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emzireads's review
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, and Emotional abuse
jayisreading's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.0
What drew me to this book was the premise, which is that the protagonist, Kalki, was raised in a way that he was believed to be a god due to his blue skin. Over time, though, various events lead to him questioning the validity of his god status. Perhaps not surprisingly, this also results in significant consequences, which Sintu divides into four sections.
Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. There were a lot of interesting ideas and themes, especially this conflict of truths and lies, as well as desires and obligations, as well as touching on issues of the caste system, tourism, queerness, among others. It didn’t feel as cohesive as it could have been, though, and I think what affected this was the pacing of the book. I found the first section dreadfully boring, but things started picking up in the second and third sections, diving deep into an interesting, almost psychoanalytic exploration of deception and manipulation in Kalki’s life. I was hopeful for the fourth and last section, as a result, only to be disappointed by the way things were hastily wrapped up. It felt as though too much was happening and, as a result, the book was barely holding it together by the end. I honestly finished the book with more questions than anything.
There was a lot of potential in this novel and I really enjoyed the ideas and writing, but the execution made it difficult for me to actually enjoy this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Emotional abuse, and Suicide
Moderate: Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Child abuse, and Transphobia
Minor: Cancer, Self harm, and Kidnapping
ahliahreads's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Child abuse
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Cancer, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Vomit
keatynbergsten's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, Self harm, and Suicide
serendipitysbooks's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Blue Skinned Gods is a unique coming of age story. We first meet Kalki when he is 10. He has blue skin and is believed to the tenth human incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. He lives with his family in an ashram, where his father manages his day of learning, healing sessions and religious ceremonies. I was utterly absorbed by the portrayal of Kalki as a young boy and teen trying to live up to his destiny before slowly questioning, then realising the truth. The latter section in New York worked less well for me. The portrayal of domestic abuse and parental exploitation of children was sadly universal despite its unique specifics. This book provides much food for thought about the power and dangers of belief.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Cancer and Suicide
miki_fourinterests's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Stalking, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Infertility, Grief, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Cancer, and Animal death
spinesinaline's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-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
Thanks to Legend Press for an e-ARC! Find my full review at spinesinaline.wordpress.com
This was very, very good and I loved how the story just so slightly shifted and revealed where we were headed as we got further in. Even the subtle aspects of the book, like what each section title ultimately represents, are so important to the story and our ultimate understanding of it and I loved these little nods that we discover throughout! So many of my thoughts are related to the latter half of the book so I’ll refrain from sharing too much to avoid spoilers but if anyone’s read it and wants to chat, let me know!
I was definitely not prepared for the twist, though of course we have hints of ‘what the heck is going on’, but the power of this writing comes not only from the author’s surprise in this twist but the implications of what these new discoveries will mean for Kalki’s sense of the world. Ultimately the book moves from a curious and fantastical story of a child god, to exploring more worldly concepts with Kalki as our eyes and ears.
The book is told almost primarily chronologically but there are a few moments within chapters where we’re suddenly in the present day with Kalki as he reflects back on his story. While I do like having this additional context of his current knowledge and hints of where he ends up, the present day moments were so infrequently mixed in, and usually within a flashback chapter, that it felt an odd change of the flow of the story.
The ending is where I have more issues, which of course I’ll keep vague to avoid spoilers. I was prepared to leave the book with many unanswered questions, which felt very realistic in how people’s lives progress, but the ending then hints that there are even more hideous secrets being kept. Except that after all these hints, we just get more of the same so the scene felt rather pointless, and then the book ended very abruptly.
This is still a book I’ll be thinking about long after I’ve put it down but I wish it could’ve embraced being open-ended more. I also really appreciated that the author ends with a land acknowledgment and includes many recommendations on Indigenous authors to check out.
This was very, very good and I loved how the story just so slightly shifted and revealed where we were headed as we got further in. Even the subtle aspects of the book, like what each section title ultimately represents, are so important to the story and our ultimate understanding of it and I loved these little nods that we discover throughout! So many of my thoughts are related to the latter half of the book so I’ll refrain from sharing too much to avoid spoilers but if anyone’s read it and wants to chat, let me know!
I was definitely not prepared for the twist, though of course we have hints of ‘what the heck is going on’, but the power of this writing comes not only from the author’s surprise in this twist but the implications of what these new discoveries will mean for Kalki’s sense of the world. Ultimately the book moves from a curious and fantastical story of a child god, to exploring more worldly concepts with Kalki as our eyes and ears.
The book is told almost primarily chronologically but there are a few moments within chapters where we’re suddenly in the present day with Kalki as he reflects back on his story. While I do like having this additional context of his current knowledge and hints of where he ends up, the present day moments were so infrequently mixed in, and usually within a flashback chapter, that it felt an odd change of the flow of the story.
The ending is where I have more issues, which of course I’ll keep vague to avoid spoilers. I was prepared to leave the book with many unanswered questions, which felt very realistic in how people’s lives progress, but the ending then hints that there are even more hideous secrets being kept. Except that after all these hints, we just get more of the same so the scene felt rather pointless, and then the book ended very abruptly.
This is still a book I’ll be thinking about long after I’ve put it down but I wish it could’ve embraced being open-ended more. I also really appreciated that the author ends with a land acknowledgment and includes many recommendations on Indigenous authors to check out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Suicide
Moderate: Alcohol, Cancer, Car accident, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Vomit
kylieqrada's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A solid 3 star read. This book was fascinating. We follow Kalki, a boy born with blue skin who is believed to be, and is raised as, the 10th and final incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. I learned so much about Hindu beliefs and culture through this book, and found that the author was able to convey the faith in a very multi-faceted way. The characters were so diverse and not treated in a tokenistic manner whatsoever, but rather woven into the story organically. I would be interested in Own Voices reviewers' take on the treatment of transgender characters in the story, although from my limited perspective, I thought the discussion of their history in India was handled fairly well. I enjoyed the narrative style that the story was told in, with Kalki looking back from the future and telling the story to the reader. With all of the intense abuse that takes place throughout the beginning of the story, this perspective gives some sense of hope that Kalki will make it through. While I did enjoy the latter portion of the story, seeing Kalki interact with his cousin and new friends in America, I didn't particularly like the way things wrapped up, and actually found myself imagining alternate endings. Overall, I think that while this book is very strong for the first 2/3 or so, the ending leaves something to be desired, and could have gone in a number of more satisfying directions.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Blood, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, and Xenophobia
jessieweaver's review
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an advanced review copy of this book.
It took awhile for me to get into this story of Kalki, age 10 when we enter the novel, whom we see grow into young adulthood. But once I was sucked in, I was turning (digital!) pages quickly, eager to hear the rest of his story.
Kalki knows a few things. 1. His skin is blue. 2. He is the tenth incarnation of the god Vishnu. At age 10, he is set up to perform three miracles, proving his godhood. And yet, everything doesn't seem right, especially when his family situation changes and new faces enter the ashram where he lives.
A coming-of-age novel with a fascinating set-up, I liked growing alongside Kalki as he discovers what's really going on with his family. I'm rating it about a 3-star because I felt like it took awhile to get into the story and I found the ending to feel a little bit rushed and not entirely satisfying.
(Trigger warnings abound, but these are all tread on lightly. I am a major highly sensitive person - HSP - and I didn't think anything was gratuitous or too much for me.)
It took awhile for me to get into this story of Kalki, age 10 when we enter the novel, whom we see grow into young adulthood. But once I was sucked in, I was turning (digital!) pages quickly, eager to hear the rest of his story.
Kalki knows a few things. 1. His skin is blue. 2. He is the tenth incarnation of the god Vishnu. At age 10, he is set up to perform three miracles, proving his godhood. And yet, everything doesn't seem right, especially when his family situation changes and new faces enter the ashram where he lives.
A coming-of-age novel with a fascinating set-up, I liked growing alongside Kalki as he discovers what's really going on with his family. I'm rating it about a 3-star because I felt like it took awhile to get into the story and I found the ending to feel a little bit rushed and not entirely satisfying.
(Trigger warnings abound, but these are all tread on lightly. I am a major highly sensitive person - HSP - and I didn't think anything was gratuitous or too much for me.)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Terminal illness
Minor: Car accident, Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Vomit
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