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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
Climate disaster fantasy. Liked it but had too many questions. Author’s ideas not being communicated in a way I could fully understand; plot felt bloated and lacked cohesion.
*Review to be posted on my blog on 8/27/20**
**3.5 STARS**
Thank you to Tor.com and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.
My Attention: waned
World Building: African epic fantasy – the most amazing thing about this story is the world building of the Arkhysian Empire. The reader travels across so many terrains and come across different kinds of people and tribes.
Writing Style: beautifully written
Bringing the Heat: no
Crazy in Love: there is love but it isn’t crazy
Creativity: imaginative world building of magic, griots and politics
Mood: inspired
Triggers: violence
My Takeaway: African inspired fantasies are so rich in culture and magic!
Likes:
*The world building in this epic story takes center stage. It is an African inspired fantasy, and filled with lush scenery and characters. There is political intrigue, danger, music, adventure, gods, spirits and so much magic.
*One thing I love about fantasy stories is that diversity is usually a given. This book is no exception.
*The story follows two main characters Djola who is the Master of Poisons, and Awa a young griot. I think both of them were interesting but I was drawn towards Awa more, maybe because she was the female character and griots are something I’ve been reading more about lately in other African inspired fantasies. Djola is an Elder and is knowledgable and knows the political landscape of the Arkhysian Empire. He has magic as well. The story moves faster when Awa and Djola finally meet. I like their interactions because they both learn from one another.
*The writing is so visual, like when Awa’s bees surround her. I can see this book translated into a fantasy series on screen. I can only imagine how amazing the scenes would look. This story is beautiful in the way some sentences flow and sound like proverbs. There are deep meanings and messages in this story.
Random Notes:
*The story is written beautifully but it lost my attention in the middle because it moved too slow and I was learning about the different people, their magic, and the language. Djola is tasked to basically the cure to the land and Awa is a young griot new to her growing powers. I wanted it to move faster in the beginning but I understand the scope of the storytelling especially with the world building.
*While the world building is fantastic, I wish I had connected to the characters more. Awa was my favorite, and her character was vibrant but emotionally, I felt like I didn’t connect to anyone in the story.
Final Thoughts:
This landscape of African inspired fantasy is a wonderful eye-opening reading experience for me. I’m usually a reader of young adult fantasy, but this adult fantasy, Master of Poisons, is epic. Maybe because I’m so used to young adult fiction the slow building of this story challenged my attention span. The world-building for me is the stand out in this book, it is so seamless and imaginative. Lovers of fantasy will definitely enjoy this one.
**3.5 STARS**
Thank you to Tor.com and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.
My Attention: waned
World Building: African epic fantasy – the most amazing thing about this story is the world building of the Arkhysian Empire. The reader travels across so many terrains and come across different kinds of people and tribes.
Writing Style: beautifully written
Bringing the Heat: no
Crazy in Love: there is love but it isn’t crazy
Creativity: imaginative world building of magic, griots and politics
Mood: inspired
Triggers: violence
My Takeaway: African inspired fantasies are so rich in culture and magic!
Likes:
*The world building in this epic story takes center stage. It is an African inspired fantasy, and filled with lush scenery and characters. There is political intrigue, danger, music, adventure, gods, spirits and so much magic.
*One thing I love about fantasy stories is that diversity is usually a given. This book is no exception.
*The story follows two main characters Djola who is the Master of Poisons, and Awa a young griot. I think both of them were interesting but I was drawn towards Awa more, maybe because she was the female character and griots are something I’ve been reading more about lately in other African inspired fantasies. Djola is an Elder and is knowledgable and knows the political landscape of the Arkhysian Empire. He has magic as well. The story moves faster when Awa and Djola finally meet. I like their interactions because they both learn from one another.
*The writing is so visual, like when Awa’s bees surround her. I can see this book translated into a fantasy series on screen. I can only imagine how amazing the scenes would look. This story is beautiful in the way some sentences flow and sound like proverbs. There are deep meanings and messages in this story.
Random Notes:
*The story is written beautifully but it lost my attention in the middle because it moved too slow and I was learning about the different people, their magic, and the language. Djola is tasked to basically the cure to the land and Awa is a young griot new to her growing powers. I wanted it to move faster in the beginning but I understand the scope of the storytelling especially with the world building.
*While the world building is fantastic, I wish I had connected to the characters more. Awa was my favorite, and her character was vibrant but emotionally, I felt like I didn’t connect to anyone in the story.
Final Thoughts:
This landscape of African inspired fantasy is a wonderful eye-opening reading experience for me. I’m usually a reader of young adult fantasy, but this adult fantasy, Master of Poisons, is epic. Maybe because I’m so used to young adult fiction the slow building of this story challenged my attention span. The world-building for me is the stand out in this book, it is so seamless and imaginative. Lovers of fantasy will definitely enjoy this one.
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Trafficking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Grief
Minor: Pedophilia, Rape, Vomit, Cannibalism
adventurous
slow-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
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
The only reason I DNF'd this book was because the prose was so lyrical, it was just genuinely hard to follow. I honestly just feel like I am not quite ready for this book. I am still new to fantasy and this doesn't seem like a beginner book. But it will stay on my TBR for when I am ready!
Going to leave this on DNF. It is a richly written novel with a great premise. Unfortunately I don’t think I’m acquainted with fantasy yet to fully appreciate the world building just yet. I expect to return to this novel once I get my bearings with the genre.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
The writing and worldbuilding in this book is amazing! I was pulling out prose consistently while reading. I also enjoyed the side characters a lot, there are many strong and interesting women and nonbinary folks in this book! I did get bored in the middle of this book, and I didn't enjoy the main characters as much as the side characters, but I'm so glad this book exists, and I will continue to throw it at people as much as possible.