Reviews

Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn

andalucia's review against another edition

emotional 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation, Racism, Classism, and Grief

Minor: Death

sushibear2002's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

5.0

aroma_of_books's review against another edition

challenging mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

jesstafson's review against another edition

5.0

this is so emotionally difficult to read

rose_bookblood's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

4.25

line's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

entommoore's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

pm_me_book_recs's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Good lord, I know I'm a crier, but ffs the end had me in hard sobs. 

Barely able to speak kind of crying.

Squeezing shaky reassuring words to my worried partner that "the ending was so happy" kind of crying. 

I chose to lead this for book club pre-spring break, and WOW it enlightened every single attendee. I asked if this shifted their perspectives and understanding on the "Island life" tropes and assumptions, there were resounding yeses. We live in a tourist town on Lake Superior, with many parallel issues with tourism, poverty, and "brain drain". Thankfully people in our book club were able to see the similarities and understand how devastating tourism is on Kanaka Maoli.

The story is a complex dive into family trauma, the deep and dynamic effects traumatic events can have on different members. We experience the story from all perspectives, each with their own recognizable tone and attitude. This is a time where "men writing women" is done so well, I swear, Kawai Strong Washburn embodies the mom's worries and Kaui's attitude so well. I can envision each character, between my partner's stories of his Kanaka family and my own experiences with sibling rivalries, everyone feels so tangible and recognizable. This is a story of struggle and survival, all culminating into a deep pool of hope. 

The narrators added so much to the story, I fully appreciate the local dialect. Be sure to listen with Libro.fm and support your bookstore of choice!

freyaf97's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

lapoo99's review against another edition

4.0

I liked it. But it depressed me. A lot.