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joannalouise's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
fast-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
alexyssj's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
4.0
We meet Moctezuma as an aging, highly irritable, depressed ruler, high on mushrooms and seemingly losing his grip on the kingdom. His closest advisors doubt his abilities to take control of the kingdom especially when the Caxtilteca- the Spaniards led by Hernan Cortes show up and get all the way to Tenochtitlan unharmed- everyone is questioning Moctezuma’s sanity. I would too to be honest. We know what happens in the real world because we speak Spanish and English in the Americas. This book allowed me to read and think about a different outcome if just for a moment.
I haven’t read anything like this before and I want more. I want to read more colonial revenge stories. I want to feel as immersed in the next world as I was in this one. I think it helped that I went to see the Mayan ruins in chichen itza midread. Different group of people and different regions of Mexico, but it helped me envision more the daily goings on of this book and what it could have felt like to live in the jungle back then. Between the temple and the ball court and the old houses. I find the way the characters are envisioned in this book accessible, sort of modern in a way and 3 dimensional. This book was tense and violent while simultaneously giving us a look into daily life for Aztec royalty. The inner working of the court, ethnic divisions, succession, spirituality, power, war. We’re on the edge of life changing but first Moctezuma needs to take his nap.
I was worried Moctezuma didn’t know what he was doing but he knows his job better than me lol I was not an huey tlatoani with at least 3 rebelling cities under my rule.
I haven’t read anything like this before and I want more. I want to read more colonial revenge stories. I want to feel as immersed in the next world as I was in this one. I think it helped that I went to see the Mayan ruins in chichen itza midread. Different group of people and different regions of Mexico, but it helped me envision more the daily goings on of this book and what it could have felt like to live in the jungle back then. Between the temple and the ball court and the old houses. I find the way the characters are envisioned in this book accessible, sort of modern in a way and 3 dimensional. This book was tense and violent while simultaneously giving us a look into daily life for Aztec royalty. The inner working of the court, ethnic divisions, succession, spirituality, power, war. We’re on the edge of life changing but first Moctezuma needs to take his nap.
I was worried Moctezuma didn’t know what he was doing but he knows his job better than me lol I was not an huey tlatoani with at least 3 rebelling cities under my rule.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Misogyny, Sexual violence, and Murder
naturalog's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Violence, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Rape, Slavery, and Death of parent
Minor: Misogyny, Vomit, and Cannibalism
eardil's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Una novelización interesante sobre la primera visita de los españoles a Tenochtitlán.
Positivo:
* Me gustó su worldbuilding. Pude sentirme envuelto en el palacio y la ciudad con sus templos y entender un poco mejor la estructura de los islotes
* Los personajes tienen fuertes características. Moctezuma como el paranoico hundido en hongos pero aún con un objetivo estratégico muy claro, la figura del jefe de gobierno de la ciudad como su mano derecha y sus motivaciones propias, pero aún su amigo. Cortés con su celo ingenuo y tóxico.
* El final me encantó. No quiero hacer spoilers así que solo diré que la escena me pareció muy bien llevada.
Negativo:
* La estructura de los diálogos me parece innecesariamente obtusa. Saramago hace algo con la opacidad de quién está hablando cuando no usa casi signos de puntuación. Me pareció que Enrigue solo intentó usarlo para parecer interesante.
* A veces la "crudez" es un poco gratuita, aunque no es tanta como para que me pareciera molesta, pero no siempre es necesaria. Y creo que lo señalo menos porque no la quiero ahí y más porque cuando la usa efectivamente sí lo hace bien, y usarla de más abarata esos momentos.
Veredicto:
Recomiendo el libro sobre todo en cuanto a costo-beneficio. Es muy corto, y lo que construye lo hace bien.
Positivo:
* Me gustó su worldbuilding. Pude sentirme envuelto en el palacio y la ciudad con sus templos y entender un poco mejor la estructura de los islotes
* Los personajes tienen fuertes características. Moctezuma como el paranoico hundido en hongos pero aún con un objetivo estratégico muy claro, la figura del jefe de gobierno de la ciudad como su mano derecha y sus motivaciones propias, pero aún su amigo. Cortés con su celo ingenuo y tóxico.
* El final me encantó. No quiero hacer spoilers así que solo diré que la escena me pareció muy bien llevada.
Negativo:
* La estructura de los diálogos me parece innecesariamente obtusa. Saramago hace algo con la opacidad de quién está hablando cuando no usa casi signos de puntuación. Me pareció que Enrigue solo intentó usarlo para parecer interesante.
* A veces la "crudez" es un poco gratuita, aunque no es tanta como para que me pareciera molesta, pero no siempre es necesaria. Y creo que lo señalo menos porque no la quiero ahí y más porque cuando la usa efectivamente sí lo hace bien, y usarla de más abarata esos momentos.
Veredicto:
Recomiendo el libro sobre todo en cuanto a costo-beneficio. Es muy corto, y lo que construye lo hace bien.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Excrement, and Colonisation
Moderate: Sexual assault and Classism
Minor: Drug abuse and Cannibalism
hamohero's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I did quite enjoy the cheeky narration but I barely understood what was happening without the historical/literary knowledge along with the lack of punctuation, huge cast with multiple names, and the sudden shifts in setting/povs.
Also tw:mention of rape p111 and reference to said rape p129
Also tw:
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Murder, and War