Book Review: The Unbalancing by R.B. Lemberg

San
May 27, 2023
4 min read

Book Details:

Author: R.B. Lemberg

Series: Birdverse

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Queer, LGBTQ+, Adult, Speculative Fiction

Page Count: 241 pages

Publisher: Tachyon Publication

Published: September 20, 2022

Blurb:

Beneath the waters by the islands of Gelle-Geu, a star sleeps restlessly. The celebrated new starkeeper Ranra Kekeri, who is preoccupied by the increasing tremors, confronts the problems left behind by her predecessor.

Meanwhile, the poet Erígra Lilún, who merely wants to be left alone, is repeatedly asked by their ancestor Semberi to take over the starkeeping helm. Semberi insists upon telling Lilun mysterious tales of the deliverance of the stars by the goddess Bird.

When Ranra and Lilun meet, sparks begin to fly. An unforeseen configuration of their magical deepnames illuminates the trouble under the tides. For Ranra and Lilun, their story is just beginning; for the people of Gelle-Geu, it may well be too late to save their home.

Synopsis in My Words:

A slumbering star's recurring nightmares threatens the survival of a city which treats it as a living myth. Undeterred by the attitude of some citizens who refuse to take it seriously as well as the previous Starkeeper who refused to acknowledge how close they were to disaster, the new Starkeeper Ranra is determined to do whatever it takes to save the city and her people.

Meanwhile, there's the poet Erígra whose sublime strength lies in their absolute grasp over their ability to form a poem out of anything-be it their own laboured breathing or just the surrounding. Their ancestor wants them to sacrifice love for quietude in exchange for becoming the Starkeeper and saving the island from their impending doom.

Of course, time will tell us the stories of Ranra and Erígra's lives over the course of the book. But simultaneously with that, sparks fly, labels are shuffled through, poems are read identities are recognised, all aided by an absolutely lyrical prose.

Review:

Rating: ★★★

I thank the Author for writing this story and the Publisher for giving me an opportunity to read and review it.

This is my second book/ARC by R.B. Lemberg after The Four Profound Weaves & so, it's inevitable that I begin this review by comparing both the books.

The Four Profound Weaves was a hit-miss for me because while the world building was definitely enticing with really good writing to match it with, it faltered in terms of other aspects- plot, characters. The Unbalancing(TU) on the other hand, amplifies my favourite parts while downsizing parts where I could nitpick.

(Now, I think it's obvious from the outset, given that this is an ARC, there's gonna be spelling/editing errors and there were some here too, so, we are not really get into that.)

*Drumrolls* The review begins!

The cover is absolutely gorgeous btw!

For me, this book primarily deals with "choices" or more specifically the hero's choice- the choice of the so-called chosen one. The story's beginning and the synopsis presented to me a different hero than the one we eventually get and resulted in a fresh take on the chosen one's dilemma, if you will call it.

The main characters were well written enough to not fall flat, even though, not all of them went through a 'character arc'. Dorod is my favouritest character in this book and definitely a person who invites my admiration and respect regardless of whether they're real or fictional. There's just something so magnetic about them. Ranra and Erígra, my two protagonists, oh how I related to u both even though you were neither my favourite characters nor my favourite protagonists- your choices seemed very realistic when viewed in the face of your flaws, the very same flaws that made you both dearer to me than I had initially imagined. Veruma, how I detested you first appeared, only to gain some shreds of understanding as the plot progressed. Ular, my nerdy buddy, you are annoyingly cute at times. I feel like I can't talk about my feelings regarding Semberí without veering dangerously close near spoiler territory.

The writing is just aptly beautiful for this story. The narration, though initially felt stilted to me. Erígra's narration would be wonderfully exquisite at times, only to say something that would break my immersion in the world. This went on for a few pages until I either got used to it or the narration got better. Another POV character is Ranra and while I didn't face any problems getting into her narration style, I definitely prefer Erígra's narration over Ranra's.

The plot was not the most original one in the world but it wasn't too bad either. The final hero and the ending definitely were the highlights of the story. I loved the concept of Ichidar variations and how the different chapters/parts were titled according to one of the variations.

The Star-oh my gosh- I just wanted more of/about the Star. I had obviously guessed the actual identity (?) of the Star through Semberí's statement but the reveal, nevertheless, felt good. The slight flashback we got of the Star left me wanting more.

Overall, this was definitely a pleasant read. I binged it in one day, hehe. I am definitely looking forward to more stories from the The Birdverse.