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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
I love a good supernatural tale, but Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The premise had promise, but the world-building felt too sparse, leaving me wanting more depth. By the end, I still didn’t feel like I truly knew the characters, and the connection between Nneoma and Shigidi lacked the emotional weight to make their relationship believable. I stuck with it, but I was tempted to DNF - not because it was bad, but because it didn’t fully draw me in.
adventurous
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
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Very wordy and rambling. The descriptions of everything were over the top.
Men should stop writing succubus characters until they can do them justice. The heavy emphasis on beauty and perfection also rubbed me the wrong way.
Men should stop writing succubus characters until they can do them justice. The heavy emphasis on beauty and perfection also rubbed me the wrong way.
adventurous
mysterious
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:
Complicated
4.5/5
Have you ever dreamed of being a god? Almighty and without worries? Well, things aren’t as rosy as you might think. With faith being in short supply, gods had to take a corporate route (trading in belief and supplications). Shigidi, the god of nightmares and a demotivated employee of the Orisha Spirit Company, lives mainly for the next drink. He hates his existence and his appearance but has no plan to change anything. Then he meets Nneoma, a succubus, and falls in love with her. They go freelance, but life as freelancers is hard; soon they find themselves in debt to a powerful and scheming deity.
But there is a way to pay off all the debts. A heist. Across two worlds and two planes of existence. The story follows Shigidi and Nneoma as they journey through the vibrant streets of Lagos, the rooftop bars of Singapore, and the hidden enclaves of London. Mayhem ensues, but that’s a given. I loved the deep dive into occult lore and African mythology. A risky heist mixed with a unique love story was also fun.
The story jumps in time and geography and builds toward an exciting ending. It spans centuries and continents and there is hardly a dull moment. Although the title suggests Shigidi is the main character, that’s not entirely true. Nneoma gets a lot of attention and while I enjoyed my time with both of them and their perspectives, Nneoma is much more interesting and complex than Shigidi.
I’m not a romance reader, but I loved their complex relationship. It struck the perfect balance between alien and relatable (they’re immortal, after all) and offered no cheap thrills. I found it clever and realistic (given their supernatural circumstances :)).
While I liked the novel's structure and the frequent time jumps, I must mention that they might be confusing for some readers. However, if you pay attention to the places and dates mentioned at the beginning of each chapter, you’ll be fine.
Overall, Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon is an exciting and imaginative supernatural thriller with strong twists and excellent pacing. Highly recommended.
ARC through NetGalley
Have you ever dreamed of being a god? Almighty and without worries? Well, things aren’t as rosy as you might think. With faith being in short supply, gods had to take a corporate route (trading in belief and supplications). Shigidi, the god of nightmares and a demotivated employee of the Orisha Spirit Company, lives mainly for the next drink. He hates his existence and his appearance but has no plan to change anything. Then he meets Nneoma, a succubus, and falls in love with her. They go freelance, but life as freelancers is hard; soon they find themselves in debt to a powerful and scheming deity.
But there is a way to pay off all the debts. A heist. Across two worlds and two planes of existence. The story follows Shigidi and Nneoma as they journey through the vibrant streets of Lagos, the rooftop bars of Singapore, and the hidden enclaves of London. Mayhem ensues, but that’s a given. I loved the deep dive into occult lore and African mythology. A risky heist mixed with a unique love story was also fun.
The story jumps in time and geography and builds toward an exciting ending. It spans centuries and continents and there is hardly a dull moment. Although the title suggests Shigidi is the main character, that’s not entirely true. Nneoma gets a lot of attention and while I enjoyed my time with both of them and their perspectives, Nneoma is much more interesting and complex than Shigidi.
I’m not a romance reader, but I loved their complex relationship. It struck the perfect balance between alien and relatable (they’re immortal, after all) and offered no cheap thrills. I found it clever and realistic (given their supernatural circumstances :)).
While I liked the novel's structure and the frequent time jumps, I must mention that they might be confusing for some readers. However, if you pay attention to the places and dates mentioned at the beginning of each chapter, you’ll be fine.
Overall, Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon is an exciting and imaginative supernatural thriller with strong twists and excellent pacing. Highly recommended.
ARC through NetGalley
adventurous
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Murder
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read courtesy of NetGalley.
Sadly, this was not a book that worked for me.
Shigidi used to be a god of nightmares; Nneoma is a succubus. The story of their partnering up is part of the backstory that's slowly revealed across the novel. So too is the reality of how the business of being a god works in this version of our world - and it is a business. A bit like Max Gladstone's view of deities and magic in the Craft sequence, where it's all a matter of law and contracts, here prayers are currency that engage a deity's attention and action. Shigidi had previously worked for what was basically a corporation, with all the attendant evils of middle-management and top-down bonus structures inherent in that. Until, that is, he decided to chuck it all over; and then discovers that freelancing isn't necessarily a great idea either.
All of this is, in theory, a fantastic set-up for a novel. So too is a magical heist: I love a heist, and when it involves magical protection as well as ordinary (and the British Museum too), I am THERE.
The problem, then? It's mostly about the characters of Shigidi and Nneoma. At the start, in particular, I found their descriptions heavy-handed: he has a "heavily muscled chest", and a "perfectly smooth bald head"; she has "perfectly manicured, long and slender fingers like artisanal knives", and "radiant ebony skin like polished midnight, and the edges of her frizzy afro refined the stray bits of light from the array of hanging bulbs to an eldritch fringe, like a halo." The side of things got a bit tiresome. I also found their relationship lacking in reality, although I can't put my finger on why. I think it probably comes down to their dialogue - it simply didn't work for me.
i'm disappointed, to be honest. It's a debut, so it doesn't put me off the idea of reading of Talabi's work - the ideas are definitely there, and dialogue is something that can be worked on. Then again, maybe other people will love this book - I really hope they do, and that it finds its audience.
Sadly, this was not a book that worked for me.
Shigidi used to be a god of nightmares; Nneoma is a succubus. The story of their partnering up is part of the backstory that's slowly revealed across the novel. So too is the reality of how the business of being a god works in this version of our world - and it is a business. A bit like Max Gladstone's view of deities and magic in the Craft sequence, where it's all a matter of law and contracts, here prayers are currency that engage a deity's attention and action. Shigidi had previously worked for what was basically a corporation, with all the attendant evils of middle-management and top-down bonus structures inherent in that. Until, that is, he decided to chuck it all over; and then discovers that freelancing isn't necessarily a great idea either.
All of this is, in theory, a fantastic set-up for a novel. So too is a magical heist: I love a heist, and when it involves magical protection as well as ordinary (and the British Museum too), I am THERE.
The problem, then? It's mostly about the characters of Shigidi and Nneoma. At the start, in particular, I found their descriptions heavy-handed: he has a "heavily muscled chest", and a "perfectly smooth bald head"; she has "perfectly manicured, long and slender fingers like artisanal knives", and "radiant ebony skin like polished midnight, and the edges of her frizzy afro refined the stray bits of light from the array of hanging bulbs to an eldritch fringe, like a halo." The side of things got a bit tiresome. I also found their relationship lacking in reality, although I can't put my finger on why. I think it probably comes down to their dialogue - it simply didn't work for me.
i'm disappointed, to be honest. It's a debut, so it doesn't put me off the idea of reading of Talabi's work - the ideas are definitely there, and dialogue is something that can be worked on. Then again, maybe other people will love this book - I really hope they do, and that it finds its audience.