Reviews

When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo

jajabla's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I didn't know what to expect and it surprised me. I loved it.

annaem's review against another edition

Go to review page

Not feeling it right now. Then the MMD SRG came out. Try again another time. 

sargeantwoof's review against another edition

Go to review page

reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

miriamschlundt's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

beereader12's review against another edition

Go to review page

hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

ursa_arlo's review against another edition

Go to review page

hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

suzea's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

arafron's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

_aprillllllllll's review against another edition

Go to review page

slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No

2.0

I had a hard time getting into this book. I almost put it down but decided to push through. It wasn’t really worth it for me personally. I found it quite slow and when it finally picked up speed, I just was not left very satisfied. I enjoyed the setting and the backgrounds of the characters but their stories were not terribly interesting somehow? 

cgreenstein's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I loved this! It's heartwarming and life-affirming despite being a book about death, loss, and the crushing pressure of duty. One aspect that I really liked was how both characters wrestle with the weight of familial expectations, but they don't solve their problems in the same way, as this stays true to the reality that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to life. I also got to learn a little about Trinidad from this book, which was great, because before this I knew essentially nothing about it. The main characters were easy to root for, and I was thoroughly satisfied with the ending.