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lorenipsum's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Rape, Vomit, Colonisation, and War
jtrebec's review against another edition
challenging
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
patlo's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
GORGEOUS retelling of the historical events of Spanish conquistadors under Hernán Cortés entering the city of Tenochtitlan and meeting with the court of emperor Moctezuma.
It's rare that, as I'm reading a book, I wished it were MUCH longer, or a series. But this one is an entire world, and reimagines a dense and complex world that many of us have some passing familiarity with. It's trippy hallucinogenic; it thrives in court politics and religious variety; its characters are all well shaped. The reader's head swims in a fast paced, dense story with color and flavor everywhere.
Think multicultural Game of Throes meets Hunter S. Thompson packed into a 220 page novella.
TIP: Don't skip the author's notes to the translator in the first pages.
It's rare that, as I'm reading a book, I wished it were MUCH longer, or a series. But this one is an entire world, and reimagines a dense and complex world that many of us have some passing familiarity with. It's trippy hallucinogenic; it thrives in court politics and religious variety; its characters are all well shaped. The reader's head swims in a fast paced, dense story with color and flavor everywhere.
Think multicultural Game of Throes meets Hunter S. Thompson packed into a 220 page novella.
TIP: Don't skip the author's notes to the translator in the first pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Rape and Murder
theministy's review
adventurous
informative
fast-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
5.0
This is the revenge fantasy novel I never knew I wanted. Holy shit this was so good.
It's not like anything else that I've read before.
It's not like anything else that I've read before.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Violence, and Murder
warlocksarecool21's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
You Dreamed Of Empires is probably one of the most surreal and unique reading experiences I’ve ever had. Transcending genres and literary conventions, Enrigue imagines an alternative version of what happened when Hernan Cortés and the conquistadores arrived in Tenochtitlan. I can’t fully describe how I feel about this book, but it was such an interesting read and there was a lot of subtle yet profound commentary about empires, religion and humanity.
In this book, Enrigue presents a subversive and complex reimagining of the Spanish conquest & the fall of the Aztec empire. It follows a broad cast of characters, from both the conquistadors perspective and Moctezuma and his court. To me, each character represented a different genre & character archetype and it was fun seeing how the author played with those elements to tell the story. There’s aspects of different genres from the old epic chivalric poems, political thrillers and literary fiction. Each character represents a different perspective on the events surrounding the fall of the Aztec empire and what could have happened instead. There’s interesting commentary about how we remember historical events depending on who is the victor and how so much is lost because of that.
I also really enjoyed the historical and cultural details of the Aztec’s way of life and I learned a lot about their culture and language.
This book was witty, nuanced and philosophical and while some of it went over my head, it was a thought-provoking read and I’m glad I picked it up.
In this book, Enrigue presents a subversive and complex reimagining of the Spanish conquest & the fall of the Aztec empire. It follows a broad cast of characters, from both the conquistadors perspective and Moctezuma and his court. To me, each character represented a different genre & character archetype and it was fun seeing how the author played with those elements to tell the story. There’s aspects of different genres from the old epic chivalric poems, political thrillers and literary fiction. Each character represents a different perspective on the events surrounding the fall of the Aztec empire and what could have happened instead. There’s interesting commentary about how we remember historical events depending on who is the victor and how so much is lost because of that.
I also really enjoyed the historical and cultural details of the Aztec’s way of life and I learned a lot about their culture and language.
This book was witty, nuanced and philosophical and while some of it went over my head, it was a thought-provoking read and I’m glad I picked it up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
arijones91's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape and Murder
ukponge's review against another edition
challenging
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Rape
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
afloodofbooks's review
adventurous
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Rape
klabardee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
Minor: Sexism and Excrement