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adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-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
What a wonderfully complex story about family, history, place, and belonging; one of my favourite reads this year!
I don't think that I could write a summary that would do it justice without spoiling anything, so I won't. What really made this stand out for me is the narration and plotting. Jimenez builds a delightful frame story that twists in on and intersects with itself in unexpected ways. In addition, he uses first, second, and third-person points of view to create narrative layers that happen as simultaneously as one can in a written narrative, creating extraordinary depth. This is the kind of depth to characters and world-building for which many fantasy authors use multiple POVs (as in, multiple characters, not multiple types) and interludes and I had no idea how static that style of narration could feel until reading this.
It's definitely a more challenging read, between the narrative choices and the fact that while there are breaks, there aren't chapters. It is definitely violent at times, though I think the cruelest moments are ones that happen "off-screen" that we hear about later. None of it feels gratuitous and the world itself is one of extremes, so it is not misplaced.
I don't think that I could write a summary that would do it justice without spoiling anything, so I won't. What really made this stand out for me is the narration and plotting. Jimenez builds a delightful frame story that twists in on and intersects with itself in unexpected ways. In addition, he uses first, second, and third-person points of view to create narrative layers that happen as simultaneously as one can in a written narrative, creating extraordinary depth. This is the kind of depth to characters and world-building for which many fantasy authors use multiple POVs (as in, multiple characters, not multiple types) and interludes and I had no idea how static that style of narration could feel until reading this.
It's definitely a more challenging read, between the narrative choices and the fact that while there are breaks, there aren't chapters. It is definitely violent at times, though I think the cruelest moments are ones that happen "off-screen" that we hear about later. None of it feels gratuitous and the world itself is one of extremes, so it is not misplaced.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cannibalism
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Cannibalism
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Here’s the thing: I can tell this is a wonderful book, but I just couldn’t pay attention. The characters did not click for me, and the structure was difficult to understand via audiobook. I also think, half of the middle section could have been cut out.
The setting was vivid and complex, the characters, diverse, and the plot mysterious. But overall, not for me.
I wouldn’t say no to trying it again in print, we will see.
The setting was vivid and complex, the characters, diverse, and the plot mysterious. But overall, not for me.
I wouldn’t say no to trying it again in print, we will see.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Cannibalism
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Child abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Sexual assault, Suicide
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to like this. I had heard so much about it and in theory it has all of the elements of the kind of book that I usually adore, but no matter how much I tried, I simply couldn't connect with the story. The narrative layers were beautiful and I know what they intended to do with this being a multigenerational story, but I can't help but feel like they were part of the reason why most of the characters felt so distant to me.
There's also the fact that this seemed to be Jun's tale above all else. Keema was right there next to him, by to me he read more like a deuteragonist — while Jun's past, his experiences, his trauma, and his journey to come to terms with this and change are deeply explored, Keema's by contrast, just… are not.
Keema is described as missing an arm from the get-go but for over 70% of the book, the story almost completely refuses to tell us how Keema himself feels about his disability. We see how other people react to his missing arm; we see him be ostracised, be called slurs and a man of poor fortune, but not how Keema feels about any of this nor the other ways in which his disability affects his daily life. This was deeply frustrating to me, and my wanting to learn more about Keema became the main reason why I kept on reading, but when he finally tells his story, what do we get? We're told that this story was for Jun alone and that it shouldn't matter to the reader, because Keema only feels nostalgic about his loss and it doesn't really affect him at all, since it was so long ago.
This felt like a very shallow portrayal of disability to me. I understand and appreciate the author's intent to have Keema be a character beyond his disability and make it clear that it doesn't define him. Our disabilities are not our entire identities, but they are still part of who we are and I don't think that that should be ignored or denied. Furthermore, while I don't think that this was what the author meant at all, the implication that experiences with disability should not be spoken of (we're told that we shouldn't care how Keema lost his arm) left a bitter taste in my mouth.
This book has a disabled main character, but at the same time seems scared of actually describing disability, which makes me incredibly sad. There's so much that could have been explored with how Keema is a great warrior, and how he must have had to adapt his fighting style after the loss of his arm, the trauma of this loss and how he overcame it, and how he came to indeed feel whole once more and accept and love who he was (as we see him do by the end of the book). I see the potential and I'm so sad that those things weren't touched on, while we did explore Jun's trauma. I'm sad that Keema felt to me like such an afterthought.
That being said, I do wish that I had like this book. I think that it has a lot of important messages and I'm so glad to see that so many people love it and that it means so much to them. I don't think that it's a bad book, but it's simply not one that I personally enjoyed.
There's also the fact that this seemed to be Jun's tale above all else. Keema was right there next to him, by to me he read more like a deuteragonist — while Jun's past, his experiences, his trauma, and his journey to come to terms with this and change are deeply explored, Keema's by contrast, just… are not.
Keema is described as missing an arm from the get-go but for over 70% of the book, the story almost completely refuses to tell us how Keema himself feels about his disability. We see how other people react to his missing arm; we see him be ostracised, be called slurs and a man of poor fortune, but not how Keema feels about any of this nor the other ways in which his disability affects his daily life. This was deeply frustrating to me, and my wanting to learn more about Keema became the main reason why I kept on reading, but when he finally tells his story, what do we get? We're told that this story was for Jun alone and that it shouldn't matter to the reader, because Keema only feels nostalgic about his loss and it doesn't really affect him at all, since it was so long ago.
This felt like a very shallow portrayal of disability to me. I understand and appreciate the author's intent to have Keema be a character beyond his disability and make it clear that it doesn't define him. Our disabilities are not our entire identities, but they are still part of who we are and I don't think that that should be ignored or denied. Furthermore, while I don't think that this was what the author meant at all, the implication that experiences with disability should not be spoken of (we're told that we shouldn't care how Keema lost his arm) left a bitter taste in my mouth.
This book has a disabled main character, but at the same time seems scared of actually describing disability, which makes me incredibly sad. There's so much that could have been explored with how Keema is a great warrior, and how he must have had to adapt his fighting style after the loss of his arm, the trauma of this loss and how he overcame it, and how he came to indeed feel whole once more and accept and love who he was (as we see him do by the end of the book). I see the potential and I'm so sad that those things weren't touched on, while we did explore Jun's trauma. I'm sad that Keema felt to me like such an afterthought.
That being said, I do wish that I had like this book. I think that it has a lot of important messages and I'm so glad to see that so many people love it and that it means so much to them. I don't think that it's a bad book, but it's simply not one that I personally enjoyed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Violence, Cannibalism, Murder
Moderate: War
Minor: Death of parent
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
this book has me in tears i just finished it like i actually am cry.ing. because of it. this was written in such a unique way - the story structure took some serious time and close attention to really understand, which could be viewed as a demerit depending on how willing you are to commit to learning how to read the story. when i picked it up, though, i was turning page after page to hear more of this tale. i thought the inclusion of the second person perspective was interesting, since it's pretty rare to find, and i think it also helped the story become more personal to the reader. the language the author uses in conjunction with the story structure makes for something unlike anything i've ever read before; it was poetic, almost lyrical, truly a spectacle. the blossoming story of jun and keema's relationship was so perfect. the last 30 pages finishes the story perfectly. TALK ABOUT A SLOW BURN
i don't think everyone will enjoy this book, and i think y'all will agree too. depending on your favorite genres, this may brush just shy of what you would expect out of, say, an action-packed fantasy or a true romance novel.
me, however, i found this absolutely stunning. wonderful. unlike anything i have ever seen before. a breath-taking 5/5 stars for me
i don't think everyone will enjoy this book, and i think y'all will agree too. depending on your favorite genres, this may brush just shy of what you would expect out of, say, an action-packed fantasy or a true romance novel.
me, however, i found this absolutely stunning. wonderful. unlike anything i have ever seen before. a breath-taking 5/5 stars for me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Excrement
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Violence
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Vomit, War
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, War
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
This was the most beautiful and strange book I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. The prose was exquisite and the storyline was so unique and original. A fever dream of a book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War
Moderate: Ableism