In the Cities of Coin and Spice by Catherynne M. Valente
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It always takes me forever to read through Cat Valente’s books. Maybe because I don’t really ever want them to end.
The second and last volume of the Orphan’s tales is identical in structure to its predecessor but different in its tales: the stories seem to lose their ‘high adventure’ quality to become more personal, intimate, dirtier, and the sense of loss permeates the very cities whose intertwined stories we are told.
At the same time, the story in the garden is itself rushing towards its end, with Dinazard close to her wedding and the words on the orphan’s eyes reaching their end…