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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
I was so excited for this one, but I just can’t connect to the writing style. It’s so chaotic and the story is skipping around too much. Every chapter takes place in a different time period. Nonlinear storytelling to THIS degree is just too much for me.
Thank you Daw and NetGalley for this arc. All opinions are my own.
Somehow I didn't realise the full extent of it focusing on problems in their relationship and that's not what I want to read about right now, also I'm ace + sex repulsed and forgot to read content warnings (although it should of been obvious sometimes I just don't realise stuff like that)
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
This was such a fun sounding premise, and I was disappointed. There wasn't much of a heist and I didn't care much about the main characters or their relationship.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
After my book club, I think my feelings are a little more solidified, this book felt like it was trying to be a movie. I was hoping for more character and world building that would give insights into the culture and some of the mythos from Nigeria, some of the conflict and beauty from that region, but it really felt far too similar to an English writer using some Nigerian (and Latin and Greek?) gods, and throwing them in a London car chase. There was also a lot of superficial, and fairly sexist views that felt kind of backward for a book published in this era. I did enjoy *some* of the mythos we got, and some aspects of the characters and story were fun and interesting, I just hoped for so much more.
I was quickly drawn into the story by its unique world and characters. But the last third felt flat to me… wasn’t buying the love story, and the plot devolved into one more akin to a bland Marvel movie. The digital edition I read was full of editing errors.
adventurous
emotional
fast-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
Holy shit from chapter one I was hooked. This is like the better version of American gods, where instead of pointless sexism there are incredibly nuanced takes on women empowerment. So beautiful creative and transportive, I want a thousand more.
I love the magic and mythology, and the characters were great. My only criticism that the heist aspect just didn't hit. It took a while to work into the heist and that was over very quickly. Some of the alt pov chapters felt weaker.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book kicks off with a very different vibe than I was expecting. Very quickly you learn that Shigidi is a god and that Nneomea is a succubus. Given that this book contained more “spicy” activities than I was anticipating. Nothing bad about that just unexpected.
I enjoyed the story and the way information was revealed to the reader and too the characters. The book has a certain charm to the storytelling style that I enjoyed but that could easily dissuade an uninterested reader from continuing the story.
I enjoyed the story and the way information was revealed to the reader and too the characters. The book has a certain charm to the storytelling style that I enjoyed but that could easily dissuade an uninterested reader from continuing the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
A rollicking debut novel from Nigerian author Wole Talabi, spinning a daring heist of the titular magical artifact from the high-security British Museum. The genre is urban fantasy noir by way of American Gods, where pantheons of deities from all world religions coexist and gain relative power based on the beliefs and prayers of their respective adherents. In the modern age, that's led to a hardscrabble existence for some of the older and more obscure spirits like our hero, one of the original Yoruba orishas, who finds himself scraping by in a capitalistic drudgery not so unlike our own. When he partners up with a friendly succubus for a chance to flee that life, the two beings swiftly wind up over their heads and in debt to a powerful god, tasked with carrying out the raid to regain his lost treasure.
The actual mission isn't too complex, but the book is fleshed out by the narrative hopping around in time a bit to provide the relevant backstory of the various players involved. (When the couple realizes they need the help of a mortal magician, for instance, a flashback depicts her meeting the real-life occultist Aleister Crowley, whose fictionalized self apparently used the demon woman's powers to live on into the 21st century. Back in the present, she and Shigidi then go cash in that favor and recruit him to join the team.) The plot tropes are familiar but excellently rendered -- I laughed in delight when the shady benefactor tells the protagonists they have to strike that very night, and even more so at the inevitable betrayal later on -- with all the ludicrous joy of an episode of Leverage, just in a rather different sort of heightened reality.
It all resolves well enough in the end, and although this volume has been marketed as a standalone adventure, I'd say there's definitely potential for a longer series here. Personally, I'd be happy to return for a sequel with these folks.
[Content warning for body horror, gore, fatphobia, racism, and rape.]
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The actual mission isn't too complex, but the book is fleshed out by the narrative hopping around in time a bit to provide the relevant backstory of the various players involved. (When the couple realizes they need the help of a mortal magician, for instance, a flashback depicts her meeting the real-life occultist Aleister Crowley, whose fictionalized self apparently used the demon woman's powers to live on into the 21st century. Back in the present, she and Shigidi then go cash in that favor and recruit him to join the team.) The plot tropes are familiar but excellently rendered -- I laughed in delight when the shady benefactor tells the protagonists they have to strike that very night, and even more so at the inevitable betrayal later on -- with all the ludicrous joy of an episode of Leverage, just in a rather different sort of heightened reality.
It all resolves well enough in the end, and although this volume has been marketed as a standalone adventure, I'd say there's definitely potential for a longer series here. Personally, I'd be happy to return for a sequel with these folks.
[Content warning for body horror, gore, fatphobia, racism, and rape.]
Like this review?
--Throw me a quick one-time donation here!
https://ko-fi.com/lesserjoke
--Subscribe here to support my writing and weigh in on what I read next!
https://patreon.com/lesserjoke
--Follow along on Goodreads here!
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6288479-joe-kessler
--Or click here to browse through all my reviews!
https://lesserjoke.home.blog
just could not get into it ! the pacing was off like too much handholding for backstory