Reviews

He Mele A Hilo (A Hilo Song) by Ryka Aoki

theglossreview's review against another edition

5.0

I love He Mele A Hilo deeply. I read it twice in the summer season of 2023. So many more readings to come. It is a book that feels good to the soul and makes me feel all the way alive. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

blubbflubbl's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

scribblesm's review against another edition

5.0

This is a fantastic character study that had me reminiscing about Hawaii.
Compared to The Light From Uncommon Stars, this book runs without a plot and it may be better for it. There are a lot of common themes between the two novels. They both celebrate food, art, locale, and self discovery. They both have characters that leap off the page. The story here builds slowly like the ride rolling in and crescendos into a satisfying conclusion. The Light From Uncommon Stars Grand is engaging right from the beginning and the plot is strong right to the climax but the ending left me a bit disappointed.

bleucaldwell's review against another edition

hopeful informative inspiring mysterious sad slow-paced

4.75

mirrorstarweb's review

emotional inspiring mysterious

4.0

kokorobosoina's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-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

4.0

clara_ward's review against another edition

5.0

While I enjoyed Light from Uncommon Stars enough to track down this earlier novel, it turns out this is the book that I needed to read. Without giving too much away, I’ll say that Hilo is as much a character as a setting in this story, which I love. Other characters inhabit the place and language (by turns poetic and/or in dialect) that bring them to life. The story is a bit like The City We Became crossed with American Gods, and yet uniquely itself. The characters save and heal each other with such seemingly simple gifts as their personal understandings of fishing, hula, or plate lunch. They also offer several, often humorous, insights related to the question, “What is Hawaiian?”

jenna310's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective

4.0

alexis_maturana's review against another edition

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective slow-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

3.75

minacherie's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

5.0