Dianna Gunn

I read this in one sitting (12am to 2am), roughly four hours after receiving the ARC (830pm) and about five after learning about the novella (7ish pm).

There's a lot to enjoy - Gunn has built a unique world setting that I often wanted to hear more about. Split into three parts, we follow Lai days before the Trials and across four or so years as she seeks her purpose and how she can serve the Goddesses.

When the unthinkable occurs Lai faces a future she never anticipated nor is particularly interested in.

As to the ace representation - which is part of why I was interested in this book. It's never a thing - which is to say Lai is Lai. While the story has several moments that together create the whole we learn later, the fact she's not interested in marriage or sharing a trader's bed are perfectly ordinary feelings in context. Later, when she explains to someone to the extent those feelings run, the person is unaffected by it and explains why in such a way that it brought a smile to my face.

The fact Lai is on the ace spectrum (I won't venture to guess at where in that spectrum she resides most comfortably) has little to do with her skills as a warrior, her devotion to her Goddesses or what she wants in life. While it may have played a role initially in why she left her home, it's not her defining characteristic at all (if I had to say, her persistence was).

I do wish we didn't know she failed the Trials (says in the summary) since the book devotes almost a third of itself to those Trials. I admit to being an impatient reader at times - if I know the huge defining plot point is supposed to happen I get itchy for it to happen. Watching everything Lai does, all the emotions, all the justifications, all the hope...i felt a little uncomfortable knowing it was all for naught.

I liked Tara, who we spend a lot of time with and disliked Calvin pretty quickly (who we spend as little time as Lai can manage with). We spend some time on Lai's father, as his choices after remarriage basically were a slap in the face to Lai's life long ambitions, but we never learn much about this other religion or Loren to understand why he chose the way he did. A throwaway line in regards to his disgust about the Trials is basically it.

Where Gunn's writing shines is during the mythology of the world. Whether it's the Trials or later when Lai tries to puzzle out how the Mountain Tribe and hers connect, it's obvious Gunn put a lot of effort into those components.

For the rest, there's a somewhat more shallow feeling. Lai doesn't seem to care so the story treats those parts as quickly as possible. As a result most secondary characters come off one dimensional or as plot devices. Gunn also skips large swaths for time with an offhand "and so the year progressed this way", which really isn't an issue until it comes up against an important moment when you wish you SAW what Lai spoke about rather then was TOLD (I'm thinking in particular when Tara tells Lai all kinds of love are accepted. We never see this, mostly because Lai keeps to herself or when she's out with Tara people focus more on her Outsider status. This is where the shallower characterization of the secondary characters is frustrating - we only have Tara's word for it and there are no other couples mentioned. Hetero seems the preference only because Tara uses the word "mate" in the context of pairing off after a dance to honor the Goddesses and bring a healthy spring .

Overall I enjoyed this novella a lot. It was quickly paced, had an intriguing world and included a little nod at the folly of prophecy.… (altro)

I wish this book were longer! It takes the story of a teenage battle royale and asks what happens when someone trains for their entire childhood to fight, then...doesn't win yet still survives. This is the story of the aftermath for Lai, whose mother and grandmother were both priestesses after winning the ritual battle, and who has had the gods show her favor, yet fails to win when its her turn.

This is a violent story. There is a lot of death on the page, both when Lai kills her opponents and when loved ones die from hardship or age. When an entire society is built around this kind of ritual killing, though, is it any surprise that such things happen? Yet Lai regrets the deaths, and must force herself to go on when the reality of the first one reaches her.

It's also a sweet and gentle story. Lai cares deeply about her home and friends, and she would do anything to protect her own. There is a romance in the second half that explores Lai's asexuality (but she is not aromantic), which is a nice change in the romance story pattern.

The world that Dianna Gunn writes has a rich history and setting, which I enjoyed learning about. How the magic rules came to be, different countries' political alliances, and what that means for the characters were interesting to see. I would love to see a more drawn out and detailed story, or a series of novellas, in the same universe. Unfortunately, for all the care of the setting, the characters got a bit of a short shrift. So many are never named or only briefly sketched out, other than Lai and Tara and some of the elders. It seemed to mainly be a difficulty of breathing room, the novella is so short there wasn't space to give life to all the people Lai knows or has relationships with. A lot of the deaths that happen on screen don't have as much impact because the characters are so thin. I'm afraid some of the sketchiness even extends to the main characters - Lai at the beginning must be 10 years old, at most, because she's 16 or 17 at the end, but I definitely thought she was more like 14 or 15, as in most other YA stories of this kind!

I'm really glad I took a chance on this, and I'll be trying others in the Book Smugglers' Novella Initiative if they're this enjoyable (and I'll hope that Gunn works a novel about Lai or this setting, so that I can visit again someday).… (altro)

I loved this fantasy novella! I picked it up mainly because I heard the protagonist was asexual (true), and I ended up with a novella that was beautiful in so many ways and really resonated with me.

Lai’s mother and grandmother before her have been priestesses, and Lai can’t imagine any other life for herself. In order to become a priestess, she must win through the trials, for only one girl can be selected by the gods as the next priestess. But what about after the trials? What will happen to the friends she’s in competition with? And what if… she fails?

If you read that blurb and start thinking, “Oh this is a competition plot line like so many YA books recently,” let me stop you right there. The trial takes up at most the first third. The majority of the book is not about the competition, it’s about what happens afterwards. Honestly, that was a relief. I’ve read so many books along the lines of “teenagers must battle for X” that I’m not super interested in another. Not everything needs to be the Hunger Games.

Gunn packs so much into this little novella. True, the supporting characters could be developed more, but I think there’s just not space and that doing so would make the story drag. Lia is squarely the focus in Keeper of the Dawn.

I knew Lia was asexual going in, but it still struck me how similar her perspective could be to my own, in a way that I don’t think I’ve seen from another YA protagonist. It’s more in the details of her narration than anything else. Like the way she describes people as beautiful but not as hot or attractive. It felt markedly different from what I usually encounter and a lot closer to how I actually think.

Lia’s asexuality is explicitly addressed in the book. In the second half she has a romance with another female character, and she discusses it with her love interest at one point. It’s unclear how Lia identifies in regards to romantic orientation, but I feel like she could be similar to me. Since I realized I was ace, I’ve been searching out books with asexual protagonists, but Lia is the one who’s asexuality seems most similar to my own. I honestly didn’t expect to have this sort of reaction to Keeper of the Dawn.

In addition to everything else, Keeper of the Dawn is just so beautifully written. Gunn’s prose is so elegant and graceful, and she’s remarkably successful at making her world feel truly magical. I adored all the attention she paid to the mythology and world building. This is a truly lovely novella.

In short, I came for the ace representation and stayed for a sincerely great story. I have little doubt that this will end up being one of the best fantasy novellas I read in 2017.

Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.… (altro)