The Jewel and Her Lapidary

It s an epic fantasy packed in a tiny novelette I m really impressed with how the author handled the world building We jump straight into the action and everything is revealed bit by bit And there is so much to reveal The complex magic system, powerful gems, the Jewels the royal family who rules over the valley, and their Lapidaries, who can talk to the gems and reign in their power The premise was also great after a betrayal and a massacre of the entire royal court, two teenage girls are the on [...]

I know I ve only read two of Fran Wilde s tales, but I m getting the impression that I m just not her audience at all.I was reading this for her Hugo nomination this year and I had high hopes because some authors can really kick butt with the shorter stuff even if their longer works fall short for some readers Read me.Unfortunately, the whole concept of jewels of power is a very, very old one, and while she tries to make it fresh by doing the whole linking them to their wearers and then having t [...]

After reading Updraft, which I loved, I put Fran Wilde on my auto buy list.So I was excited to read this novella, and indeed here were the nifty world building and lovely characters that I expected This is of an elegiac tale that feels like a novel boiled down to novella length.A great deal of attention is paid to the rules of the lapidary that I thought might have gone to character development, and to the sense of living in the world But that might just be my taste for elaborate tales that ta [...]

I enjoyed Wilde s Updraft, although I thought it was a bit too similar to Zilpha Keatley Snyder s Greensky trilogy When I saw this at the library, I thought I d give the author a second try The concept of jewels that are invested with magical powers isn t a new one, but this slim novella gives the idea a fresh feeling twist In this fantasy world, a kingdom has been based on the harnessing of jewels power Only certain people can hear these magical jewels, and those people end up being either ruli [...]

I was pretty excited to read this Tor novella, particularly because of all the good things I ve heard about Wilde s debut novel I found it a little too compressed, though, and confusing because of it there s a lot going on, with a whole new fantasy world, a magic system without a proper tutorial so that you re never quite sure of the rules and limits, and a lot of characters who are sometimes referred to in different ways depending on the POV characters relationships to them and that s not to ev [...]

Engrossing fantasy as a kingdom based on magical gemstones is betrayed from within, and a young woman of the royal blood a Jewel finds herself the last heir, presiding over a ruin, conquered land She and her magical companion a Lapidary must decide how to best cope, for their own benefit, or the kingdoms, as temptation and betrayal surround them.Interesting world building, a little rough getting started as the exposition seem to lag the storytelling a bit, but yielding a clever world and a pair [...]

I liked the use of the tourist brochure recounting a little of the history that we then get to see I liked the relationship between Lin and Sima friendship and servitude together I was a little confused as I listened to this story, as the author drops you into what are long ago events with Sima and Lin.

Alrighty A new low, for me I actually called Audible and returned it THAT S how bad this was And maybe it would have been a 3 star story However, I really don t know what the point is What s the author trying to achieve Yes, it s an interesting world idea But NOTHING HAPPENS But that s not the worst part, not for me I ve NEVER listened to a worse narration Truly I think I can read my grocery shopping list with drama and life 95% of the lines ended on a downnote It was like listening to a stacca [...]

I feel rather meh about this.Being the sucker for cover art that I am, I had been looking forward to it for a while I knew ahead of time it was a novella, but finding such a slim volume after paying full paperback price was letdown 1.In such condensed form, there s really only room for Look at my cool magic system as opposed to space to flesh out the plot or characters personalities The travel guide part also felt like filler.On the plus side, view spoiler how often do you get to murder a main c [...]

A little confusing at first as you jump in, but a nice little tale full of creativity and a world I wouldn t mind seeing of in the future.

Fran Wilde is a fantastic writer, and this novella showcases her intricate, innovative worldbuilding This is a fantasy world of royal Jewels and their bonded Lapidaries, who can speak with stones to empower their comrade or those around them It reminded me of how some video games handle bonuses via magic embodied stones like magicite or materia The central characters here are teenage girls, Jewel Lin and her lapidary, Sima, who awaken to find the royal court under attack It s really Sima s story [...]

Will review soon at fantasyliterature.

I adored Fran Wilde s debut novel, Updraft, so I was thrilled when I learned she had written one of Tor s novellas The Jewel and Her Lapidary was one of my most anticipated books for the first half of 2016, so imagine my surprise and dismay when I turned out to just not care for it very much.Read the full review at SF Bluestocking.

Fran Wilde builds her world skilfully and quickly, fitting a lot of world building with magic and a complex society , and invented history into a taut novella, keeping the tension high and the action moving There s a profound sense of loss and grief throughout the story that amplifies the tension this is not a safe, comforting fantasy read, but it is extremely compelling.Even than the deep story and the intriguing world, what makes this story so great are the two main characters Lin and Sima, r [...]

Not my favorite of the Tor novellas, but not a bad one either.Two teenage girls survive a palace massacre and coup one is a bound servant to the other They need to keep a magical gem out of the hands of the usurper.There was very little to the story, and a lot of time was spent agonizingly repeating the rules of being a Lapidary As far as I can tell, Lapidaries are slaves to Jewels, and bound by these repetitious axioms like a lapidary must always obey their jewel, or their mind will shatter , w [...]

A short book, but one that manages to mine sorry, I had to get one jewel related pun in epic themes how to grow beyond expectations, making hard choices for a greater good, the power of friendship and duty It s all here along with a framing device that makes it clear that Fran has stories to come set in this world which I will definitely read.

A nice quick read with an interesting bit of world building However, the story itself is a bit manic and I found myself wondering what was going on throughout Also, unsure if wonky writing, wonky editing, or wonky audio narration, but lines were repeated several times As in line said, line said Back to back Weird.

I m pretty sure the first thing I ever read by Fran Wilde was a lovely short story set in the same world as this novella, so it was a welcome return As always, her world building is intricate and impeccable, her language rich.

This is a beautiful, beautiful novella that manages in very few pages to create a kingdom, a world, a war, vows broken and kept, sorrow and redemption The characters are compelling and the prose exquisite If you haven t had the pleasure of reading Fran Wilde, then give yourself this gift.

The Jewel and Her Lapidary is an intriguing fantasy novella about a kingdom betrayed by those meant to protect it and two teenage girls are left to deal with an invading army and its demands Lin is the last princess, or Jewel , left in the kingdom of the Valley as an invading army from the mountains, with the help of a traitor in the palace, has come to bend the powerful, magic gems of the Valley to their will In order to do that, they need a Lapidary, one of the Valley people who can speak to a [...]

There are some cool, interesting ideas in this bite sized epic fantasy.

A good short story, which follows Lin and Sima, two girls a royal Jewel and her Lapidary, bound by vows and by a deep friendship and understanding for each other, in a world of magical gemstones which has just been invaded by a usurper, leaving Lin the sole Heir to the kingdom.The challenges the two girls go through, testing the limit of their vows, is very compelling and draws you in deeper into the story The only downside for me is that the story feels like just a quick glimpse into this fanta [...]

A fun little story Really liked the world view spoiler Interesting look at the consequences of magic items that keep your kingdom safe Likewise at the bravery of someone who doesn t have the training but does know exactly what she wants to accomplish protect her people hide spoiler You spend a lot of this story without the world knowledge to know exactly what things mean if that sort of thing really bothers you, The Jewel and her Lapidary may not be for you.

This was a great story I did like it a lot, the world was interesting, and the characters were also fascinating The prose, while beautiful, was a little easy for me to lose track in, personally It was a wonderful, quick read it only took me a month because I haven t had time to just sit and read for a little while.

4.5 5 starsI liked this novella so much I wish it had been a longer book something I rarely say The world building was compelling, the details about the gems were fascinating, and Lin and Sima are willing to do anything to save their kingdom from the invaders that have taken the crown Wow I can hardly wait for Cloudbound now, because I like Wilde s writing so much.

If she began screaming now, she might not be able to stop Interesting plot device Adequate storytelling, but it never jelled I never felt engaged with the world or the characters Maybe if it d been shorter or longer A people s love is not an easy thing You must return it in kind or it will devour you.

Nooo I didn t know having my heart broken was on the agenda for this weekSeriously though, this is a beautiful little thing, and the nuanced, subtle wordbuilding will make you yearn for There are so many questions posed by the epilogue So many I hope that this is a prelude to something bigger, rather than a standalone tale.

I quite enjoyed this condensed tale I loved the unique worldbuilding, I think it s the author s strength I wish it had been a little longer so we could have spent time getting to know the characters instead of exploring how things worked in the world Overall, a very good story.

I m a huge fan of novellas This story is a shining example why.This is a story of courage and sacrifice, love and loyalty The highest praise I can give a story is that it made me cry This story made me cry.Go buy it You won t be sorry.

My review at Skiffy and Fanty skiffyandfanty 2016 04 21