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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3-4 stars depending on my mood really.
My favorite part of the book? It's set in a dystopian future that is a result of climate change, and it's nice to see something that's more of a natural extension of what we are dealing and looking at right now rather than some cataclysmic event (war, meteor, etc.).
I also liked a woman of color as the protagonist. Unfortunately, I read a bit about the controversy with regards to her using another tribe to tell the story rather than the one that Roanhorse belongs to, and the issues that Navajo peoples have with her storytelling, and I just can't ignore that.
I'm not a huge urban fantasy reader, and this definitely had that feel, but it was different enough to be interesting. Dinétah, the former Navajo reservation, has been reborn as its own land after the climate has disrupted and destroyed much of the world that we know.
Maggie is a Dinétah monster hunter and outcast, after being rescued and trained (and partnered to some extent) with an immortal hunter. On her own, she has few allies, but pairs with Kai, a medicine man (of a sort) to help find and kill monsters that have risen. It ends on a bit of a cliff hanger, but not enough to ruin the book or ending (it is mostly tied up), but I have already purchased the next installment and will be listening to that.
I thought Tanis Parenteau did an excellent job narrating and look forward to listening to more books she narrates (not least of all, the follow up to this book).
My favorite part of the book? It's set in a dystopian future that is a result of climate change, and it's nice to see something that's more of a natural extension of what we are dealing and looking at right now rather than some cataclysmic event (war, meteor, etc.).
I also liked a woman of color as the protagonist. Unfortunately, I read a bit about the controversy with regards to her using another tribe to tell the story rather than the one that Roanhorse belongs to, and the issues that Navajo peoples have with her storytelling, and I just can't ignore that.
I'm not a huge urban fantasy reader, and this definitely had that feel, but it was different enough to be interesting. Dinétah, the former Navajo reservation, has been reborn as its own land after the climate has disrupted and destroyed much of the world that we know.
Maggie is a Dinétah monster hunter and outcast, after being rescued and trained (and partnered to some extent) with an immortal hunter. On her own, she has few allies, but pairs with Kai, a medicine man (of a sort) to help find and kill monsters that have risen. It ends on a bit of a cliff hanger, but not enough to ruin the book or ending (it is mostly tied up), but I have already purchased the next installment and will be listening to that.
I thought Tanis Parenteau did an excellent job narrating and look forward to listening to more books she narrates (not least of all, the follow up to this book).
so grateful for stories where past and future fold on top of each other. traditional stories come to life in the (somewhat modern) future. really beautifully written and developed.
as a mental health professional and a trauma survivor, i deeply appreciate the masterful ways this author gets us into the mind of the main character who herself has been through so much.
overall, i loved the dialogue, narration, character development, pacing, and mixture of supernatural + human elements.
the ending spiraled into *absolute* chaos. and, for me, it was of the ridiculous and eye roll variety instead of maintaining the beautiful intensity held in the first 3/4 of the book.
as a mental health professional and a trauma survivor, i deeply appreciate the masterful ways this author gets us into the mind of the main character who herself has been through so much.
overall, i loved the dialogue, narration, character development, pacing, and mixture of supernatural + human elements.
the ending spiraled into *absolute* chaos. and, for me, it was of the ridiculous and eye roll variety instead of maintaining the beautiful intensity held in the first 3/4 of the book.
I honestly couldn’t stand the main character. I’m fine with hard around the edges characters, but this woman flies off the handle WAY too easily. I can’t deal with stupidity, and her going off about every little thing is just stupidity.
mysterious
fast-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
No stars because I couldn't finish this. Really liked the world building and Navajo culture mixed with futuristic ecological disaster but just couldn't get past Maggie.
I'm not sure how old she's meant to be but she behaves like such a stroppy teenager, it got wearing so, sadly I'm done.
I'm not sure how old she's meant to be but she behaves like such a stroppy teenager, it got wearing so, sadly I'm done.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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
A lot to like and dislike here. The writing is excellent, and I feel like the prose carried me the whole way to the end through the moments that dragged. Experienced readers will probably breeze through the 285 pages pretty easily. The words just flow so well on the page and it’s difficult not to just keep them flowing. I also liked ditching your typical European fantasy elements for Diné (Navajo) mythology and monsters. A nice change of pace, and really enjoyed how the magic works in this. Feels fresh, and I can see why this book was successful.
The supporting characters are the most interesting ones. I have mixed feelings about Maggie, the main character and the POV. I didn’t find her all the interesting. Her being a “monster slayer” is cool but she hardly does any of that here. She does at the beginning, which is a very strong hook, but the rest of the story doesn’t exactly live up to the bar set by the opening few chapters. She does some more slaying toward the end but those ones are vanquished in a couple sentences. And I don’t think she’s a character that’s easy to engage with. By her nature, she’s very closed off and reserved, she lives alone and doesn’t really like people all that much. As a result, a lot of her internal dialogue is just her arguing with herself about whether or not it’s okay for her to have feelings, which gets pretty old the third or fourth time it happens. It gets worse once the hunky, smooth talking medicine man shows up, who ends up being a major supporting character (I liked him more than Maggie). There’s one character in particular that she agonizes over, and he’s pretty relevant to the plot, but I kind of got sick of hearing about him by the time he actually shows up.
Speaking of the plot, there really isn’t a whole lot of it. Most of this book feels like a big long prequel to a better book. There’s enough here to carry the characters from A to B but sometimes it’s not all clear why they need to go from A to B and as a result it feels like the characters are doing side quests to level up before they get back to the main quest. Kai’s secret clan power is literally just Charisma 100 which is kind of unintentionally funny. Not even really sure what the main quest is tbh. There’s a witch making evil monsters for…reasons I guess. And they have to kill him. But along the way we have to decide whether or not killing people is bad. Maybe I’m missing something. Idk. 3.5 stars. I’ll probably read the sequel.
Also, one of the paramilitary groups they meet up with are called the “Thirsty Boys,” which I have trouble taking seriously. The context is that in this world climate change has made water into a profitable commodity but I just cannot take a well-armed biker gang seriously when they’re called “Thirsty Boys.”
There have been no shortage of tough chick stories. Gone are the days when the swooning femme took center. This character is hard to like, but you probably will anyhow. She doesn't like to be touched or make friends or owe anyone. And I feel like that's said often, but Maggie would spend her time alone on a mountain ridge watching nature pass by. She has long car rides with another in the car and doesn't speak. As an extremely chatty person, I find that odd.
In my opinion, the best aspect of this book is the Voice. This author is writing to her strengths and knowledge and customs. Not to the general public. Are you sure of "Dinétah"? What about the pronunciation of Ma'ii? What does a hogan look like? That's on you and thankfully Google is fully equipped. I'm not Navajo, but I have Native American blood in my lineage. And I grasp the important of land and respect and representation.
That aside, it's an awesome urban post apocalyptic tale. What more do you want?
In my opinion, the best aspect of this book is the Voice. This author is writing to her strengths and knowledge and customs. Not to the general public. Are you sure of "Dinétah"? What about the pronunciation of Ma'ii? What does a hogan look like? That's on you and thankfully Google is fully equipped. I'm not Navajo, but I have Native American blood in my lineage. And I grasp the important of land and respect and representation.
That aside, it's an awesome urban post apocalyptic tale. What more do you want?