I enjoyed this book so much that I bought it because I wanted to read it again. A fascinating and refreshing new story with equally interesting characters.

This is the second book I’ve read by J. Y. Yang and I must say that I loved it so much more than the first. Obviously there’s the neutral gender that people in this world start with, the first selling point I had to these books. But also we have a polyamorous marriage of the main characters Moyoka and Thennjay.

Moyoka is described with her raptor Phoenix at the start of this book and they are hunting nagas. She also has receives a prophesy about nagas threatening the lives of those in a village, and immediately sets about rallying the people in her party to come help.

For anyone who read the first book in this series, they will be aware of Mokoya’s twin brother Akaha and the animosity both of them share towards their mother.

The new character in this book, and the one I liked the most (and also the one around whom most of the plot revolved in one way or other) was Rider. They become the sometimes lover of Mokoya, who Mokoya comes to feel affection for and eventually trust, despite herself.

I might not like Mokoya as much as I came to like Akeha, but I did really enjoy getting to spend more time in this world and especially the character of Rider, who didn't appear in the previous book. This is set after The Black Tides of Heaven, and deals with some of the fallout from what happens there. Mokoya's grief and anger and failure to deal with everything is well done, though sometimes her husband seemed a little too good to be true. Who's that understanding? Well, somebody I'd like to know -- it just about worked.

There's also a lot more of the magic, which is pretty fascinating, and I'd love to know more about where Rider came from and what that place is like. There's so much hinted at and left to explore -- I hope the next novella takes us somewhere new again!

Dinosaurs, an utterly fascinating exploration of gender, and so many feelings. It’s a genre-smashing, heart-affecting little gem of a book. I want to read everything JY Yang writes.

4.5 stars. Effortlessly inclusive fantasy with rich, compelling world-building. Highly recommended.

There was a lot I liked about this novella and it's companion, [book:The Red Threads of Fortune|33099586], so this review kind of covers both. The world-building was interesting. In this world, everyone is born without gender. At a certain age, and that age seems to be different for everyone, you "confirm" your gender and go through whatever medical process people go through so that their physical sex matches their confirmed gender. And some people never confirm a gender, and some people confirm a gender but never go through the medical process to change their bodies.

These two stories are about twins, Mokoya and Akeha. This book is more Mokoya's story and [book:The Red Threads of Fortune|33099586] is more Akeha's, but both characters are in both novellas. Their mother is an important (and terrible) political leader in this world, and that is a major source of conflict for both.

Overall, I enjoyed both, but I didn't really connect with either main character. I would definitely read more set in this interesting world though. I don't have a good understanding of the government and politics, and I'd love to learn more about that. Mokoya's and Akeha's stories are more on the edge of those things for all that their mother is so important, so we just get bits and pieces in their stories.

Mokoya and Akeha are the twin children of the Protector. While Mokoya was born with a prophetic ability that has doomed her to a life controlled by her autocratic mother, Akeha chooses to join the rebellious Machinists--engineers that believe non-magical technology should serve side by side with magic to benefit both the lower class non-magical and the higher class Tensorate mages. While magic is mostly for those who can wield it, technology is for everyone.

The Black Tides of Heaven and The Red Threads of Fortune weave us a delightful tapestry of world building where Yang shows us a richly developed society of myth and magic where gender can be chosen, fates can be shaped, and love holds the universe together. My only complaint with the novellas is that they were both far too short. It's an interesting world with really great characters. Hopefully we'll see more of it soon.

The problem with a novella is that often the story is a little bit thin--I wished the first one had more to it just because I enjoyed it and felt like there was room for more, but this one needed more to make the story work, for me. It is just kind of all over the place and nonsensical a lot of the time. Various political plots are happening, and the prophet character just keeps changing her mind about who to trust. I was interested in her exploration of grief, less so in her stupidity. I also wished, in both this and its companion, that there had been more time for the romantic relationships to build. I think this universe is interesting, but I hope the next few stories Yang is planning are meatier. B.

I received this ebook through the publisher via Netgalley.

Yang has created an evocative Asian-inspired world in her Tensorate series. The setting is so immersive that I was slightly disoriented to start, but I soon found myself hooked. Mokoya is a former prophet, embittered by the loss of her child. She busies herself with hunting naga, and is looked after by a friends who love and accept her, abrasive as she is. Rumors of a massive and aggressive naga drive her deep into danger--and into a new relationship that brings other new perils.

<i>Red Threads</i> is high on action, but the core is all about love and healing. Mokoya's pain feels profound and real, and her journey to begin the healing process is beautiful to witness. The book features a nonbinary romantic lead, which was a refreshing surprise.

The Red Threads of Fortune by JY Yang is one of a pair of debut novellas released concurrently (the other being The Black Tides of Heaven, which I intend to read soon), both of which are standalone entry points into the author's Tensorate universe. I gather there will be another two novellas coming next year, and I must admit the setup of these releases is one of the reasons I was interested in reading this series. The other, more relevant, reason was what the blurbs told me about the setting.

Fallen prophet, master of the elements, and daughter of the supreme Protector, Sanao Mokoya has abandoned the life that once bound her. Once her visions shaped the lives of citizens across the land, but no matter what tragedy Mokoya foresaw, she could never reshape the future. Broken by the loss of her young daughter, she now hunts deadly, sky-obscuring naga in the harsh outer reaches of the kingdom with packs of dinosaurs at her side, far from everything she used to love.

On the trail of a massive naga that threatens the rebellious mining city of Bataanar, Mokoya meets the mysterious and alluring Rider. But all is not as it seems: the beast they both hunt harbors a secret that could ignite war throughout the Protectorate. As she is drawn into a conspiracy of magic and betrayal, Mokoya must come to terms with her extraordinary and dangerous gifts, or risk losing the little she has left to hold dear.

The first aspect of this book that really grabbed my attention was the worldbuilding. Amidst learning about the characters and situation, we are casually told about the Quarterlands which have lower gravity, which really caught my attention. Between that and the more mundane parts of the world that we actually see characters interacting with, I was intrigued. This is a story mainly about a particular situation that the characters have to deal with and, as such, I felt that it only began to scratch the surface of the world. I definitely want to know more and the worldbuilding is one of my motivations for wanting to read more stories set in this world.

The characters, without whom there wouldn’t have been an actual story, were interestingly written. Especially in the case of Mokoya and Rider, who are most central to the story, they had many layers for us to learn about as we read. That said, I found Mokoya’s developing relationship with Rider a bit sudden, however her own reaction to it and the supportive reactions of her friends went a long way towards grounding it for me. In the topic of Rider, there aren’t too many non-binary central characters around, so it was nice to see.

At first the magic in this novella reminded me of Avatar: the Last Airbender and the more technologically advanced Legend of Korra, but as Mokoya learnt a more about the Slack and how her magic was affecting it and vice versa, the similarity was reduced.

As advertised, this was an entirely standalone story. I want to read more in this world, as I’ve said, but that’s because I found the world interesting, bit because I felt the story was unfinished. There’s a lot more left to explore in the world and, I’m sure, more interesting characters to introduce us to.

I recommend The Red Threads of Heaven to fans of fantasy, especially those interested in non-Europe-inspired secondary worlds. I will definitely be picking up the companion novella, Black Tides of Heaven. I especially look forward to reading more of Yang’s colourful similes.

4 / 5 stars

First published: September 2017, Tor.com publishing
Series: Yes. Tensorate universe, a viable entry point
Format read: ePub
Source: pre-ordered on iBooks and then also got the ARC from the publisher via NetGalley