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chchchazley's review against another edition
5.0
This is an epic story of loss and sacrifice and family. It's bigger in scope than what I usually find in YA, and the title seems almost trivializing - these are child soldiers, and the deaths in story are almost entirely the deaths of children and young adults. There are twists, but they're not twists for twists' sake. They're what happens when you have people thinking deeply about themselves and their world.
I wouldn't say I enjoyed this book, exactly, but I'm extremely glad I read it. It broadened my worldview in the way the best literature always does.
I wouldn't say I enjoyed this book, exactly, but I'm extremely glad I read it. It broadened my worldview in the way the best literature always does.
megatsunami's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars for writing quality, but (spoiler alert) (but not really) (did I read the title before checking it out?) this is a book about war. I would say about 60-70% of the book is descriptions of fights and battles. I didn't really enjoy that. I did really appreciate the author's futuristic/ post-apocalyptic take; I loved how this was an Afrocentric book that really didn't concern itself with non-Africans too much; I thought the author explored cyborg/ augmented human issues/ what actually is human nature in an original way; and I loved how even though this book is set in the future, it's really about the Nigerian civil war of the 1960's. The writing is crisp and the characters have enough complexity to make their choices unpredictable. So: definitely read this if you're cool with lots of battling.
creolelitbelle's review against another edition
72% of the audiobook I listened to, and unfortunately this own voices novel is not working for me. I had great hopes for this book, but the further I got into it, the more I simply feel I am not the right audience for it. Granted, I know little to nothing of the Nigerian Civil War that happened in the 1960s, but that didn't stop me from being intrigued. Part felt exciting and new and fast-paced. Part II worked for a while... Then, the story seemed to drag on. The characters are solid, but I feel a disconnect with even Iify and Onyi, the two protagonists. Their motivations are not clearly laid out (in my opinion) until the beginning of part III. The premise being rooted in such an important historical event of West African history yet using a post-nuclear disaster dystoipian is a fantastic idea, yet I grew lost. Pieces of the story felt told backwards, and the time jumps did not feel fluid. Anyone who knows a bit about the related history may feel more riveted to the story and its characters, though.
This all said, I'm still curious enough about the author to try his fantasy book, Beasts Made of Night.
This all said, I'm still curious enough about the author to try his fantasy book, Beasts Made of Night.
onarosebeam's review against another edition
I have No idea what’s going on and I’m bored. I’m bummed because I was Really looking forward to this book but I guess it’s a rebound 😔
sci_mom's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway. Woo, this was a hard book to read and took me a while to get through because of that, but not in a bad way. There is just so much to unpack in this story and it was so emotionally draining that I had to take a break every 3-5 chapters, which extended the amount of time I needed to finish it. It is an important story and the writing is fantastic. My only real critique is that it lost some momentum a little past the halfway point and took a little while to pick back up. So hard to put into words how I feel about this one. It's totally worth reading.
lunashie23's review against another edition
5.0
I loved the world building in this story.. futuristic Nigeria, and the characters are so central.. full of action.
aaron_j136's review against another edition
dnf @ 20% I am not enjoying the writing in this book so I am putting it down for now. may pick it up again one day- great story just not so great writing
tampax's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0