Reviews

Shigidi: and the Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi

atsundarsingh's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

Absolutely loved this. It was a little bit of a head-spinner to jump into, but I chalk that entirely up to my lack of familiarity with the Yoruba pantheon. I genuinely can't overstate how much I would gobble up a screen adaptation of this. I loved the main character; Shigidi really goes on a journey and I found it surprisingly relatable. Would happily consume another story in this world or something else entirely by the author. 

jack_iwashyna's review against another edition

adventurous funny fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

A great heist in a beautifully fleshed out world with a sweet love story

haudurn's review against another edition

5.0

Super fun tale of gods behaving badly. It's like Madeline Miller's Circe meets contemporary times and global locales. This is a wild romp.

erebus42's review against another edition

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Honestly I grabbed it because the cover looked good, and boy was that a good move. This felt like the Bartimaeus trilogy but different enough to be refreshing, and not long enough to be overdone. Definitely a good read, worth picking up! The ending made me choke up a bit too lol

jammons's review against another edition

medium-paced

2.5

rowanhill's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

Features:

• A nightmare god and a succubus plotting a world-crossing heist
• Gods and spirits based on Yoruba mythology
• Based primarily in Lagos and London 
• Explores themes of trust, love, and the cost of pursuing your desires
• A good blend of a steamy romance, heist, and fantasy  

Getting what you desire comes at a price, and the cost for both nightmare god Shigidi and succubus Nneoma has been high. Though the present storyline centers on a dangerous heist, this book predominantly focuses on the Shigidi and Nneoma’s partnership and the experiences that have brought them to this moment. This book jumps around time, perspective, and worlds as the pieces fall into place, so you have to be willing to go with the flow. It has a literary feel but manages to stay very accessible throughout. I found the world and characters interesting (particularly Nneoma) and loved getting a small taste of Yoruba mythology through this piece. This one can get a little steamy, but I would definitely recommend this read to anyone who is interested in mythology-inspired stories and powerful beings getting up to no good. 

Pro: True to their nature

Shigidi is a nightmare god, one of the lower tier gods in the Orisha Spirit Company. Where he once had a following that afforded him a decent lifestyle, people’s belief in him has all since disappeared. A chance encounter with succubus Nneoma gives him an opportunity to escape the dead end job he hates, but it will cost what little is left of his old life. When an offer to gain back everything Shigidi and Nneoma have lost and more arises, they can’t help but agree to a heist that is more likely to end in their destruction than in their freedom. 

Shigidi and Nneoma have a complicated partnership and this book does a wonderful job developing these characters both individually and as a couple. Despite Shigidi being the titular character, there is more of a focus on Nneoma and she is definitely the more interesting one for me. Talabi manages to create a succubus character who is complex and relatable while still fully embracing her true nature and power. Things get steamy in both romantic and terrifying ways, but she never feels guided by pure, blind lust. Nneoma is very much her own woman and the desire to know more about her made me devour the pages. 

Shigidi complements Nneoma very well in both personality and power despite being less interesting overall. Having been so restricted for most of his existence, there is very little about his past to explore and uncover. Instead,  Shigidi’s journey is more about establishing his new identity and purpose. I love that a lot of this searching is done through his partnership with Nneoma, but it naturally puts the spotlight on Nneoma a little more.

The Breakdown: Here, there, and everywhere in between

Shigidi and Nneoma are both immortal beings who can exist in both the mortal and spiritual world. Talabi takes full advantage of their long lifespan and the exploration of their past experiences can jump back centuries. In addition to jumping around time, the location and perspective each section is told in can differ. Each chapter is labeled with a date and location, but it can still be a little difficult to tell which perspective it uses at first. Though it moves around quite a lot, I never felt lost while reading this book and I found it easy to figure out why we had jumped back to certain memories. However, the extended time span over which we experience these memories makes them feel a little disconnected from each other and it is a little harder to visualize the sequence of events that shape the characters. I appreciate how Talabi tries to embrace the immortal nature of his characters, so jumping around did not bother me too much. However, it does happen a lot and I can see it being annoying and/or confusing to some readers who like their stories to be more linear.

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

ejjay7's review against another edition

Slow flashbacks and didn’t get into the characters at all

zivan's review against another edition

adventurous medium-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? No

2.0

 

I'm sorry to say I didn't enjoy Shigidi, It felt like a heist movie for teens. Everything is very simple and straightforward, as if a novel had been adapted to film. It lacks the subtleties available in novels that are so hard to convey on screen. 

I don't understand how it found itself on the same Nebula Award list as  The Saint of Bright Doors. 

spr's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content

5erinnicole's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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

3.5

I love how Talabi writes - that said I actually prefer his characterization of Shigidi in his short story collection. 

This book was fun, a healthy mix of romance, sex, and adventure. But it was missing an element of characterization that I craved. I just found myself not caring for or rooting for anyone as much as I am used to. That said the scene setting was lovely, and I did feel like I was right next to the characters.