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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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
adventurous
reflective
sad
slow-paced
I wanted to love this book - compelling characters and concept, but often very hard to follow given the meandering writing style and complex world. I made it through but it was a slog.
DNF halfway through. I really wanted to like this book, so it is with a heavy heart that I have to give up on it. Two things:
When I first put this book on my TBR, I think it was because it may have been marketed as "hopeful". And there are a few genuine moments of happiness and queer found family in the beginning of the book that I enjoyed. I loved seeing the casual queerness and gender diversity in the society outsiders. The outsider society was also rooted in traditional griot culture, and had strong African-futurist vibes. We need more of that in fantasy, so I was happy to see it.
However, the world itself is just brutal (see content warnings below for more details). Maybe it gets hopeful at the end. But I just couldn't watch one of the main characters continue to go through trauma after trauma. It just got to the point I wasn't enjoying it anymore.
The other thing is the author's writing style. There were some moments of beauty, for sure, but overall, it just didn't appeal to me. It's a little disjointed and back and forth. Paragraphs usually end with a non-sequitor or are just kind of a jumble of statements. It was confusing. I found myself having to go back and re-read passages to understand what was going on, and was often left confused when a character just... DID something without explanation. It didn't flow smoothly. I can see how the style could speak to other readers! It's unique, for sure! I could totally read poetry or a short story by this author. But when the book was already difficult to read because of the content, this was kinda the nail in the coffin.
Sadly, not for me.
Representation notes: Society is based in (west?) African tradition, so most characters, and those in power, are PoC. Characters exist that are explicitly a member of a gender outside the male/female binary with their own pronouns. Queer romance with the main character, and between the third-gender folks. Author is a Black woman.
Content warnings: The world includes a patriarchal society that practices human trafficking, slavery, and is discriminatory against women and third-gender folks. Content includes brutal gender-based (and what could be read as transphobic) violence, gore, and torture.
When I first put this book on my TBR, I think it was because it may have been marketed as "hopeful". And there are a few genuine moments of happiness and queer found family in the beginning of the book that I enjoyed. I loved seeing the casual queerness and gender diversity in the society outsiders. The outsider society was also rooted in traditional griot culture, and had strong African-futurist vibes. We need more of that in fantasy, so I was happy to see it.
However, the world itself is just brutal (see content warnings below for more details). Maybe it gets hopeful at the end. But I just couldn't watch one of the main characters continue to go through trauma after trauma. It just got to the point I wasn't enjoying it anymore.
The other thing is the author's writing style. There were some moments of beauty, for sure, but overall, it just didn't appeal to me. It's a little disjointed and back and forth. Paragraphs usually end with a non-sequitor or are just kind of a jumble of statements. It was confusing. I found myself having to go back and re-read passages to understand what was going on, and was often left confused when a character just... DID something without explanation. It didn't flow smoothly. I can see how the style could speak to other readers! It's unique, for sure! I could totally read poetry or a short story by this author. But when the book was already difficult to read because of the content, this was kinda the nail in the coffin.
Sadly, not for me.
Representation notes: Society is based in (west?) African tradition, so most characters, and those in power, are PoC. Characters exist that are explicitly a member of a gender outside the male/female binary with their own pronouns. Queer romance with the main character, and between the third-gender folks. Author is a Black woman.
Content warnings: The world includes a patriarchal society that practices human trafficking, slavery, and is discriminatory against women and third-gender folks. Content includes brutal gender-based (and what could be read as transphobic) violence, gore, and torture.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
DNF. Stunning world building but very difficult to follow the plot. Really wanted to finish but couldn’t stay engaged. For fans of slow burn/poetic fantasies.
I received an ARC of this gorgeous books in advance of publication, so in many ways this review is slow in coming. That is because the book itself is a rich, luscious journey of words that I found myself savoring and reading slowly. In that sense, if you are looking for a quick action fantasy read, this is not that. However, it is a journey worth taking, not only for the poetry of the language and the dream-like atmosphere that Hairston creates, but also for the challenging questions and issues that connect directly with the real-world. This is a story that reflects on so many important things in subtle and yet impactful ways. Things like: power, gender, human responsibility toward natural world and one another, relationships, memory, ancestry and how it connects to the future. It is a book that needs to be explored thoughtfully, and with a mind open to new understandings of the world we live in.
I have always admired Hairston's ability to weave magic into her words and introduce me to characters and worlds which spark my own imagination and desire to learn more. This book does not disappoint.
I have always admired Hairston's ability to weave magic into her words and introduce me to characters and worlds which spark my own imagination and desire to learn more. This book does not disappoint.
This is a hard book to rate as I almost gave it up, then found myself hooked on it, but feel like I'm still missing some details.
Some fantasies ease you into the world slowly; not this one. Starting the book was like finding yourself in the middle of a race without preparation and no knowledge of the distance you are supposed to run. You had to run with the rest of the group or risk getting trampled over.
The writing is beautiful, but the cadence took me a while to get used to. The images the writing invoked and the scenes the words painted usually start in a corner before it zooms out to full view, which makes it disconcerting at first. Usually, I like to chew on the clues and descriptions the author gives me. With this book, I find the best way to read it is not to dwell on the details, but to follow its flow and let it carry you away. It wasn't until I reached 50% of it before I settle on a good reading rhythm, and then, it was a race to the end.
Some fantasies ease you into the world slowly; not this one. Starting the book was like finding yourself in the middle of a race without preparation and no knowledge of the distance you are supposed to run. You had to run with the rest of the group or risk getting trampled over.
The writing is beautiful, but the cadence took me a while to get used to. The images the writing invoked and the scenes the words painted usually start in a corner before it zooms out to full view, which makes it disconcerting at first. Usually, I like to chew on the clues and descriptions the author gives me. With this book, I find the best way to read it is not to dwell on the details, but to follow its flow and let it carry you away. It wasn't until I reached 50% of it before I settle on a good reading rhythm, and then, it was a race to the end.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Slavery, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, War
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Homophobia, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
