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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
There's some interest to the world, but I wasn't really taken with how the book was written.
Woah. I loved the concept of animals marking who has murdered another person, as well as the little bits of pop culture strewn throughout the book. I felt like the ending just totally snuck up on me in a jarring way. But I loved Zinzi and I'm hoping we'll get more of an explanation in another book.
I'll say this about Lauren Beukes: she doesn't write the same book twice. This novel could not be more different from The Shining Girls. I didn't enjoy it nearly as much though.
This is really a 3.5 star book. I really hate 5 star rating systems.
This is a book with a fantastic central premise (the animalled) and the writing is top notch. But the mystery and noir elements weren't up to pace with the urban fantasy in my mind.
The story lost pace for me when, at about the three quarter mark, one of the primary mysteries (regarding the finding of Song) just kinda petered out.
Regardless, this was a great read and very refreshing to read something so unashamedly South African. It certainly ramps up at the end to make the whole read worthwhile. Recommended.
This is a book with a fantastic central premise (the animalled) and the writing is top notch. But the mystery and noir elements weren't up to pace with the urban fantasy in my mind.
The story lost pace for me when, at about the three quarter mark, one of the primary mysteries (regarding the finding of Song) just kinda petered out.
Regardless, this was a great read and very refreshing to read something so unashamedly South African. It certainly ramps up at the end to make the whole read worthwhile. Recommended.
Just reading about the fascinating setup — people who commit violent crimes get both an outward stigma, in the form of a companion animal they can never be far from, and a special power associated with that animal — had me wanting to try this novel. Mix in a rather unique setting (South Africa) and the guts to confound genre expectations and this was a fascinating read. Very much looking forward to Beukes’ next.
RIVETING, with absolutely fascinating worldbuilding. I would read anything else she wanted to write in this universe--or anything else she writes, period.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Beukes’ creation and depiction of her dystopian, alternative reality – a world where criminals magically gain an unshakeable animal companion and a supernatural ability due as a manifestation of guilt for their individual crimes, usually murders or death related – is easily what I loved most about this novel. Beukes’ ability to describe the setting and every character in a way that makes envisioning the story easy (a significant achievement in a dystopian fantasy narrative) and to weave the world-building aspects seamlessly into the storyline with no jarring, no slowing of the fast pace or eerie atmosphere made it a great dystopian read. I especially enjoyed the sections of the novel with newspaper clippings and other forms of media as a different way of introducing the reader to the history of this alternative reality. Beukes’ tough, sarcastic, and scarred narrator, Zinzi, is easily my favourite character with her dark sense of humour and the fact that she’s a morally grey protagonist at best made the narrative that much better. The novel also touches on many important themes and can be interpreted as an allegory for some parts of the world, which only added to my enjoyment of the novel.
While I loved the plot during the first half or so of the novel, near the end I found the storyline and the direction it was heading in to be quite strange (although I wasn’t sure how I would’ve liked the narrative to go) so I started to lose interest and didn’t really enjoy the ending as much as it’s beginning. One of the things that bothered me a little about the plot is to do with Zinzi’s past and how she gains her sloth. We find out quite quickly that she has somehow caused the death of her brother and while her background makes sense, what was a little annoying is that it never really gets explained what actually happened and it kind of felt as though there was much more to this particular memory which we don’t get to find out. The few loose ends that the novel has, though, means that there’s a possibility that there is more to discover about the world inside Zoo City.
For more reviews like this one, check out https://angelicacastilloking.wordpress.com/
While I loved the plot during the first half or so of the novel, near the end I found the storyline and the direction it was heading in to be quite strange (although I wasn’t sure how I would’ve liked the narrative to go) so I started to lose interest and didn’t really enjoy the ending as much as it’s beginning. One of the things that bothered me a little about the plot is to do with Zinzi’s past and how she gains her sloth.
For more reviews like this one, check out https://angelicacastilloking.wordpress.com/
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence
Second read for this fantasy. Hugely energetic mystery based around a brilliantly weird idea: people who commit serious crimes find themselves with linked animals, a bit like daemons but not nice--and if the animal dies, a weird shadowy doom comes for the person. The exploration of the social impacts of this (eg bad boy pop stars faking being animalled to look hard, or the issues of being animalled in prison) and the documentary inserts are probably my favourite aspects of this--the plot is a bit thin, on second read, but it's more than made up for by the exuberant ideas and vivid depictions of Jo'burg and the chaotic life of Zoo City where the animalled people live. There is a lot in here--muti, the dodgy world of manufactured pop stars, 419 scammers, issues of child soldiers and a lot more--and it's a very loud non-stop ride. Much fun.