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blessing_aj's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Violence, and War
unfiltered_fiction's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I read The Shadow King for my work book club, and it provoked such an interesting and varied discussion - definitely one I'd recommend for a group read!
I have mixed feelings about this book myself - there were elements of it that were phenomenal, and aspects that felt quite underdeveloped.
I found several of the structural and stylistic elements a little frustrating. A lack of quote marks and use of first person present tense, two of my pet hates in literature, made it difficult for me to properly lose myself in the story. The story is also presented in a highly stylised way, with interludes and choruses, with references in both style and content to Homer's Iliad. I really applaud Mengiste's aim of writing back to the male, Western and white dominated tradition of epic, but I found these framing techniques emotionally distancing and a little forced.
One of the key things I found frustrating was how little agency women maintained throughout the story. In her author's note, Mengiste says that "The story of war had always been a masculine story, but this was not true for Ethiopia and it has never been that way in any form of struggle. Women have been there, we are here now." Whilst she's absolutely right, this book really didn't feel to me like it put women right at the centre of the story.
However, the writing is stunning. It is philosophically rich, immaculately researched, and a distinctly valuable resistance to Western-centred narratives of conflict. It's an especially important text because Mengiste reminds the reader of the very, very recent brutality inflicted on people and nations of colour by European regimes; I have spent years in classrooms learning about the World Wars and their historical, but I did not know a thing about Mussolini's campaigns on Ethiopia.
It's a very important story, but overall, I wasn't a huge fan of how it was told.
I have mixed feelings about this book myself - there were elements of it that were phenomenal, and aspects that felt quite underdeveloped.
I found several of the structural and stylistic elements a little frustrating. A lack of quote marks and use of first person present tense, two of my pet hates in literature, made it difficult for me to properly lose myself in the story. The story is also presented in a highly stylised way, with interludes and choruses, with references in both style and content to Homer's Iliad. I really applaud Mengiste's aim of writing back to the male, Western and white dominated tradition of epic, but I found these framing techniques emotionally distancing and a little forced.
One of the key things I found frustrating was how little agency women maintained throughout the story. In her author's note, Mengiste says that "The story of war had always been a masculine story, but this was not true for Ethiopia and it has never been that way in any form of struggle. Women have been there, we are here now." Whilst she's absolutely right, this book really didn't feel to me like it put women right at the centre of the story.
However, the writing is stunning. It is philosophically rich, immaculately researched, and a distinctly valuable resistance to Western-centred narratives of conflict. It's an especially important text because Mengiste reminds the reader of the very, very recent brutality inflicted on people and nations of colour by European regimes; I have spent years in classrooms learning about the World Wars and their historical, but I did not know a thing about Mussolini's campaigns on Ethiopia.
It's a very important story, but overall, I wasn't a huge fan of how it was told.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
ncdess1398's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Sexual violence, and War
I had no knowledge of this time period in history and Mengiste crafted this story with such immense care and painful honesty. Beautifully written and incredibly sad.my_plant_library's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Rape
morwenna's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault
avisreadsandreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
sad
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Antisemitism
margauxhdz's review against another edition
I think that this story is an interresting one for sure but the structure and narration were all over the place which made it diffucult for me to really get into it. I got to a point where despite being curious about the rest of the story, I wasn't interrested enough to finsih the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Rape, Torture, and Antisemitism
laura_storyteller's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Antisemitism
hardcoverhearts's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, and Murder
daisymaytwizell's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
I listened to the audiobook of this, and while that helped me as a white person learn how to pronounce the names/places, I do think that with all the shifts in time and perspective it would be a much easier read with a physical copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, Antisemitism, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual violence
Mengiste has a fantastic balance between communicating the horrors of war, without making the descriptions gratuitous.