Fantasy Hardships

As the winner of a lot of awards this year, I had to give this book a try at least and wasn't disappointed.

Things I liked were the different take on a protagonist, the way AIs are incorporated in the story and that the galaxy spanning empire has a theological basis that isn't zealous. Descriptions are kept minimal, which is a good thing in my book.

Another funny thing is the use of referring to everyone as 'she' to show the lack of gender importance in Radch. This often confuses the protagonist when she comes into contact with people who do not share this trait.
Even funnier are the reviews from some people who complain that this makes things confusing and downrate the book for it. Do I hear a 'WHOOSH' as the point sails over their heads?

Still, it's not all good. The plot is simple and straightforward, which isn't my personal preference. There are also a lot of coincidences that push the plot forward. Now these are also noted in the story itself (as divine direction), but that doesn't make them any less annoying.

Final verdict:

I can see why this book won the awards as it has a certain shape that allows for mass appeal, but, fortunately, not in a way that turns into high quality pulp.