I’ve never watched a soap opera, but this book was what I imagine a soap opera would be like, just with a fantasy setting and more drugs. It started out decadent and sexy with the characters pretty much just having sex, drinking drugged tea, gossiping, and caring about nothing more than what was fashionable. By the end, it was full of scheming, conniving, treachery, and murder.

My favorite thing about this book though was the main character himself, Vaun Dray Fen. That’s an awesome name. It’s so awesome that it screams “trying too hard,” except that’s what makes it so perfect for this book and this character. Vaun was one if those characters who shouldn’t have been likeable but kind of was anyway. He was a jerk, but the author really nailed his voice and managed to make it sound different from the others, so he was interesting and, at times, entertaining. He spent a hundred years living in this realm where there was no real meaning to anything anymore, so he got high and had orgies and partied and ate cake and had his photos plastered all over the newspapers and just didn’t care about any of it. The only things he did care about were 1) his body, 2) good jackets, and 3) always being alone in bathrooms. But as the story went on, some things happened, and he started to care more about some things and people. In many ways, he was still a jerk, so it was a small enough change to be believable, but still a big enough change to make him a little more likeable.

Other random things you should know about this book:

– The characters all had lots of tea parties.
– Except the tea was spiked with a drug that was literally made of magic.
– Murderous pixies.
– Immortality.
– Duels.
– Ghostly wolves that steal people’s souls.

I only have a couple complaints. One is that there were quite a few POVs, all of which might not have been necessary, but, taking into account the whole soap opera thing, it makes sense that the author was trying to show us what was going on with all the different characters and make sure we got the important information. My other complaint is that the plot felt a little aimless. It was a good story, but I like to know what the goal is so that I know the characters are getting closer, and I never knew what the goal was. The pacing was also kind of slow for most of the book.

Overall though, this was a decadent, unique, magic-and-intrigue-filled book with an oddly likeable main character!

Vanity in Dust is one of the most captivating fantasies that I’ve read in recent months.  With its strange politics and Asian feel, it is very different than most dystopian reads.  The setting is gorgeous, at once decadent and desolate.  Magic is at once ever present and tightly reined in.  

The Realm is ruled by the Queen, rarely seen but immensely powerful.  The area surrounding her tower is divided, controlled by three families who regularly war amongst themselves.  Dust, a magical drug, distracts and dulls the senses, giving the ruling families immortality.  All Dust is produced and sold by the Queen - it is a jealously guarded monopoly. Vaun is a prince of the realm, able to go anywhere, sleep with anyone and do anything.  His life of leisure begins to crack when bad dust begins to be seen throughout the realm and he is poisoned by it.  Once free of the Dust’s grasp he begins to see that perhaps this life is not what he thought it was.

Vanity in Dust’s characters are intriguing, vibrantly painted and very alive.  The complex political machinations will appeal to fans of Game of Thrones, as well to fans of dystopian fantasy.  I enjoyed Vanity in Dust immensely and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

5 / 5

I received a copy of Vanity in Dust from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom

This has to be one of the most mind-numbingly boring books I've ever read. I gave it two stars instead of one based solely on the excellent world building. I love the structure of the city and the way magic works there, although I'm confused if the characters are faeries or just some nondescript magical beings. But the plot ...the plot was just entirely non-existent.

Literally 95% of this book is just reading about spoiled rich people doing drugs. And occasionally having sex. And I guess sometimes sitting around talking about how they'd like to be doing drugs and having sex. Oh sure it all seems really classy at first because they're all wearing fancy clothes and the book is actually beautifully written, but underneath there is literally nothing happening. Maybe that's supposed to be a metaphor for the realm as a whole, but it still makes for an incredibly boring read and that's not good for anyone.

In literally the last 5% of the book we find out some information about who is behind the bad dust in the city [the major 'mystery' of the book] but so many other things are left unanswered that I genuinely don't even care at this point. Like why on earth is Vaun so special? He did basically nothing for the entire book while all the women in his life tried desperately to get him on their side because ....reasons??? I honestly don't know.

Also I hate that it's like heavily implied that everyone is bisexual because oh how exciting and avant garde, but every time there is a sexual scene that is even mildly explicit it is ALWAYS been a man and a woman. Don't use bisexuality for like ...debauchery points or whatever but then sideline it in the main narrative like that.

Enjoyed myself well enough, the middle lost me a bit, but that could just be me not getting the subtext weaved through. Beautiful world building, interesting characters, loved the plot twists in the end!

I saw this book on Netgalley and thought "A handsome man with a full tea set in front of him on the cover and a fantasy? Sign me up!" the problem though is that I'm 20% in and I feel like I'm trying to crack the plot instead of just enjoying it, I don't know what's happening and who all of these people are, facts and deeds are introduced and it is given for granted that the reader knows what's up. I'm sorry, I think that the actual story is going to be much more engaging once it is in full motion but I just cannot get into this book. :(

What an engaging debut novel! Impressive world building, strong character development, and suspense from beginning to end made this an enjoyable read! Awaiting the sequel!