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trippalli's review
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Violence, Murder, Stalking, and Torture
katie_greenwinginmymouth's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
4.75
I have literally no idea how to say something useful about this book without giving any spoilers and I DEFINITELY think it’s best to go in with as little knowledge of the plot as possible.
The world where the book starts proposes something so interesting. Imagine a world where slavery and colonialism haven’t happened and the dominant culture and religion in the world has its ancestry in Kemetian beliefs. What I love is that there is no big deal made of this (obviously), it’s just a different world that’s evolved down an alternative route to our current one - the plot is about something else entirely.
This is no utopia though, there is still inequality, corruption and marginalised groups with a de facto caste system in place. Society is in a parallel high capitalist moment where life is controlled by a megalomaniacal corporation akin to a totalitarian regime. Massive inequality still exists even tho the particular structural racism borne of slavery is not in existence. There was also a chilling reference to our own world dropped in - “With each yearly revolution, the Authority’s oppression bore weight on the zone’s neck with even greater force. If they couldn’t breathe...it was their moral right to push back.”
Do read the afterword to this because it has fascinating detail about how Newland was aiming to create a truly decolonial novel. And not only that, it’s a novel about astral projection. Seriously. This book is wild. The only down side is it is long and super dense at times and I did find the very middle part a teeny bit slowed down by this. But then it flipped again for the third section and honestly, that was the moment where you was OMG this book is genius. Read it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Violence
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