Reviews

The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf

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joykku's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

starrysea98's review against another edition

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5.0

I. Am. Blown. Away.

Melati is a strong character and the way she struggles for control with the Djinn she believes lives in her is very interesting. Her determination to search for her mother and her compassion for those around her regardless of race is what makes her an engaging character. I have to say, Auntie Bee is also a great character and I can only hope to be as kind and selfless as her.

Growing up in Malaysia, 13 May 1969 has always carried a morbid fascination for me. No one seems to want to talk about it and politicians only bring it up to inflame the simmering racism between these two races; Malay and Chinese. However, The Weight of Our Sky really highlights the horror of the incident and how our prejudices, whether conscious or subconscious can blind us even in the most desperate of times.

bookzgirl's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

4.75

syafa's review

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adventurous hopeful reflective 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

3.25

I'll start with what frustrated me. One is that I think the action escalated too fast? I kinda wish we saw her go through a normal school day/week/month/whatever before all the shit goes down, and get exposure and context to the unrest slowly vs right in the thick of it. The second thing that's kinda related to the lack of exposition before all the action is that I'm not convinced of the depth of her relationships. Like I feel like her closeness to the people supposedly important in her life is more "tell" (and all from her internal monologue) vs "show" and given that that's her main driver throughout the story...idk I just didn't feel convinced of her motivation and anxiety. I do really appreciate the historical context that was chosen though. Like I appreciate that a story like this exists to capture the "emotional truth" of that moment in history. And I did also appreciate the honest way that it talks about her views on religion - like it's human for faith to waver but it feels like such a taboo topic to bring up or admit to in reality.

herbookishrealm's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad tense 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

5.0

biw's review against another edition

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even thou I finished this book I'm gonna put it in my 'dnf' shelf cause honestly it won't matter if you read the whole 100 pages middle section it's literally repeats itself so many times that you can understand the plot (or lack-there-of) by just reading the first and last chapter
very one dimensional characters, too much details and discrotpion to the point where it hinders the story more than develops it
and honestly not enough research about OCD has been done, OCD is much more than just counting it might be a huge part Of it I'm not denying that but the reactions an OCD person would have toward murder or a riot won't as simple as the author portraited, so yeah great potential for a story but unfortunately it landed quite flat and wasn't that immersive or enjoyable at all.