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Sharks in the Time of Saviors is a contemporary fiction family saga that follows a native Hawaiian family and adds in a touch of magical realism. Readers also get to see the POV of each person int he family.

Mother, Malia, and her husband, Augie, are struggling to provide for their family of five. Siblings Nainoa (aka Noa), Dean, and Kaui are all trying to find their place in the world. Noa was known as a savior growing up. After being saved from drowning by sharks, Noa discovers some abilities, and Malia starts to believe in the native legends and Hawaiian gods again. Malia and Augie seem to favor Noa, so Dean and Kaui are left to find acceptance elsewhere. Each sibling grapples with their identity as they grow up and try to find their place both in Hawaii and on the mainland as Malia struggles to live life without her children.

I found some of this novel to be quite slow. There were moments of beautiful atmosphere and ambiance, and the way the novel handled grief was so realistic. I loved a lot of things about it, but I just found that the story didn't have quite the impact I was hoping it would. It might be that the plot didn't hit quite as hard due to me listening to the audiobook. However, I still enjoyed the story and the writing.

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allyem_reads's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

5.57 CAWPILE

This is not at all what I was expecting when I picked this book up. Whether that is a good or bad thing, I can't tell you. What I can say is that the ending was really unsatisfying? I feel like we didn't get any closure. But I did like how the author portrayed grief and depression. This whole book was really a study of grief, and it was well done.

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sammorri's review against another edition

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reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

honestly I was confused when the book ended. I feel like it was so symbolic and flowery that it kinda just fizzled into abstract nothingness to me. I loved the different character voices and I really felt for every character in the family, but by the end I felt like I was just waiting for something that never came. I can understand if the point of that is maybe to show harsh realities, but the book felt like it was trying to walk an impossible line between something magical/supernatural and reality and I never quite felt satisfied with the balance. HOWEVER, I also get that this book just might not be for me. the cultural and supernatural elements may have just gone over my head but landed for others. at the end of the day, it was beautifully written and compelling nonetheless.

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