Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa

9 reviews

bookishkellyn's review against another edition

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adventurous tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

In Bassa, a reverse caste system–where lighter skin is looked down upon to the point of segregation–is upheld. Dansko is ‘mixed’ and therefore basically shunned, despite his academic excellence as a university scholar. After the appearance of a fabled “Yellowskin” (Lilong), his curiosity sets him and his betrothed (Esheme) on different life-changing paths, and Dansko discovers that his otherness may be a gift. The story sucked me in immediately, lulled in the middle, and then somewhat dragged at the end due to Esheme’s role as a one-dimensional villain.
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lcgordon's review

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adventurous challenging dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The worldbuilding is incredible....which means the first third of the book is an absolute slog. It really picks up in interesting ways if you can make it through that. 
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seanml's review

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious slow-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

3.5

Son of the Storm is a good start to a fantasy series, with tons of potential. The pace of the book I found to be somewhat slow for a while, and a lack of drive in the voice made it so that I had a hard time getting through initially. There is also a large roster of characters to keep track of and racial castes, which were probably the hardest to remember. Despite that, Son of the Storm has a great deal of worldbuilding put into it. It also has a fun magic system that can allow for deus ex machina moments without feeling that they come out of nowhere. The last 100 pages pick up in speed, and that’s mostly thanks to Esheme, who is a wonderfully entertaining antagonist to follow. Looking forward to the second installment! 7/10.
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daniellestarredpages's review

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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mandkips's review

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challenging reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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laurareads87's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I have had Son of the Storm on my TBR for quite some time; having recently read Okungbowa's short story in The Year's Best African Speculative Fiction (2021) [sidenote: pick up this anthology - it's fantastic] I was very much looking forward to it.
There is so much that I appreciated about this book, and I'm glad that it is going to be a series because I look forward to reading more set in this universe.  The world-building is incredible -- complex histories, social and political dynamics, and spiritual and cultural worldviews are really well developed.  I found Okungbowa's use of multiple POVs effective -- each one added to the overall story, and this structure allowed for rich character development as the reader learns more about each character in part based on how they view others.  If I had a complaint, I would say that the first 15-20% or so felt a little bit slow in terms of plot -- it picked up from there, though, and held my interest throughout.  I look forward to picking up the next book in the series.
<i>Content warnings:</i> violence, gore, xenophobia, blood, torture, death, murder, animal cruelty, animal death, fire injury/death
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kikireads's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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hannia222's review

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adventurous challenging 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
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sageleafpark's review

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adventurous emotional 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

4.5

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