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the_magpie_reader's review against another edition
3.0
Awesome cover art and an intriguing premise, but the pacing was too slow for my taste.
I was also pretty disappointed that a novel about hyena shapeshifters, with a major subplot about a risky pregnancy, would completely overlook important aspects of hyena ethology and biology. Specifically, how hyenas live in matrilineal clans, how hyena societies are matriarchal, and how their unique reproductive anatomy leads to a higher-than-average rate of childbirth complications compared to most mammals. This was a huge missed opportunity to write a truly original story!
I find it particularly frustrating to open a book about *badass hyena shapeshifters* and be confronted with yet another tale of patriarchal males oppressing defenseless women. Let's be honest: the novel wasn’t really about hyenas at all. You could have swapped out the hyena-demons for lion-demons, crocodile-demons, or hippopotamus-demons, and the story wouldn’t have changed much. What I would have loved to see instead is a thoroughly researched novel where the biology and ethology of the animal are integrated into the worldbuilding, adding an extra layer to the shapeshifter and/or demon aspects.
I was also pretty disappointed that a novel about hyena shapeshifters, with a major subplot about a risky pregnancy, would completely overlook important aspects of hyena ethology and biology. Specifically, how hyenas live in matrilineal clans, how hyena societies are matriarchal, and how their unique reproductive anatomy leads to a higher-than-average rate of childbirth complications compared to most mammals. This was a huge missed opportunity to write a truly original story!
I find it particularly frustrating to open a book about *badass hyena shapeshifters* and be confronted with yet another tale of patriarchal males oppressing defenseless women. Let's be honest: the novel wasn’t really about hyenas at all. You could have swapped out the hyena-demons for lion-demons, crocodile-demons, or hippopotamus-demons, and the story wouldn’t have changed much. What I would have loved to see instead is a thoroughly researched novel where the biology and ethology of the animal are integrated into the worldbuilding, adding an extra layer to the shapeshifter and/or demon aspects.
kimbapawpad's review against another edition
4.0
An original idea which is hard to find these days! I love the African mythology, I loved the setting that was very different than most fantasy. And I can really see the potential. However, the building up of the characters I think needs to be a little more consistent and at times the writing seemed really blunt. And that confused me. I am not so worried about the occasional typos I write as well and typos creep in no matter how often something is proofread.
I was initially going to rate this as three stars but I realize that I keep thinking about it. And to me that is a sign of a good book if I keep going over it in my mind to try and understand things better. There was also bits of profundity in it, the emphasis on balance and the need for both good and bad. I really enjoyed that. I think I will get the sequel as well, I am just curious to see what happens the way I think I will read another book in between just to give it a little bit of a break. It was actually quite intense.
I was initially going to rate this as three stars but I realize that I keep thinking about it. And to me that is a sign of a good book if I keep going over it in my mind to try and understand things better. There was also bits of profundity in it, the emphasis on balance and the need for both good and bad. I really enjoyed that. I think I will get the sequel as well, I am just curious to see what happens the way I think I will read another book in between just to give it a little bit of a break. It was actually quite intense.
cdmtlv's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
msmeisee's review
4.0
Not my usual cup of tea that I read normally. But, I met this author at WonderCon and between the artwork on the book itself and the authors description of the story, I was immediately intrigued. Overall good read. I wish the ending had been different for Amana and Nya......and Kojo
margaretadelle's review
5.0
I read this as part of my Indiecember challenge for the "non-western inspired" prompt and I loved it. There's so much love given to African culture and spirituality. Our protagonist Amana is likeable, even if he isn't 100% pure. There were multiple plot twists that I genuinely did not see coming. And while the ending wasn't exactly as sweet and concrete as some might have liked, it fit well with the themes and the character traits set up before. I would definitely recommend it.
wisecraic's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
archergal's review against another edition
3.0
I quite liked the interesting world set up, and I liked a number of the characters. The "Kishi" of the title (a demon that looks superficially like a man, but which can transform into a sort of man/hyena hybrid) was interesting. There's some magic, not too much, but often used for fast healing or something similar.
I wish the writing had been up to the world-building, though. I got a little bored about half-way through. I finished it, but I mostly skimmed through the last half.
A solid 2.5 stars, rounded to 3 for an interesting world.
I wish the writing had been up to the world-building, though. I got a little bored about half-way through. I finished it, but I mostly skimmed through the last half.
A solid 2.5 stars, rounded to 3 for an interesting world.
itadakinasu's review against another edition
4.0
Although the fantasy genre has many beloved titles like The Wheel of Time, The Dragonlance Chronicles, Lord of the Rings, and A Game of Thrones, these fantasy worlds often share very similar influences, world-building, and mythologies. In recent years, fantasy is becoming more diverse as emerging authors breathe new life into the genre. One such contribution is Bandele's book, The Kishi.
Undoubtedly, the world-building of The Kishi is unique. Drawn from African culture and mythology, it's a fresh take on shape-shifting, although the core elements follow familiar, already-established themes. World building is littered throughout the book, not all at once, making it easy for readers to absorb.
The characters were likable but not without their weaknesses, especially Nya, although at some points her hotheadedness got to be borderline ridiculous. Amana isn't without his weaknesses, either: always doubting himself and his abilities, and generally putting himself down. This wasn't consistent enough to bother me, but it sometimes toed the line. Minor characters like Kojo, Ikenna, Baako, and Shanaki weren't introduced deeply enough to make me connect with them, but they seemed believable enough and added some depth to the story.
All in all, I found The Kishi to be a fun ride in a new world. It needs more editing to filter out some typos and awkward phrasing, especially the use of idioms and slang that aren't consistent enough to be realistically part of the established world and are modern enough to be distracting. However, the plot was entertaining and fast-paced and characters likable but fallible. I'll most likely be reading future installments in the series.
Undoubtedly, the world-building of The Kishi is unique. Drawn from African culture and mythology, it's a fresh take on shape-shifting, although the core elements follow familiar, already-established themes.
Spoiler
(For instance: the emphasis on balance reads a lot like a Chinese martial arts movie, while the "power of community" part reads like a Japanese RPG's final boss fight.)The characters were likable but not without their weaknesses, especially Nya, although at some points her hotheadedness got to be borderline ridiculous
Spoiler
such as almost getting herself and Amana killed while hiding by trying to be snarky and slapping his hand away when he shushed herAll in all, I found The Kishi to be a fun ride in a new world. It needs more editing to filter out some typos and awkward phrasing, especially the use of idioms and slang that aren't consistent enough to be realistically part of the established world and are modern enough to be distracting. However, the plot was entertaining and fast-paced and characters likable but fallible. I'll most likely be reading future installments in the series.
kitvaria_sarene's review against another edition
4.0
The opening scene almost had me give up on the book, as there was a creepy – romance? If one can call it that… – scene with “throbbing breast” and all. Luckily this is not at all the direction the rest of the book was going, and I was hooked at the end of chapter two.
I enjoyed the characters, and especially the different POV to all the usual medieval Europe type of fantasy books. The dialogue was mostly well done, and only rarely sounded a bit stilted to me. I enjoyed spending time with them, and most of the time I understood their motivations and they felt quite real to me.
The different setting and background made for a fresh read. I also really liked following the tribes and their traditions. A few times things seemed to happen the way they did just for the plot, or felt a bit unrealistic even for fantasy, but all in all I was happy to suspend my disbelief for the time it took me to read the whole story.
All in all a quick and entertaining and intriguing read!
I enjoyed the characters, and especially the different POV to all the usual medieval Europe type of fantasy books. The dialogue was mostly well done, and only rarely sounded a bit stilted to me. I enjoyed spending time with them, and most of the time I understood their motivations and they felt quite real to me.
The different setting and background made for a fresh read. I also really liked following the tribes and their traditions. A few times things seemed to happen the way they did just for the plot, or felt a bit unrealistic even for fantasy, but all in all I was happy to suspend my disbelief for the time it took me to read the whole story.
All in all a quick and entertaining and intriguing read!