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wannaone's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i loved the first book of this series and it broke my heart. i wish i’d read this one closer to when i read the first one, because i might have remembered a lot of names and places and events better, but this was still very very good. i love the way that both these books explore gender. i also just love this world. very excited to see what comes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Child death, Grief, Sexual assault, Gore, and Death
zooix's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Body horror, Physical abuse, Death, Child death, Animal death, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
This checks a lot of content warnings but some are more prevalent than others. Overall it is significantly less sexually violent than its predecessor, but has more acute grief experiences.lex_situ's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Incredible book. Be prepared for a lot of dark themes (wish this series came with the necessary content warnings). The world of fiction has a deep need for more African mythology, and this book and its counterpart(s) deliver. Having not learned much about African cultures, I had to look up various words (different garments, accessories, creatures and beings...) now and then -- learned a lot!
I read BL, RW first, then this one. I really enjoyed Sogolon's story more, her development, and her impatience with Tracker by the time they finally meet in her narrative. Can't wait for the 3rd book!
I read BL, RW first, then this one. I really enjoyed Sogolon's story more, her development, and her impatience with Tracker by the time they finally meet in her narrative. Can't wait for the 3rd book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Blood, Death, Body horror, Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, Gore, and Rape
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, Pedophilia, and Alcohol
lanid's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, Blood, Child death, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Infidelity, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Slavery
becksusername's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I wish I had read Black Leopard Red Wolf more recently, or had a copy with me to compare the parts of the story that overlap, so I could note all the subtle differences between Sogolon's account and Tracker's. This book was such a satisfying follow-up after BLRW, which I remember being an incredible story unlike any I'd ever read, but also wildly misogynist (the narrator and characters, not the author obviously). Like Sogolon said of Tracker's story "maybe some of it even have one or two women he neither call witch nor bitch." Sogolon is a (deeply flawed) feminist icon. I want more stories in this world!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest, Homophobia, Violence, Vomit, War, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Grief, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Torture, Transphobia, Death of parent, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual content, Trafficking, Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Stalking, Suicide, Body horror, and Sexual violence
econsidine's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Another book I was skeptical about that really surprised me. I liked Black Leopard, Red Wolf, but Sogolon was the least interesting character in that book for me (her grumpy misandrist schtick got old fast) so a 626-page prequel from her POV was not the most enticing.
But I was definitely wrong. Though it takes some time to get going, Sogolon is a compelling narrator, and this second book makes me very intrigued for where this series is going to go next. Something about a second book as a prequel/retelling from a different perspective is always going to be fun to me, but James goes a step further with it. Sogolon is not a direct counterpoint/pair/antagonist to Tracker, even though they have a lot of similarities, so she is not concerned with his story most of the time, which is a bizarre place to put the readers in and a reminder that there is so much damn plot and world building here that has nothing to do with the guy we spent the last book rooting for. To be clear: The previous main character of a 600+ page novel is only in its sequel for about 1/6 of it and the whole time the new narrator treats him as an annoying side character—or, as she says, “a silly slutty fool.” It’s a fun, ballsy risk to take with your sequel, and one that somehow works because the rest of the world James has built is rich enough to sustain itself without the reader’s automatic emotional buy-in from the last book.
A bunch of odd thoughts:
—Neither narrator seems to care what their audience ("the interrogator") thinks of them, and both are very matter-of-fact in tone. So I was not expecting either of them to be unreliable narrators. But there are inconsistencies between their stories that seem odd, especially as they’re not harped on, and I can’t figure out why it would be different. Am I remembering the first book wrong or is there’s some much deeper thing going on?Who killed the Leopard? Because Tracker said it was Sogolon and Sogolon said it was a random spear. Was it her "wind (not wind)" power and she's just being cagey? But why would she lie when she admits to so many other murders? And isn't the Leopard the one who fucked Fumeli, not Tracker? Wasn’t that why Tracker was so pissed at the Leopard in the first book? But why would either narrator care to lie about that? It’s such a small relationship detail that made me suddenly wonder if Fumeli is actually super important and not just a plot device who barely has any lines. We know basically nothing about him.
—The title of this book was not as strong as the previous, mainly because the actual Spider King is not really the antagonist, counterpart, or foil of Sogolon the Moon Witch. It would have made a lot more sense if the second name was a clear reference to the Aesi, who IS her direct antagonist. Which makes me wonder if he’s not referenced here because the next book is going to be about him.
—My other guess for the next book is that it will be from ( long shot ) Fumeli’s perspective and suddenly this very minor character will turn out to be super critical.
--Why is this called the Dark Star trilogy? I can't remember a single reference to stars at all in either of these books.
—One character that has yet to make a comeback is Smoke Girl. My beloved. Where’d you go?
But I was definitely wrong. Though it takes some time to get going, Sogolon is a compelling narrator, and this second book makes me very intrigued for where this series is going to go next. Something about a second book as a prequel/retelling from a different perspective is always going to be fun to me, but James goes a step further with it. Sogolon is not a direct counterpoint/pair/antagonist to Tracker, even though they have a lot of similarities, so she is not concerned with his story most of the time, which is a bizarre place to put the readers in and a reminder that there is so much damn plot and world building here that has nothing to do with the guy we spent the last book rooting for. To be clear: The previous main character of a 600+ page novel is only in its sequel for about 1/6 of it and the whole time the new narrator treats him as an annoying side character—or, as she says, “a silly slutty fool.” It’s a fun, ballsy risk to take with your sequel, and one that somehow works because the rest of the world James has built is rich enough to sustain itself without the reader’s automatic emotional buy-in from the last book.
A bunch of odd thoughts:
—Neither narrator seems to care what their audience ("the interrogator") thinks of them, and both are very matter-of-fact in tone. So I was not expecting either of them to be unreliable narrators. But there are inconsistencies between their stories that seem odd, especially as they’re not harped on, and I can’t figure out why it would be different. Am I remembering the first book wrong or is there’s some much deeper thing going on?
—The title of this book was not as strong as the previous, mainly because the actual Spider King is not really the antagonist, counterpart, or foil of Sogolon the Moon Witch. It would have made a lot more sense if the second name was a clear reference to the Aesi, who IS her direct antagonist. Which makes me wonder if he’s not referenced here because the next book is going to be about him.
—My other guess for the next book is that it will be from ( long shot ) Fumeli’s perspective and suddenly this very minor character will turn out to be super critical.
--Why is this called the Dark Star trilogy? I can't remember a single reference to stars at all in either of these books.
—One character that has yet to make a comeback is Smoke Girl. My beloved. Where’d you go?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Child death, Slavery, Grief, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Rape, Sexism, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia, Suicide, Misogyny, and Religious bigotry
spacecars's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
5.0
If you’re in the mood for something that screams female empowerment, this is it. Run, don’t walk.
I don’t read fantasy, but this is by far the best book on female empowerment that I’ve read so far. Sogolon is a queen in her own right, and I stan a woman’s bloodlust for stupid men—men who only want to own women, men who only want to violate women, men who think women are just birthing machines.
Marlon James did an extremely fantastic job on this—the observations and monologues that Sogolon had on men were so relatable I found myself agreeing with everything she’s said. It’s a feat to write something so empowering when you’re not a woman, and not going through what we have to endure.
I’m left breathless by the end of this book, and I can’t emphasise how much I admire and love Sogolon for all that she’s been through and all that she does as the Moon Witch.
Read this, please, especially if you’re a woman. I guarantee that it won’t be disappointing at all.
I don’t read fantasy, but this is by far the best book on female empowerment that I’ve read so far. Sogolon is a queen in her own right, and I stan a woman’s bloodlust for stupid men—men who only want to own women, men who only want to violate women, men who think women are just birthing machines.
Marlon James did an extremely fantastic job on this—the observations and monologues that Sogolon had on men were so relatable I found myself agreeing with everything she’s said. It’s a feat to write something so empowering when you’re not a woman, and not going through what we have to endure.
I’m left breathless by the end of this book, and I can’t emphasise how much I admire and love Sogolon for all that she’s been through and all that she does as the Moon Witch.
Read this, please, especially if you’re a woman. I guarantee that it won’t be disappointing at all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexism, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Death, Blood, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Grief, Hate crime, Gore, Domestic abuse, Murder, Sexual violence, and Child death
jialianyang's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
4.75
Loved this sequel even more than its immersive predecessor. The emotional world and life experiences of the main character show that one does not need to know their name to be assured of their inner voice, their drive to keep living and fighting, their value despite others' assessment of their class or worth. To say that this book features a strong female lead would be accurate but inadequate-- a no name girl / woman adopts a name, life purposes, family, rage, powers, revenge, mission, legend, appearance and more. We learn that a nobody can have the power to alter the course of a whole world and the power that a stubborn mind that refuses to bend can hold, as well as the importance of etching his/herstory into memory, walls, song and so many locations that it can never be lost. I end this book with more questions than answers about the massive plot that I tumble into, but I get a full to bursting sense of the intricate inner life of a person who has refused to let destiny be defined for her, who has experienced the lowest lows and highest highs that life has to offer, who has felt loneliness, despair, ambivalence, passion, sensuality, anger, and vengeance in equal measure, all the whole persevering without falling into empty hope and easy optimism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, Sexism, and War
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Slavery, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Stalking
midnarose's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.25
4.25 stars
I really enjoyed this book, more so then the first in the series that followed the character Tracker. In this continuation of the story we follow Sogolon the moon witch and her side of the story of what happened in the first book. I was worried that the book might be repetitive as it is a retelling of the first book in Sogolon's perspective, but it surprised me as the majority (approximately 80%) of the book was new. we got to see Sogolon's life before she meets tracker, her struggles and what made her the women we see in this book and in the first.
I usually don't like how male authors write female characters as not all do women justice , Marlon James impressed me on how well he wrote Sogolon.
I also loved how he wrote both books, giving us the same story but in different ways. He really showed the discrepancies between Tracker's versions of events and Sogolon's in such small ways you had to pay attention sometimes to catch them. by the end of the book i felt like i was the detective/inquisitor trying to figure out what is true and what are lies. WHO IS TELLING THE TRUTH.
While BLRW felt like a slow read and took me awhile to get into , this book had me hooked from the beginning.
I can't wait to read the last book in the trilogy and see what is right and wrong.
WARNING this book like the first has triggers
Rape, torture, misogony, abuse, blood, beastiality, death , child death, grief, etc
the world is dark and not kind
I really enjoyed this book, more so then the first in the series that followed the character Tracker. In this continuation of the story we follow Sogolon the moon witch and her side of the story of what happened in the first book. I was worried that the book might be repetitive as it is a retelling of the first book in Sogolon's perspective, but it surprised me as the majority (approximately 80%) of the book was new. we got to see Sogolon's life before she meets tracker, her struggles and what made her the women we see in this book and in the first.
I usually don't like how male authors write female characters as not all do women justice , Marlon James impressed me on how well he wrote Sogolon.
I also loved how he wrote both books, giving us the same story but in different ways. He really showed the discrepancies between Tracker's versions of events and Sogolon's in such small ways you had to pay attention sometimes to catch them. by the end of the book i felt like i was the detective/inquisitor trying to figure out what is true and what are lies. WHO IS TELLING THE TRUTH.
While BLRW felt like a slow read and took me awhile to get into , this book had me hooked from the beginning.
I can't wait to read the last book in the trilogy and see what is right and wrong.
WARNING this book like the first has triggers
Rape, torture, misogony, abuse, blood, beastiality, death , child death, grief, etc
the world is dark and not kind
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Physical abuse, Death, Blood, Misogyny, Child abuse, Child death, Rape, and Slavery
annemaries_shelves's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
4.25 stars
I enjoyed this a LOT more than Tracker's perspective - Sologon the Moon Witch was a compelling character who was consistent in her characterization - stubborn, quick to anger, violent, intense in all emotions, and unwilling to take anyone's shit (or advice, to her own detriment).
I was impressed with how James wrote her - she was a lot more realistic than many male fantasy writer's female characters. She actually talks about her period (moonblood), expresses frustration with how stupid men are and how unfair and unjust the world is to women, and has her own interests outside of a husband and children (both of which she does have). She's not perfect - frustrating, sometimes veers towards homophobic in her comments/thoughts about Tracker, violent, rude, but always compelling.
The world is just as violent, misogynistic, and brutal - rape, witch hunts, and murder are still common, everyday occurrences. We follow Sogolon through at least 170+ years of her life, with a more sequential story than BLRW. Characters from the first book really only show up 500 pages in, and as expected, there are discrepancies between Tracker's versions of events and Sogolon's. Particularly around the Aesi - who is only slightly less mysterious in this novel and altogether more terrifying as you learn more his backstory (mostly through interactions with our protagonist).
Overall, I really enjoyed this story and it flew by in comparison to BLRW. Sogolon had so many great moments of insight and power, and her impact on the woman of this fantasy world is undeniable. There's still a lot left to uncover across the main plot, which I hope will be revealed in the final book, whenever that's published.
CW: rape, torture, sexism and misogyny, slavery/enslavement, domestic and child abuse, blood and gore, witch hunts, bestiality (consensual this time, for what that's worth...), child death, grief, pregnancy and birth, pedophilia, and I'm sure others that I can't remember after 650 pages.
I enjoyed this a LOT more than Tracker's perspective - Sologon the Moon Witch was a compelling character who was consistent in her characterization - stubborn, quick to anger, violent, intense in all emotions, and unwilling to take anyone's shit (or advice, to her own detriment).
I was impressed with how James wrote her - she was a lot more realistic than many male fantasy writer's female characters. She actually talks about her period (moonblood), expresses frustration with how stupid men are and how unfair and unjust the world is to women, and has her own interests outside of a husband and children (both of which she does have). She's not perfect - frustrating, sometimes veers towards homophobic in her comments/thoughts about Tracker, violent, rude, but always compelling.
The world is just as violent, misogynistic, and brutal - rape, witch hunts, and murder are still common, everyday occurrences. We follow Sogolon through at least 170+ years of her life, with a more sequential story than BLRW. Characters from the first book really only show up 500 pages in, and as expected, there are discrepancies between Tracker's versions of events and Sogolon's. Particularly around the Aesi - who is only slightly less mysterious in this novel and altogether more terrifying as you learn more his backstory (mostly through interactions with our protagonist).
Overall, I really enjoyed this story and it flew by in comparison to BLRW. Sogolon had so many great moments of insight and power, and her impact on the woman of this fantasy world is undeniable. There's still a lot left to uncover across the main plot, which I hope will be revealed in the final book, whenever that's published.
CW: rape, torture, sexism and misogyny, slavery/enslavement, domestic and child abuse, blood and gore, witch hunts, bestiality (consensual this time, for what that's worth...), child death, grief, pregnancy and birth, pedophilia, and I'm sure others that I can't remember after 650 pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Slavery, Blood, Gore, Grief, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Violence, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, Child death, Death, and Sexism
Moderate: Pedophilia, Homophobia, and Torture