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shellbellbell's review against another edition
DNF halfway through. I really wanted to like this book, so it is with a heavy heart that I have to give up on it. Two things:
When I first put this book on my TBR, I think it was because it may have been marketed as "hopeful". And there are a few genuine moments of happiness and queer found family in the beginning of the book that I enjoyed. I loved seeing the casual queerness and gender diversity in the society outsiders. The outsider society was also rooted in traditional griot culture, and had strong African-futurist vibes. We need more of that in fantasy, so I was happy to see it.
However, the world itself is just brutal (see content warnings below for more details). Maybe it gets hopeful at the end. But I just couldn't watch one of the main characters continue to go through trauma after trauma. It just got to the point I wasn't enjoying it anymore.
The other thing is the author's writing style. There were some moments of beauty, for sure, but overall, it just didn't appeal to me. It's a little disjointed and back and forth. Paragraphs usually end with a non-sequitor or are just kind of a jumble of statements. It was confusing. I found myself having to go back and re-read passages to understand what was going on, and was often left confused when a character just... DID something without explanation. It didn't flow smoothly. I can see how the style could speak to other readers! It's unique, for sure! I could totally read poetry or a short story by this author. But when the book was already difficult to read because of the content, this was kinda the nail in the coffin.
Sadly, not for me.
Representation notes: Society is based in (west?) African tradition, so most characters, and those in power, are PoC. Characters exist that are explicitly a member of a gender outside the male/female binary with their own pronouns. Queer romance with the main character, and between the third-gender folks. Author is a Black woman.
Content warnings: The world includes a patriarchal society that practices human trafficking, slavery, and is discriminatory against women and third-gender folks. Content includes brutal gender-based (and what could be read as transphobic) violence, gore, and torture.
When I first put this book on my TBR, I think it was because it may have been marketed as "hopeful". And there are a few genuine moments of happiness and queer found family in the beginning of the book that I enjoyed. I loved seeing the casual queerness and gender diversity in the society outsiders. The outsider society was also rooted in traditional griot culture, and had strong African-futurist vibes. We need more of that in fantasy, so I was happy to see it.
However, the world itself is just brutal (see content warnings below for more details). Maybe it gets hopeful at the end. But I just couldn't watch one of the main characters continue to go through trauma after trauma. It just got to the point I wasn't enjoying it anymore.
The other thing is the author's writing style. There were some moments of beauty, for sure, but overall, it just didn't appeal to me. It's a little disjointed and back and forth. Paragraphs usually end with a non-sequitor or are just kind of a jumble of statements. It was confusing. I found myself having to go back and re-read passages to understand what was going on, and was often left confused when a character just... DID something without explanation. It didn't flow smoothly. I can see how the style could speak to other readers! It's unique, for sure! I could totally read poetry or a short story by this author. But when the book was already difficult to read because of the content, this was kinda the nail in the coffin.
Sadly, not for me.
Representation notes: Society is based in (west?) African tradition, so most characters, and those in power, are PoC. Characters exist that are explicitly a member of a gender outside the male/female binary with their own pronouns. Queer romance with the main character, and between the third-gender folks. Author is a Black woman.
Content warnings: The world includes a patriarchal society that practices human trafficking, slavery, and is discriminatory against women and third-gender folks. Content includes brutal gender-based (and what could be read as transphobic) violence, gore, and torture.
drl1's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
heytaytay12's review against another edition
3.0
DNF. Stunning world building but very difficult to follow the plot. Really wanted to finish but couldn’t stay engaged. For fans of slow burn/poetic fantasies.
eggcatsreads's review against another edition
2.0
I feel really bad about the 2 stars. This book is beautifully written and interesting to get lost in how it flows, whether reading or listening to an audiobook. I love the overall concept, and the main characters were relatively easy to root for.
Unfortunately that's the only thing keeping it from being 1 star.
I did not know what the hell was going on 90% of the book, and never knew what was going on WHILE it was going on. I have a vague idea of the plot and the conflicts and the resolution, but that's it.
There's also too many characters for me to be able to keep track of, especially when the animals randomly become an actual character where we get a chapter or so from their perspective - it's confusing and I'd have preferred not to have it. I could vaguely keep track of all the characters but once the animals got named I got lost, people would be named doing things and I'd have absolutely 0 idea who tf they were.
The worldbuilding and explanation of concepts in this book are kind of weak as well. After having read it, I feel like I almost understand just as much of the magic system and shadowland and etc. that I did on the very first page where they just dump you into it.
Also. Is the bee thing ever explained or is it just there? Granted I had to mostly audiobook this book bc I couldn't get into it, and if I had to read and not understand a single word on the page, I'd have never finished this book.
Unfortunately that's the only thing keeping it from being 1 star.
I did not know what the hell was going on 90% of the book, and never knew what was going on WHILE it was going on. I have a vague idea of the plot and the conflicts and the resolution, but that's it.
There's also too many characters for me to be able to keep track of, especially when the animals randomly become an actual character where we get a chapter or so from their perspective - it's confusing and I'd have preferred not to have it. I could vaguely keep track of all the characters but once the animals got named I got lost, people would be named doing things and I'd have absolutely 0 idea who tf they were.
The worldbuilding and explanation of concepts in this book are kind of weak as well. After having read it, I feel like I almost understand just as much of the magic system and shadowland and etc. that I did on the very first page where they just dump you into it.
Also. Is the bee thing ever explained or is it just there? Granted I had to mostly audiobook this book bc I couldn't get into it, and if I had to read and not understand a single word on the page, I'd have never finished this book.
cozy_reading_times's review
4.0
4.5*
A captivating fantasy epic about culture, climate and the human condition.
I didn't expect too much of this book and won't recommend it to every person out there.
It isn't for every person out there.
It's very literary and often abstract.
The plot is far from linear and kind of directionless.
I very much understand that many people didn't enjoy this book.
It's far from perfect.
I did. I very much loved it.
It was lush and beautiful and endlessly fascinating.
The strongest aspects of this book were the prose and the world building. Hairston has a very evocative and ambitious writing style. I think it's like poetry.
The word building so big and nuanced and full of culture.
Master of Poisons is climate fiction. A epic fantasy cli fi about a dying world and humanity not acting despite the warnings and instead turning to hate. A book about extremism and colonialism and religious fanaticism. There also alot of hate for vesons - that world's version of nonbinary people.
It's a story about people being broken by all that but also still fighting and standing up again. A story about love and hope.
There are many sad and tragic and hard moments in this book. But also many happy ones, and at the end of it all, I just really loved it.
And I highly recommend this to fans of N.K. Jemisin. If anyone has a chance at enjoying this, it's Jemisin fans.
A captivating fantasy epic about culture, climate and the human condition.
I didn't expect too much of this book and won't recommend it to every person out there.
It isn't for every person out there.
It's very literary and often abstract.
The plot is far from linear and kind of directionless.
I very much understand that many people didn't enjoy this book.
It's far from perfect.
I did. I very much loved it.
It was lush and beautiful and endlessly fascinating.
The strongest aspects of this book were the prose and the world building. Hairston has a very evocative and ambitious writing style. I think it's like poetry.
The word building so big and nuanced and full of culture.
Master of Poisons is climate fiction. A epic fantasy cli fi about a dying world and humanity not acting despite the warnings and instead turning to hate. A book about extremism and colonialism and religious fanaticism. There also alot of hate for vesons - that world's version of nonbinary people.
It's a story about people being broken by all that but also still fighting and standing up again. A story about love and hope.
There are many sad and tragic and hard moments in this book. But also many happy ones, and at the end of it all, I just really loved it.
And I highly recommend this to fans of N.K. Jemisin. If anyone has a chance at enjoying this, it's Jemisin fans.
drlisak's review against another edition
4.0
I received an ARC of this gorgeous books in advance of publication, so in many ways this review is slow in coming. That is because the book itself is a rich, luscious journey of words that I found myself savoring and reading slowly. In that sense, if you are looking for a quick action fantasy read, this is not that. However, it is a journey worth taking, not only for the poetry of the language and the dream-like atmosphere that Hairston creates, but also for the challenging questions and issues that connect directly with the real-world. This is a story that reflects on so many important things in subtle and yet impactful ways. Things like: power, gender, human responsibility toward natural world and one another, relationships, memory, ancestry and how it connects to the future. It is a book that needs to be explored thoughtfully, and with a mind open to new understandings of the world we live in.
I have always admired Hairston's ability to weave magic into her words and introduce me to characters and worlds which spark my own imagination and desire to learn more. This book does not disappoint.
I have always admired Hairston's ability to weave magic into her words and introduce me to characters and worlds which spark my own imagination and desire to learn more. This book does not disappoint.
peishantb's review against another edition
3.0
This is a hard book to rate as I almost gave it up, then found myself hooked on it, but feel like I'm still missing some details.
Some fantasies ease you into the world slowly; not this one. Starting the book was like finding yourself in the middle of a race without preparation and no knowledge of the distance you are supposed to run. You had to run with the rest of the group or risk getting trampled over.
The writing is beautiful, but the cadence took me a while to get used to. The images the writing invoked and the scenes the words painted usually start in a corner before it zooms out to full view, which makes it disconcerting at first. Usually, I like to chew on the clues and descriptions the author gives me. With this book, I find the best way to read it is not to dwell on the details, but to follow its flow and let it carry you away. It wasn't until I reached 50% of it before I settle on a good reading rhythm, and then, it was a race to the end.
Some fantasies ease you into the world slowly; not this one. Starting the book was like finding yourself in the middle of a race without preparation and no knowledge of the distance you are supposed to run. You had to run with the rest of the group or risk getting trampled over.
The writing is beautiful, but the cadence took me a while to get used to. The images the writing invoked and the scenes the words painted usually start in a corner before it zooms out to full view, which makes it disconcerting at first. Usually, I like to chew on the clues and descriptions the author gives me. With this book, I find the best way to read it is not to dwell on the details, but to follow its flow and let it carry you away. It wasn't until I reached 50% of it before I settle on a good reading rhythm, and then, it was a race to the end.
smoakwithwifi's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
csemjoro's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Blood, Trafficking, War, Gore, and Slavery
Moderate: Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Genocide, and Animal death