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yeager's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
3.75
gabalodon's review against another edition
2.0
DNF at 50% - mostly just wasn't the right fit for me, I think. First of all, the exploration of the time period and associated racial dynamics was fascinating and very well done. However, I didn't really relate to any of the characters, so I didn't really care about what was happening. Every conversation was dripping in subtext and no one would just say what they actually mean. There was so much introspective angst and wallowing in self-flagellation and taking personal issues out on other people. I'm okay with morally grey characters (sometimes they can be the most interesting and fun), but I would have preferred it if everyone here either embraced the fact that they are morally grey or committed to not being morally grey. The over-soaking in regret and guilt is just exhausting and distracts from the interesting things going on in the actual plot and the under-sold but fascinating magic system.
silvern's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-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
3.25
This is definitely a book that benefits from longer sittings instead of being read in short segments, at least for me. The blurb for this book only covers the first one third, which meant that I was left at a bit of a loss regarding what the rest of the book could be about after completing that particular arc. The three parts of this book separately follow three related characters, with themes on race, power, inequality, and what it means to be good. This book really tested my reading comprehension, not in that it was written poorly, but that it throws you into the deep end and lets you figure things out yourself. Part two particularly also involves time jumps that took me a second to register. Overall the writing was well crafted, I just didn’t really know where the plot was going sometimes.
vindhaloo's review
DNF
I got about 1/3 of the way through the book but couldn’t get into it. I heard it gets better near the end but I felt like I was forcing myself to keep reading and decided it wasn’t worth it.
It has a bit of a “noir” style which maybe just isn’t my style. The premise of the book seems so interesting but it just doesn’t deliver for me. I wanted to learn more about the “hands” but it was kept too vague. I really wanted to enjoy this once but just couldn’t
I got about 1/3 of the way through the book but couldn’t get into it. I heard it gets better near the end but I felt like I was forcing myself to keep reading and decided it wasn’t worth it.
It has a bit of a “noir” style which maybe just isn’t my style. The premise of the book seems so interesting but it just doesn’t deliver for me. I wanted to learn more about the “hands” but it was kept too vague. I really wanted to enjoy this once but just couldn’t
lrector's review against another edition
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
2.5
Too slow for me. I couldn't get into it.
shimauchiha's review against another edition
4.0
Do not read this book if/when you want:
-A fun fast-paced assassin/mafia story.
-A typical "fantasy" fantasy.
-A traditional plotline.
-Not to think about racism and violence.
Read this if/when you like:
-Explorations of deep racism, with a hint of magic.
-Multiple POVs.
-Books going in surprising directions.
-Beautiful writing.
My thoughts:
The plot you'd expect when you read the synopsis or start reading this book is the story of a badass assassin girl going against a mafia boss. That plotline plays out in the first third of the book, and from then on, the book goes completely in other directions. It becomes a book about violence and its repercussions, about paying for your own sins and the sins of others, and about institutionalised racism playing out in different scenarios. It's a slower book, with literary-esque writing, and the smallest hints of magic.
It's not an assassin story. It's not about ultra-powerful characters saving the world, it's about the oppressed finding ways to gather any power they can, and how that power, be it violence, magic or assimilation, is often still not enough against a system of oppression. Even though sometimes it's about love and found families, it's not a happy book.
-A fun fast-paced assassin/mafia story.
-A typical "fantasy" fantasy.
-A traditional plotline.
-Not to think about racism and violence.
Read this if/when you like:
-Explorations of deep racism, with a hint of magic.
-Multiple POVs.
-Books going in surprising directions.
-Beautiful writing.
My thoughts:
The plot you'd expect when you read the synopsis or start reading this book is the story of a badass assassin girl going against a mafia boss. That plotline plays out in the first third of the book, and from then on, the book goes completely in other directions. It becomes a book about violence and its repercussions, about paying for your own sins and the sins of others, and about institutionalised racism playing out in different scenarios. It's a slower book, with literary-esque writing, and the smallest hints of magic.
It's not an assassin story. It's not about ultra-powerful characters saving the world, it's about the oppressed finding ways to gather any power they can, and how that power, be it violence, magic or assimilation, is often still not enough against a system of oppression. Even though sometimes it's about love and found families, it's not a happy book.
ebrooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
tanemariacris's review against another edition
Hidden sharp knives, questionable morals, doomed love, and a drop of magic imbue an alternate version of Harlem, making for a deliciously dangerous, submersive tale. I might not have fully clicked with the writing and with the way it was structured, but oh this was fun and the first protagonist we get introduced to is splendidly kicking ass in her mid-thirties which is something we need more of in stories since in real life it happens all the time.