Beautifully crafted and incredibly entertaining, 'In the Vanishers' Palace' is a dark f/f retelling of the classic 'Beauty and the Beast' tale with inspiration taken from Vietnamese folklore and myths.
One of my favourite aspects of 'In the Vanishers' Palace' was the development between Yên and Vu Côn, both in the relationship between them and as characters in their own rights. I (and I'm sure many others) get hooked by the mention of enemies to lovers, and this did not disappoint. In the beginning, Vu Côn effectively kidnaps Yên in repayment for healing a villager, but the reader can still sense at least some attraction between the characters. This could have easily become a very dubious situation but de Bodard handled it very well and developed their relationship a romantic one, while also developing their characters as individuals (and side characters such as Liên and Thông, which I was happy to see).
The writing and world-building were both very impressive, my only issue was that it feels as though readers are thrown into the novel with little explanation about the Vanishers, which some may find off-putting. In the beginning it occasionally felt like I had missed out on a prologue chapter or accidentally skim read a few pages, but I got used to it and this had little effect on my enjoyment of the novel.
I will definitely be recommending 'In the Vanishers' Palace' to my friends because 1. f/f retellings are a win and 2. dragons. Need I say more?
While this is my first time reading a novel by Aliette de Bodard, I can already say with certainty that it will not be my last.

IN THE VANISHERS' PALACE is a gorgeous f/f retelling of Beauty and the Beast, based on (#ownvoices) Vietnamese culture/mythology. If that doesn't make you want to read this novel, I don't know what will.

Loved:
- I loved how the author incorporated filial piety into the Beauty and the Beast story. It worked perfectly.
- I appreciated the twist on the "forbidden rooms" element—that got a chuckle out of me.
- I found the backstory about the Vanishers to be fascinating, and I loved how creatively that backstory was woven into the fate of the main character.
- The dragon is a mother, raising two kids. The kids were among my favorite characters, and their interactions were an absolute delight.
- Some characters used gender-neutral pronouns.

Didn't love:
- I couldn't get into the writing style. Some parts were written beautifully and flowed well, but I found other parts to be too choppy or too long-winded. The unusual placement of certain commas, semicolons, etc. also threw me off. I realize this is subjective and that plenty of readers love the writing, so it's more a case of "just not for me."
- The first chapter was a little confusing; it felt as though I'd jumped into a Chapter Two or Chapter Five or something and missed the real beginning of the story.
- Yên kissed Vu Côn while Yên was still under Vu Côn's power (and effectively being held captive). I'm all for f/f kissing, but not when the power dynamics are so imbalanced. Later, Vu Côn freed Yên, but they kissed again only seconds after that—which still means all of Yên's feelings developed when she was under Vu Côn's control. I wish these two characters had gotten to know each other better on equal terms before all of this kissing. Otherwise, I have to wonder how much is Stockholm syndrome, and/or Vu Côn taking advantage, etc. I doubt that was the author's intention, but just looking at what's on the page, it can certainly been interpreted that way.

Overall, I am so glad to have found this book. Usually I can find a f/f book, or a book with a majority POC cast, but I can rarely find a book that includes both. Seeing that sort of representation is a breath of fresh air, especially when it's written from a respectful and knowledgeable perspective. Plus, the story is just really cool!

ARC provided from JABberwocky Literary Agency via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

In the Vanishers' Palace is the newest novella from SF/F author Aliette de Bodard (who I've previously reviewed on this blog here and here). The author described it as "dark retelling of Beauty and the Beast where they are both women & the Beast is a dragon, inspired by Vietnamese myths" and to some extent, that's a pretty accurate summation of what you're getting here. But that's an oversimplification that doesn't do justice to the story. What this story definitely is though is an utterly charming and wonderful novella that I quite wholly recommend.

Quick Plot Summary: Yên and her mother are outcasts in her village because of their lack of "use" in this postapocalyptic world - broken after the deadly Vanishers left the planet they devastated behind. But when her mother is required to heal the daughter of the village leader of a Vanisher disease, she is forced to use her magic to summon a Dragon....and the price of said healing is Yên herself.

Yên is thus taken back by the Dragon, Vu Côn, to her Palace - a structure of bizarre geometries left behind by the Vanishers. Yên knows she should be frightened of the Dragon...but instead finds herself more and more attracted to Vu Côn, and the attraction might be mutual. But as Yên tutors the dragon's two strange children, she finds herself missing her former home as well, and finds herself torn in two between her attraction to the deadly dragon and the few friends and family she left behind....

Thoughts: I really loved In the Vanishers' Place, and I really needed it given how things are going right now. I really can't use any word to describe it other than "lovely" - de Bodard creates a world very different from nearly anything else I've read (other than her own work - her style and Vietnamese influences are clear), and doesn't hold hands for a reader who will be unfamiliar with the concepts and mythology being referenced in the worldbuilding - and it all works incredibly well. Her descriptions of this world, of the Vanishers' place, are fascinating and man would I love to see this story fully illustrated.

But its the characters who make this story, and the love that blossoms between all of them. And I'm not just talking about the principal romance between Yên and Vu Côn - which is extremely well done of course, feeling real and beautiful. But this book also features the love formed between a parent and her children - whether that is a parent and her biological daughter - Yên and her mother - a parent and her adopted children - Vu Côn and the twins - or between a teacher and her students (multiple groupings). It's as much a story about people discovering what they mean to each other, forming bonds, and learning what responsibilities and obligations those bonds entail as anything, and the result is just.....well, lovely.

This Review also appears at my blog here: http://garik16.blogspot.com/2018/10/scififantasy-novella-review-in.html

NOTE: I RECEIVED A FREE ARC OF THIS NOVELLA IN RETURN FOR A FAIR AND HONEST REVIEW.

Aliette de Bodard is an author whose works, I’m sorry to say, have long languished in my TBR stack. But after reading her upcoming novella IN THE VANISHER’S PALACE, it’s become clear that I need to make a more concerted effort to put her books on the top of the pile. Ms. de Bodard has a way with words that captures your heart, even within the confines of a short work of prose.

IN THE VANISHERS’ PALACE is a fusion of Beauty and the Beast with Vietnamese folklore and a dash of speculative sci-fi for good measure. We meet Yên, daughter of a village healer with no particular aptitude for anything. She’s frequently ridiculed by the village elders and has no future. All of that changes when her mother summons a dragon to heal the daughter of the head of the village. Yên’s mother plans to offer herself in servitude to pay the dragon, but at the last moment, Yên takes her mother’s place. She is whisked away by the dragon, Lady Vu Côn, to a mysterious palace that defies the rules of reality.

The novella’s greatest strength is its evocative, considered use of words, particularly in the first half of the story. Every choice of phrase paints a picture, from the ever-shifting forms of the dragon to the equally shifting tensions between Vu Côn and Yên. I particularly loved the author’s attention to the details of linguistics, finding ways to convey a sense of the exact weight of words that exist outside the English language. It is an impressive feat that aids in the expression of how important certain ideals are to the characters and their culture, as well as highlighting the changing dynamics between characters.

As mentioned above, this is a fantasy tale with a dash of science-fiction. The particulars of the world are far less important than the characters who inhabited them, yet I still bumped slightly on a few of the futuristic elements. My interest was in Vu Côn and Yên, a testament to the arresting way these two leads are written. At the same time, I found myself less engaged when the narrative turned its focus to the dilemma facing the world they lived in. This dilemma is the MacGuffin that complicates the women’s relationship, but made the tale less dreamy and more concrete during the last third of the story. While this may have been the author’s intent, it nevertheless made this story fall just short of perfection for me.

IN THE VANISHERS’ PALACE is an excellent retelling of a classic fairytale, beautifully reimagined. It walks the line of creating a completely original narrative, while still hitting the familiar beats we know of love. If you are looking for an afternoon read set in a strange and unconventional world, I highly recommend this novella.

Parece que Aliette le va cogiendo el gusto a reescribir historias mundialmente conocidas pero añadiendo detalles de su propia cosecha. Después de cambiar la historia de Sherlock y Watson, ahora le toca el turno a un cuento infantil, La bella y la bestia.
Un autor que revisita un relato ya conocido forzosamente ha de sumar nuevos elementos a la ecuación para hacerla interesante y De Bodard lo consigue con dragones, razas invasoras y medicina, de una forma muy atractiva y que se lee en un suspiro.
Sus raíces vietnamitas vuelven a hacerse patentes en el uso de distintos pronombres para reflejar la escala de respeto debida a los superiores y vemos cómo evoluciona la narración a través del propio cambio de estos pronombres. Esto es solo un ejemplo de la estupenda prosa de Aliette, que para mí alcanza su punto álgido en la descripción de la biblioteca cuando la descubre Yen (que representa el papel de Bella). Admito que no soy imparcial ni con la obra de Aliette ni con el hecho de describir una biblioteca, pero esas frases son capaces de llevarme a otro mundo y hacerme desear poder visitar ese templo del saber.
También me encanta el tratamiento de la medicina, combinado acupuntura, saber tradicional y la más moderna tecnología de la que se puede disponer para combatir el desequilibrio de los humores que provoca enfermedades. Ser capaz de combinar la sabiduría antigua con los virus modificados genéticamente no debe haber sido fácil pero Aliette ha conseguido que esta mezcla aparentemente indisoluble fluya como un solo líquido perfectamente combinado.
In the Vanisher's Palace también refleja el poder corruptor del poder, sobre todo cuando se ejerce sin tener en cuenta el bien común, solo el propio. Es un estado que se retroalimenta, de forma que cada decisión egoísta da pie a una nueva elección que nos precipita por el mal camino. ¿Qué se puede hacer para evitar esta espiral descendente? La autora nos ofrece una solución aparentemente insensible, pero que acaba resultando acertada.
Leer In the Vanisher's Palace ha resultado un placer, que no por esperado deja de ser agradable. Necesitamos más Aliette de Bodard en nuestras vidas.

In The Vanishers' Palace is the first book by Aliette de Bodard that I've read, and boy is it a good one. It's an f/f, dark fantasy inspired by Beauty and the Beast and Vietnamese mythology, with dragons. If the whole premise doesn't get you, I don't know what will. (Perhaps an AO3 tags style description of the book by the author herself?)

The thing I most loved about this book was the relationship between Yên and Vu Côn. It starts off cold and unfriendly, given that Vu Côn effectively kidnaps Yên in "payment" for healing a member of the village. But there is still attraction there, and Aliette de Bodard develops it really well into something more romantic. And manages to have both Yên and Vu Côn develop as characters individually as well. (As do Liên and Thông, which was good to see, as they were more side characters.)

The writing and worldbuilding was also really good. The reader is somewhat thrown straight into the world with not that much explanation at times (especially with regard to the Vanishers), so I found that a bit difficult from time to time. Not so much that my enjoyment of the book was impacted at all, but still noticeably.

So, in summary, you should definitely mark this book to read. Because who doesn't love fairytale reimaginings, especially when they're sapphic. Aliette de Bodard is definitely an author I'll be coming back to.

3.5 stars

A f/f Vietnamese retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in a dystopian world recovering from colonizing assholes?

I wanted so, so much to love this. It has everything I love: f/f, Vietnamese setting written by a Vietnamese author, fairy tale retelling, a whole host of LGBT characters.

And yet while I loved the beautiful, lyrical prose, it fell short for me. Like Bodard's previous novella, The Tea Master and the Detective, I enjoyed the overall story but the nuance flew right over my head. And that's okay.

I know that this will resonate for many others, however: for an audience who has grown up under colonizers who came and and took everything and left—taking all of the resources, polluting the earth and the people and leaving nothing but devastation, ruin and their own destructive views of what constitutes worth in a person.

It's for people who have lost everything except for hope, and then realize that they can come together to dismantle the colonizing structures and heal at last.

It's for people who are rebuilding and becoming stronger than ever—even if they transform in the process—in the choices that they can now make for themselves.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

Thank you to SFWA for the arc of this book, this was a re telling of beauty and the beast, Vietnamese style.
I really enjoyed it, it was different and very hard to put down.

Aliette de Bodard writes distinct stories. ItVP retells Beauty and the Beast tale. In this case, both of them are women. The narration feels dark and creepy and it slowly builds the romance.

The author celebrates Vietnam's heritage and culture by introducing it into the story. The prose and descriptions are top-notch. No issues here.

On the downside, I struggled with the relationships couldn't relate in any way with the main character. While Yên has good moments I found her bland. The dragon, Vu Côn, is much more interesting, but her affection for Yên appears out of nowhere, and for little reason.

While I didn't really enjoy this story, I admire de Bodard's writing skills.

From the first word on, this novel grips and kept me involved. A retelling of a classic that fashions its own story on the bones of its forebears, yet works in its own creative and entertaining direction.

Another example of pristine science fiction from this publisher.

A beautiful fusion of a magical-cum-futuristic dystopia and Eastern and Vietnamese mythology, this short novel was awhirl with gorgeous imagery and descriptions and a very haunting sense of something gone very awry.
The protagy, a girl of no magical talent, ends up being sold as payment for a dragon summons. The dragon cures a sick villager and takes her as payment. She is both awestruck and angry and somewhat attracted to this dragon, and the dragon in turn feels similar. Its gorgeous, and filled with a lurid and evocative descriptions of the malleable appearance of the dragon and her children.
It's doubly wonderful to have a lgbt couple and love interest.
It was a little short, and I would have liked more information about what and how the world ended up the way it did, it felt like the second book of a series in that sense, and I also felt the relationship between the two was also a little fast.
All in all, an excellent book, and recommended.

In the Vanisher's Palace by Aliette de Bodard. A new and unique take on the old tale of Beauty and the Beast. Set in a fantasy world with dragons and sci-fi place of severe gene modding and broken rules of the universe, a dragon playing the part of the Beast who takes their due after healing the mother because nothing in this universe is free.