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destdest's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Unfortunately, this wasn’t a good read for me. I wanted to like this much more than I did. The cover, West African setting, and the title really drew me to this.
The pacing wasn’t slow, but I didn’t mesh well with the writing style. So much of it felt like unnecessary details or sterile. We have a fox spirit, kidnapping, and trying to unite two kingdoms! Narborhi is educated and can fight hand-to-hand combat. Nothing about that sounds boring but the execution was.
One of the main conflicts/themes is that Narborhi has seen the horrors of marriage going wrong and leaving women destitute or shells of themselves. Her mother's experience really shaped her worldview.
I like that the book acknowledges that marriage (at least certainly at her age - 16 years old) isn't for everyone. Despite that, many of the characters (one of the male leads even) desired marriage but didn't gaslight or belittle Narborhi's feelings. There's a balance of good and terrible marriage(s) here, but the power imbalances with the majority of the young brides are made very clear.
I liked the Red Tapestry once it was introduced, a haven for women to showcase their skills and talents.
The pacing wasn’t slow, but I didn’t mesh well with the writing style. So much of it felt like unnecessary details or sterile. We have a fox spirit, kidnapping, and trying to unite two kingdoms! Narborhi is educated and can fight hand-to-hand combat. Nothing about that sounds boring but the execution was.
One of the main conflicts/themes is that Narborhi has seen the horrors of marriage going wrong and leaving women destitute or shells of themselves. Her mother's experience really shaped her worldview.
I like that the book acknowledges that marriage (at least certainly at her age - 16 years old) isn't for everyone. Despite that, many of the characters (one of the male leads even) desired marriage but didn't gaslight or belittle Narborhi's feelings. There's a balance of good and terrible marriage(s) here, but the power imbalances with the majority of the young brides are made very clear.
I liked the Red Tapestry once it was introduced, a haven for women to showcase their skills and talents.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Domestic abuse
bear_ridge_tarot's review
adventurous
challenging
tense
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? Yes
4.5
Naborhi has big dreams, bigger than the others in her little village. She is 16, coming of age, and wants more than anything to travel the world and not end up as some boy's wife. When she accidentally bonds with a mysterious creature while out in the woods, her predictable life gets turned upside down. Naborhi must decide if it is the best or worst thing to ever happen to her as she answers the call of a god not her own and journeys with the rival kingdom's Oracle's son.
This book was written so beautifully that I devoured it in one sitting. While two nations at war is nothing new, the way that the author wove West African and Urhobo folklore into the story gave life to tired tropes. The mythology is alive in the imagery, flowing seamlessly from one part to the next. The only thing I craved with this book was more. I would have loved more world-building, more magic explained, and more of the mysterious forces guiding Naborhi and her cohorts along their journey.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to see the world through the eyes of a dreamer, and who loves adventures seeped in magical meddling.
I received this book as an advanced reader copy through NetGally. It does not affect my review in any way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Misogyny, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Death of parent and War
tmdreads's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I received an Arc from NetGally but all opinions are my own.
A story of Naborhi, who wants for a different life then the traditional life of a women in the Kingdom of Kokori- marriage and making a family. It is her time to go through her rites of passage and become betrothed but she wants freedom. She dreams of a different life but could not imagine the twist her life takes when she encounters a spirit fox only she can see.
This starts as a slow pace story, a story of a regular life that turns in to an extraordinary one touched by spirits. The plot gets much more rushed at for the last third of the book as it moves fast through the quest Naborh must complete. Naborh is endearing and the world is very interesting.
It reads like a young YA book although the protagonist is 16 and being prepared to be married the writing reads on the younger end of YAFantasy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Misogyny and War
Minor: Animal death
queer_bookwyrm's review
adventurous
inspiring
medium-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? No
5.0
5 ⭐ CW: violence, domestic violence, death of a parent mention
"Despite those obstacles, despite those boulders, the water moves fast and strong. It cannot be held back. It cannot be less than it is. That is how you are Naborhi. Like the unstoppable waters."
The Smoke That Thunders by Erhu Kome is a YA fantasy focusing on Urhobo and West African folklore. I was gifted this ARC by a friend, and I cannot recommend this enough! This was such a great stand alone book. It had such a unique voice and vibe unlike a lot of Western stories. The magic and fantasy was subtle, but the Black Girl Magic was fantastic!
We follow Naborhi Tanomare, a girl from a small village who wants so much more than to be valued by her bride price and what she can bring to a husband. When Naborhi starts getting visions of a boy needing help and a spirit fox, she is plunged into a journey to save him, stop a war, and leaves her provincial life behind.
We get to learn so much about what I assume is Urhobo culture, and there is a lot of background and world-building at first that sets us up for a hero's journey type of story. I love Naborhi, she is so strong willed and only wants freedom for herself and adventure. I also really liked her companions Atai, the cute son of an Oracle, and her comic relief cousin Tamunor. They were all such great characters that all had their own similar struggles around their parents' expectations of them.
Although this story was about saving a boy and stopping a war, ultimately it was about the importance of freedom and choice. The ability to choose your own happiness despite how difficult it might be to attain. I loved seeing all the different cultures and climates as our group travelled across the continent, and the multitude of strong, capable women. This was such a fun, short read.
"Despite those obstacles, despite those boulders, the water moves fast and strong. It cannot be held back. It cannot be less than it is. That is how you are Naborhi. Like the unstoppable waters."
The Smoke That Thunders by Erhu Kome is a YA fantasy focusing on Urhobo and West African folklore. I was gifted this ARC by a friend, and I cannot recommend this enough! This was such a great stand alone book. It had such a unique voice and vibe unlike a lot of Western stories. The magic and fantasy was subtle, but the Black Girl Magic was fantastic!
We follow Naborhi Tanomare, a girl from a small village who wants so much more than to be valued by her bride price and what she can bring to a husband. When Naborhi starts getting visions of a boy needing help and a spirit fox, she is plunged into a journey to save him, stop a war, and leaves her provincial life behind.
We get to learn so much about what I assume is Urhobo culture, and there is a lot of background and world-building at first that sets us up for a hero's journey type of story. I love Naborhi, she is so strong willed and only wants freedom for herself and adventure. I also really liked her companions Atai, the cute son of an Oracle, and her comic relief cousin Tamunor. They were all such great characters that all had their own similar struggles around their parents' expectations of them.
Although this story was about saving a boy and stopping a war, ultimately it was about the importance of freedom and choice. The ability to choose your own happiness despite how difficult it might be to attain. I loved seeing all the different cultures and climates as our group travelled across the continent, and the multitude of strong, capable women. This was such a fun, short read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Death of parent
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