Navola

This isn’t exactly an action packed book — not until the last quarter, anyway. For the large part, this is a slice of life story of Davico, son of the most powerful man in Navola, grandson and great grandson of powerful merchant bankers who have defended and shaped and ruled the city quietly, efficiently, ruthlessly. Davico is raised not only by his father but his father’s mistress, a slave woman; powerful soldiers, cunning assassins, brilliant men who show him the beauty and power of the world he is to inherit ..

It’s four hundred pages of a young man watching and listening, occasionally learning as he sits in a garden and learns about bees; goes to parties, faces down assassination attempts and just, in general, lives his life in a protected bubble. And it’s a beautiful bubble. There’s a reason the book is named after the city of Navola and not Davico or his family. Navola is beautiful, intricate, decadent and debauched. And yet, at the same time, widows and orphans are fed, artists abound, and life — on the surface — is good.

The story is a bit … drifty and thoughtful because Davico, a spoiled young man who is taught to be brilliant but never ambitious, is drifty and thoughtful. He’d like to be a doctor, gathering herbs in the woods and enjoying a life of peace and quiet — because he’s never seen the darker side of life, the one of hard work, pain and suffering. He loves his adopted sister, sees her as a glorious figure — while ignoring how she was brought to his house, on a night of fire and fear, ripped from her father and mother and held hostage by Davico’s father.

The final quarter is fast, but not rushed, as things happen to Davico — because Davico has never had to make things happen in his life — and the leisurely building of characters and politics snaps into place. And yet, Davico is still sympathetic as his kindness and genial obliviousness are turned to anger and hatred, as he is finally able to use his true talents, the ones his father never taught him.

Oh, and there’s a dragon, so that’s neat.

The dragon is a promise, a brief glimpse of something at the beginning and then a promise made at the end that should make the next book very, very interesting. It’s a long book, but worth the read, well plotted and I enjoyed every single part of it. Some people may find it slow, but that slowness is to a point, to build up both the city and Davico before they’re both burnt down to ashes.

I want to thank Net Galley and the publisher for granting me access to an advanced reader copy

This isn’t exactly an action packed book — not until the last quarter, anyway. For the large part, this is a slice of life story of Davico, son of the most powerful man in Navola, grandson and great grandson of powerful merchant bankers who have defended and shaped and ruled the city quietly, efficiently, ruthlessly. Davico is raised not only by his father but his father’s mistress, a slave woman; powerful soldiers, cunning assassins, brilliant men who show him the beauty and power of the world he is to inherit ..

It’s four hundred pages of a young man watching and listening, occasionally learning as he sits in a garden and learns about bees; goes to parties, faces down assassination attempts and just, in general, lives his life in a protected bubble. And it’s a beautiful bubble. There’s a reason the book is named after the city of Navola and not Davico or his family. Navola is beautiful, intricate, decadent and debauched. And yet, at the same time, widows and orphans are fed, artists abound, and life — on the surface — is good.

The story is a bit … drifty and thoughtful because Davico, a spoiled young man who is taught to be brilliant but never ambitious, is drifty and thoughtful. He’d like to be a doctor, gathering herbs in the woods and enjoying a life of peace and quiet — because he’s never seen the darker side of life, the one of hard work, pain and suffering. He loves his adopted sister, sees her as a glorious figure — while ignoring how she was brought to his house, on a night of fire and fear, ripped from her father and mother and held hostage by Davico’s father.

The final quarter is fast, but not rushed, as things happen to Davico — because Davico has never had to make things happen in his life — and the leisurely building of characters and politics snaps into place. And yet, Davico is still sympathetic as his kindness and genial obliviousness are turned to anger and hatred, as he is finally able to use his true talents, the ones his father never taught him.

Oh, and there’s a dragon, so that’s neat.

The dragon is a promise, a brief glimpse of something at the beginning and then a promise made at the end that should make the next book very, very interesting. It’s a long book, but worth the read, well plotted and I enjoyed every single part of it. Some people may find it slow, but that slowness is to a point, to build up both the city and Davico before they’re both burnt down to ashes.

I want to thank Net Galley and the publisher for granting me access to an advanced reader copy