Review – In the Cities of Coin and Spice (The Orphan’s Tales, Book 2) by Catherynne M. Valente (4.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 530 pages
Publisher: Bantam
Release Date: October 30, 2007
ASIN: B000W917EM
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in The Orphan’s Tales series
Source: Bought for Kindle
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

“Her name and origins are unknown, but the endless tales inked upon this orphan’s eyelids weave a spell over all who listen to her read her secret history. And who can resist the stories she tells? From the Lake of the Dead and the City of Marrow to the artists who remain behind in a ghost city of spice, here are stories of hedgehog warriors and winged skeletons, loyal leopards and sparrow calligraphers. Nothing is too fantastic, anything can happen, but you’ll never guess what comes next in these intimately linked adventures of firebirds and djinn, singing manticores, mutilated unicorns, and women made entirely of glass and gears. Graced with the magical illustrations of Michael Kaluta, In the Cities of Coins and Spice is a book of dreams and wonders unlike any you’ve ever encountered. Open it anywhere and you will fall under its spell. For here the story never ends and the magic is only beginning. . . .”

This is the second book in The Orphan’s Tales duology. We hear more stories from the mysterious girl’s face but as she struggles to read the stories she can’t see, the young prince takes over in the telling of these stories.

This book is just as lush and amazing as the first book. The story does come together in a fairly cohesive way in the end. The writing here is just spectacular and so creative. Valente paints amazing pictures with her words and I loved reading it.

I struggled a bit with frustration as we were led into stories within a story within a story; sometimes I would forget where we started or just wanted to get to back to reading the story we left quicker. I was also a bit disappointed when I figured out about 25% thought the book how everything tied together. I was kind of hoping I was wrong but I wasn’t. This took a bit of the wonder of the last half of this book away for me.

Overall this is a phenomenal book, way above quality of most fantasy books out there. It takes time to savor and isn’t the easiest read, but the storytelling in here is absolutely excellent. If you don’t mind some ambiguity and love storytelling and folklore I would highly recommend this series to you.