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hbee112's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
districtreads's review against another edition
4.0
Agnes Gomillion’s THE RECORD KEEPER was one of my early #Fantasyathon reads, and it didn’t disappoint.
Set in a near-future dystopian world where World War III has changed the face of the Earth, three groups of humans have reached a hard-won truce.
A future member of the Kongo elite, Arika Cobane is an unlikeable heroine, a survivor who does what she needs to - study hard, be quiet, and engage with her classmates as little as possible. Those who aren’t among the elite are forced to do backbreaking labor and to forget themselves over time.
As Arika learns how deep the injustice against her people goes - and about the surprising betrayal of a long-honored hero - so does the reader. The themes of freedom, justice and retribution are threaded throughout this fantastic dystopian.
Gomillion’s world-building is truly excellent. She doesn’t shy away from the darkness implicit in definitions of race and class, deftly drawing parallels between this world and ours - where the marginalization and exploitation of Black Americans, people of color and the poor continues to drive much of our economy. I also loved that whiteness wasn’t the default in this book - which is unfortunately a rarity in the fantasy genre.
Arika, as I mentioned, begins as an unlikeable heroine - but she’s never unsympathetic. Her righteous beliefs slowly shift over the course of the novel as she realizes the world she lives in isn’t quite as fair as it was instilled in her. Her friendships - and a burgeoning romance - drive much of her growth.
There were some elements I found a little jarring, like the strange comic-book like technology introduced and references to various martial arts, but those are minor quibbles compared to the overall storyline and character development which kept me turning the page.
And the ending? Ooh boy. I cannot wait for the sequel, which Goodreads tells me is called The Seed of Cain (!!!) and will come out on June 15th of next year.
I’d recommend for fans of N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth series, Octavia Butler, Mulan (you’ll understand why if you read), and anyone who loves dystopia.
Set in a near-future dystopian world where World War III has changed the face of the Earth, three groups of humans have reached a hard-won truce.
A future member of the Kongo elite, Arika Cobane is an unlikeable heroine, a survivor who does what she needs to - study hard, be quiet, and engage with her classmates as little as possible. Those who aren’t among the elite are forced to do backbreaking labor and to forget themselves over time.
As Arika learns how deep the injustice against her people goes - and about the surprising betrayal of a long-honored hero - so does the reader. The themes of freedom, justice and retribution are threaded throughout this fantastic dystopian.
Gomillion’s world-building is truly excellent. She doesn’t shy away from the darkness implicit in definitions of race and class, deftly drawing parallels between this world and ours - where the marginalization and exploitation of Black Americans, people of color and the poor continues to drive much of our economy. I also loved that whiteness wasn’t the default in this book - which is unfortunately a rarity in the fantasy genre.
Arika, as I mentioned, begins as an unlikeable heroine - but she’s never unsympathetic. Her righteous beliefs slowly shift over the course of the novel as she realizes the world she lives in isn’t quite as fair as it was instilled in her. Her friendships - and a burgeoning romance - drive much of her growth.
There were some elements I found a little jarring, like the strange comic-book like technology introduced and references to various martial arts, but those are minor quibbles compared to the overall storyline and character development which kept me turning the page.
And the ending? Ooh boy. I cannot wait for the sequel, which Goodreads tells me is called The Seed of Cain (!!!) and will come out on June 15th of next year.
I’d recommend for fans of N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth series, Octavia Butler, Mulan (you’ll understand why if you read), and anyone who loves dystopia.
booksthatburn's review against another edition
Opens with a visceral description of birth.
Content Warnings
Minor: Pregnancy and Slavery
cynthiaswanson's review against another edition
5.0
I don't read much fantasy, but I enjoyed this one. Loved the world that Gomillion built, and the social issues were well highlighted within the story.
elsa_k's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Slow paced, and the prose made the characters feel older than they were. The world building was hard to understand at first, just in the way it was presented. Otherwise I liked it, it just wasn’t for me necessarily.
Slow paced, and the prose made the characters feel older than they were. The world building was hard to understand at first, just in the way it was presented. Otherwise I liked it, it just wasn’t for me necessarily.
timbooksin's review against another edition
3.0
Quite the adventure! This book has a lot going for it but falls into the trap of having so much packed into one book, it's hard to fully enjoy any one element. I will definitely keep my eye on the sequel as the intrigue is certainly there.
davidcuen's review against another edition
4.0
I got this book as part of a book club subscription and did not know what to expect. The summary didn't captivated me but I gave it a chance and now I must confess I really enjoyed reading this dystopian pages. Prose is great, characters have depth and conflict lives throughout its pages. Great read.
mswocreader's review against another edition
4.0
The Record Keeper follows Arika Cobane who lives in an area in the post World War III Earth called Kongo. She's been training for 10 years to become a record keeper and keep the history records of her people. She's nearing the end of her schooling and hoping to become a Senator of the Assembly. This post-apocalyptic world consists of the remains of what is formerly America split into three distinct territories with The English in the north; The Clayskin in the central area; and The Kongo in the south. Each faction has an Assembly of elected Senators to guide them following the rules laid out in an agreement called the Niagara Compromise.
Arika experiences heavy trauma as a child upon entering the school that breaks her rebellious spirit. To counteract said trauma she becomes the model student inciting the doctrines to the point where she actually starts convincing herself that the doctrines are valid. Through this story we see her awakening as she finally looks beyond her privilege and realizes the suffering her people are facing. She gains an understanding of how the Niagara Compromise freely lists all of the darker skinned Kongo's supposed weaknesses but lists very few for the white skinned English. She also knew the school textbooks censored history but she did not truly understand to the extent.
The Record Keeper is a solid dystopian tale full of twists and strong but not overly complex world building that will have you craving for more. And since a second book is releasing next year I'm curious to see how things continue.
View full review on my blog
https://womenofcolorreadtoo.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-record-keeper-by-agnes-gomillion.html
Arika experiences heavy trauma as a child upon entering the school that breaks her rebellious spirit. To counteract said trauma she becomes the model student inciting the doctrines to the point where she actually starts convincing herself that the doctrines are valid. Through this story we see her awakening as she finally looks beyond her privilege and realizes the suffering her people are facing. She gains an understanding of how the Niagara Compromise freely lists all of the darker skinned Kongo's supposed weaknesses but lists very few for the white skinned English. She also knew the school textbooks censored history but she did not truly understand to the extent.
The Record Keeper is a solid dystopian tale full of twists and strong but not overly complex world building that will have you craving for more. And since a second book is releasing next year I'm curious to see how things continue.
View full review on my blog
https://womenofcolorreadtoo.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-record-keeper-by-agnes-gomillion.html
readbyray's review against another edition
3.0
If you would like to hear my non-spoilery thoughts on Record the Keeper, read on;
First Thoughts ✨
————————
I found the first chapter very confusing, as I do with must dystopian books. It showed our main character Arika as a child, and how brave and strong she was. She was ready to fight for what she believed in. Then, we jump to her being ‘thought a lesson’ - this is where my mind was like ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ this book was closely to linked to it where it was a horrible world they lived in, but it focused on a completely different aspect of life. Here the workers are repressed and the people in the book are trying to stop that.
Writing ✍🏻
———————
Agnes’ writing is so beautiful. I haven’t read such wonderful, well thought out writing in a while. It was way different than the easy to read, breezy YA Fantasy writing. This was beautifully dense and unforgettable!
Characters 👧
———————
The characters for me weren’t the best. I’m a very character driven person and I felt like this book, though it put emphasis on the struggles of the characters, they felt very similar to me. I think, the characters weren’t at all the focus of the novel (except Arika) they felt very the same to me. I loved Arika and how strong she became. Her character ARC was done very well.
Final Thoughts 💭
————————
I gave this book 3.5 stars after all as this has been my favorite Sci-Fi esc novel I’ve ever read. This genre of dystopia really just isn’t for me. If you love dystopians and you’re looking for a brutal and dark read, this one is for you!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
First Thoughts ✨
————————
I found the first chapter very confusing, as I do with must dystopian books. It showed our main character Arika as a child, and how brave and strong she was. She was ready to fight for what she believed in. Then, we jump to her being ‘thought a lesson’ - this is where my mind was like ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ this book was closely to linked to it where it was a horrible world they lived in, but it focused on a completely different aspect of life. Here the workers are repressed and the people in the book are trying to stop that.
Writing ✍🏻
———————
Agnes’ writing is so beautiful. I haven’t read such wonderful, well thought out writing in a while. It was way different than the easy to read, breezy YA Fantasy writing. This was beautifully dense and unforgettable!
Characters 👧
———————
The characters for me weren’t the best. I’m a very character driven person and I felt like this book, though it put emphasis on the struggles of the characters, they felt very similar to me. I think, the characters weren’t at all the focus of the novel (except Arika) they felt very the same to me. I loved Arika and how strong she became. Her character ARC was done very well.
Final Thoughts 💭
————————
I gave this book 3.5 stars after all as this has been my favorite Sci-Fi esc novel I’ve ever read. This genre of dystopia really just isn’t for me. If you love dystopians and you’re looking for a brutal and dark read, this one is for you!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨