In the Cities of Coin and Spice (The Orphan's Tales, #2) in Building a SciFi/Fantasy Library

Apr 19, 2008 Izlinda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy-fairy-tales-mythology

I can't believe I didn't write a review for this book! I absolutely loved it. I found the first book wandering in a bookstore, and it so captivated me, I bought this off Amazon soon after. I finished it earlier this year (I am writing this September 15th) and quite loved it, I recommended it to several people.

Valente's imagery doesn't stop in this book, and since I got used to her flowery, lyrical language in the preceding book, it wasn't as awkward or uncomfortable this time. I think it's best ...more

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Jul 17, 2013 Liz rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, 21st-century, fairy-tale

I want to say something more intelligent about this book then "Well, that happened, "though I'm not sure if I can manage it at this moment. There's this sense that comes from finishing a story, especially if it spanned more than one book, of satiation. The feeling that you can finally let go of a story and it can return home.
This was one of those books that refused to leave you alone even when you weren't reading it. It distracted you. It was, in its own way, difficult to read and to put down. ...more

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Sep 13, 2009 TRXTRMXTR rated it really liked it

This is book two, but I didn't read book one and didn't have to in order to enjoy this. I have long been a connoisseur of traditional fairy tales and modern takes on them, but this is probably one of the more creative reinventions of the genre.

Valente obviously spent a lot of time thinking how to weave theses stories together. I explained to my friend how it works and she said, "like an onion where you peel the layers." It is similar to that, but still more complicated since underneath the main This is book two, but I didn't read book one and didn't have to in order to enjoy this. I have long been a connoisseur of traditional fairy tales and modern takes on them, but this is probably one of the more creative reinventions of the genre.

Valente obviously spent a lot of time thinking how to weave theses stories together. I explained to my friend how it works and she said, "like an onion where you peel the layers." It is similar to that, but still more complicated since underneath the main story are multiple side stories that include other stories within them like nesting dolls. These smaller stories are only a few pages each in length and are complete in themselves, so this is an easy book to read sparingly if you have only small amounts of time. And while the conventions of traditional storytelling are adhered to, their reinvention is well done, with more detail and more creative choices than usually seen in this sort of work.

The characters here have more dimension than usually seen in traditional stories and no archetype is taken for granted which I appreciate. Just describing someone as a princess, or even an evil or good princess is not enough. Valente knows this well and goes into the history and circumstances that make each character who they are, also giving her more chances to weave story together. I also really enjoy her monsters. Not only are they more than traditional representations of the opposition to the "good" characters, they also star in their own stories and have as much crafted reason behind their actions as the other characters. This makes them more than just a challenge, or snag in the pather, but a new loop in the story.

Valente also takes time to really color and texture all the scenes and locations, again in new ways that let the reader really savor her craft and not pass over into understood metaphor where you don't have to pay attention. You really have to pay attention, and it is worth it.

There are somethings that certain readers might not like, but I think those you can relate to Valente's choice in the way she created the story for example interrupted narratives, and more action and less reason, but this really didn't detract for me. ...more

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May 18, 2008 Kimberly rated it it was amazing

Another beautifully written and intricately woven tapestry of stories, this second and final volume of The Orphan's Tales features basilisks and sirens, a creature made of teeth and a woman made of glass, djinni and duchesses, and some answers about the origins of the story-teller herself. Some of the tales are harrowing (particularly in the first half of the book), some are humorous, and all are remarkably lovely and clever. Again, there are sly references to familiar fairy tales (like "Beauty ...more

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Jul 01, 2008 Amy rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, 2008

This is a very complex and fascinating book. Cities of Coin and Spice is the continuing story of a young orphan girl with stories inscripted on her eyelids. She's befriended a boy inside a palace, and she tells him her stories. Sounds simple - but the person who begins the journey in the story of course encounters someone, and then that person has their story, which they pause to tell, and then perhaps a person inside that story may have their own story to tell, and on it goes. It's like many en ...more

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Jan 06, 2010 Andrea rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, fairy-tales

Having read In the Night Garden and Palimpsest, I was prepared for Valente's style and rich detail this time. I loved the creatures in the first book more than the ones in this book, but this one was no less astonishing. I'm glad to know what becomes of the young girl in the garden and how she came to be there, although I haven't worked out my feelings about the end quite yet. Also, it had been so long since I read the first book, it was hard to remember the details of the earlier stories that w ...more

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Jul 09, 2015 Velvetink marked it as to-read

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Apr 02, 2008 Cindywho rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy-sf

The second part of the Orphan's Tales did put me off a little by going into some pretty gruesome fairy tale territory, but the ending swirled down in a lovely way with the layers of stories shifting through each other. If you like old fairy tales, this is worth the effort. ...more

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Feb 11, 2008 Wendy rated it really liked it

Shelves: sf-fantasy

Not quite as amazing as the first book. Also with a somewhat darker tone, though it does manage to bring everything together into a satisfying and uplifting resolution, which is no small feat! I will certainly be looking forward to Valente's next novel. ...more

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