et aussi vivants que crédibles, humains, faillibles. Roman d’apprentissage, ode à la tolérance, The black tides of Heaven est un beau texte, prenant, surprenant, proposant autant de Sense of wonder que de réflexion. Seule, éventuellement, une particularité de la narration (l’emploi du pluriel pour parler d’un enfant asexué pendant la moitié du récit) pourra éventuellement bloquer certains lecteurs anglophones, ce qui serait dommage vu l’originalité et la qualité de cette novella.