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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
It's hard to guide what you can't feel, and there are so many days in this modern Hawai'i in which I don't feel anything.
This hooked me right from the start, and never really lost my attention, even when it seemed to be dragging for too long. While I think this book would have benefited from a more concise plot, it's certainly well-written and poetic, full of imagery and sound and sensation. This character-driven story stays true to its themes of family and home and nature in an increasingly modernized, gentrified Hawai'i.
This hooked me right from the start, and never really lost my attention, even when it seemed to be dragging for too long. While I think this book would have benefited from a more concise plot, it's certainly well-written and poetic, full of imagery and sound and sensation. This character-driven story stays true to its themes of family and home and nature in an increasingly modernized, gentrified Hawai'i.
In the past couple of years, I've enjoyed reading books without knowing too much about them when I pick them up. I avoid reading reviews so I don't have any bias one way or the other when I actually read the book. This book was one of those that was floating in the periphery of my social media recommendations for a while now. No surprise, it is based on magical realism and since I seem to lean towards fantasy as my fall back genre this book seemed to be an easy recommendation.
Right off the bat, I'm glad that I chose the audiobook version of this book. The narrators only enhanced my experience. The story itself started to morph and change little by little and I didn't have time to settle enough to be bored. Although, some of the chapters run on aimlessly for while and were somewhat a drag to get through. The family dynamics which are at the centre of this plot are woven in with folklore and legend. The reader is able to understand the burden of the gift and the expectations piled on to the gifted child, the resentment of the others and how complicated feelings can fracture relationships irreparably when left unchecked. There are Hawaiian phrases, words and concepts sprinkled in throughout which added to my experience. The prose itself is simple for the most part and gets abstract in others.
The setting descriptions were vivid and knowing nothing about Hawaii, I could let my imagination run wild. At the very least, what I got out of this book was a determination to add Hawaii to my must-see destinations.
Right off the bat, I'm glad that I chose the audiobook version of this book. The narrators only enhanced my experience. The story itself started to morph and change little by little and I didn't have time to settle enough to be bored. Although, some of the chapters run on aimlessly for while and were somewhat a drag to get through. The family dynamics which are at the centre of this plot are woven in with folklore and legend. The reader is able to understand the burden of the gift and the expectations piled on to the gifted child, the resentment of the others and how complicated feelings can fracture relationships irreparably when left unchecked. There are Hawaiian phrases, words and concepts sprinkled in throughout which added to my experience. The prose itself is simple for the most part and gets abstract in others.
The setting descriptions were vivid and knowing nothing about Hawaii, I could let my imagination run wild. At the very least, what I got out of this book was a determination to add Hawaii to my must-see destinations.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hands down one of my all time favorite book covers ever. Just have to start there. 🦈 ☀️
This is a fantastic audiobook cast, I really enjoyed each narrator that took part in this recording. Each voice was distinct and emotive to their part of the story. There is a lot of grief, jealousy, hostility, and pain in this story and everyone did a great job conveying that.
The book itself gave me what I was hoping for, which was a speculative story infused with Hawaiian culture, but is primarily about a family's dynamics focused on favoring one child and the impact that has on every member of the family. A family of five has an experience that really projects one child into the spotlight to make him the "favorite", which has pretty devastating effects on each member of the family, in different ways.
I think the author did a fantastic job making each voice in the family distinct without one person having stronger development than the rest. Sometimes I find multiple points of view distracting if one narrator is more interesting or carrying more of the story but I did not feel that way with this book. I'll definitely be interested in picking up more from this author in the future.
This is a fantastic audiobook cast, I really enjoyed each narrator that took part in this recording. Each voice was distinct and emotive to their part of the story. There is a lot of grief, jealousy, hostility, and pain in this story and everyone did a great job conveying that.
The book itself gave me what I was hoping for, which was a speculative story infused with Hawaiian culture, but is primarily about a family's dynamics focused on favoring one child and the impact that has on every member of the family. A family of five has an experience that really projects one child into the spotlight to make him the "favorite", which has pretty devastating effects on each member of the family, in different ways.
I think the author did a fantastic job making each voice in the family distinct without one person having stronger development than the rest. Sometimes I find multiple points of view distracting if one narrator is more interesting or carrying more of the story but I did not feel that way with this book. I'll definitely be interested in picking up more from this author in the future.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes