Amy C read and liked Eric's review of Palimpsest:

"This book is almost a prose poem, which I am sure is the author's intent.

The titular city, Palimpsest, is an alternate world of alchemy and beauty that people from our world can enter only by sex with another person that has been there. ...more This book is almost a prose poem, which I am sure is the author's intent.

The titular city, Palimpsest, is an alternate world of alchemy and beauty that people from our world can enter only by sex with another person that has been there. Visitors to Palimpsest always come in fours, called a Quarto. The story follows the adventures (in Palimpsest and the real world) of a Quarto of immigrants as they learn their way around the city and the new world into which they have been thrust.

In addition to the beautiful language, the story follows many themes. Madness, death, loneliness, faith and war are all touched upon in the course of the story.

The only complaint I have is that the decorous language of the first handful of chapters is so intricate that it seems overdone. In addition, once more standard storytelling and dialogue become important, it can't really continue, so it feels as though the book has shifted a bit in viewpoint.(less) "

Amy C read and liked Jen's review of Palimpsest:

"This is urban fantasy where the main character is a "fantasy" city. You can't get to Palimpsest unless you've slept with someone who's been there. You can't get to any other parts of the city unless you sleep with someone else.

I...more This is urban fantasy where the main character is a "fantasy" city. You can't get to Palimpsest unless you've slept with someone who's been there. You can't get to any other parts of the city unless you sleep with someone else.

It's an intoxicating read. For the continuing presence of sex in the narrative, this is not a romance. It's mentioned, even described, but it's a vehicle by which the human characters are able to find their way around a city where they seem to be meant to be.

Like The Orphan's Tales duology, this book is lush with words. Valente paints pictures with her prose - prose that's almost poetry, but not quite. The sights, sounds, and tastes are vivid and linger after I've shut the book. It's a seductive world where dreams end up being more real than waking.(less) "