sarah984's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
This was a short book, but I found the writing style fairly dense and challenging. Somehow it seemed to have a lot of extraneous detail and repetition, especially in the middle. However, I really liked the messages about the pain and power of shared history and generational trauma, and the ending was good enough to make me want to rate it higher than I had initially.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child death, Racism, Sexual content, and Genocide
nonfictionfeminist's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
mirandaroo89's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I loved the concept of this book, but it felt rushed and the storyline was a bit confusing. I feel like it could have had a slower build and a broader plotline. It felt more like a really long poem.
araneose's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-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
4.0
eol's review
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
peter__b's review
3.0
That was different. So much so, that I'm not entirely sure how to rate it. It never felt like it wanted to be just another story. As the afterword mentioned, the genesis of the idea for the book has come through an interesting route. It was written like folklore with touches of mythology. The story itself was quite basic but showed great finesse in terms of building up the world and its history. The characters were also quite flat but at the same time, compelling enough to move the story forward in an unconventional manner. With such a departure from modern storytelling, for the most part, my only real basis for rating this was left to how it resonated with me and how much I ended up enjoying it.
Hence the solid 3 stars. Once I got over the fact that this wasn't going to be your everyday story, I found it easier to just let the author take me along for the ride. The imagery and characters were portrayed wonderfully and despite some quite jarring narrative jumps, the overarching plot was odd but charming. I liked it for what it was and while it never gripped me or blew my mind in a way to justify any more stars, it has stuck with me long after I finished it. It's definitely not for everyone, but if you're in the mood for a quirky, African themed folktale about mermaids, then you have very specific moods and will probably enjoy this.
Hence the solid 3 stars. Once I got over the fact that this wasn't going to be your everyday story, I found it easier to just let the author take me along for the ride. The imagery and characters were portrayed wonderfully and despite some quite jarring narrative jumps, the overarching plot was odd but charming. I liked it for what it was and while it never gripped me or blew my mind in a way to justify any more stars, it has stuck with me long after I finished it. It's definitely not for everyone, but if you're in the mood for a quirky, African themed folktale about mermaids, then you have very specific moods and will probably enjoy this.