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flying_monkeys's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Will Do Magic for Small Change combined West African religion (Orisha and masquerades) and science fiction (aliens and time travel) in a story told almost entirely through dialogue.
Cinnamon Jones was easy to relate to, and I liked her gumption. But at the same time I was confused by two things: 1) to me, she didn't read like a 15-year-old and 2) she didn't ask for help from her aunt and grandparents who obviously had special "gifts" of their own. Though, Confusion #2 is something typical of young adult books -- no one goes to the adult who could actually assist with the problem at hand. Confusion #1 however, was exacerbated by all the teen angsty bits of the story. It seemed so out of character for Cinnamon to pine over Klaus and Marie, who came across more like frenemies than actual friends. And I never really felt like Cinnamon's body issues were properly addressed. People either told her to eat more or eat less, and her mom's treatment of her, woo boy.
Recommended to those looking for a more complex "young adult" blend of religious beliefs and magic and the paranormal -- in addition to deeper topics like gender, sexuality, and race. Also, if you don't mind being told 90% of the story, that'll help your level of enjoyment.
3 stars
(Will Do Magic for Small Change may have suffered a bit by the fact that I had finished Brown Girl in the Ring the day before.)
Bookmarked quotes:
"To kill a people without spilling blood, steal their stories, then feed them self-serving lies. Blood is nothing without story."
"A wise woman, tall and fierce, with lightning eyes and hurricane hands, once told me, The most a person can do for another is believe in 'em 'til they come true. Storytellers do this."
"Somso fingered a crossroads talisman at her neck. She sacrificed to the stringy haired orisha who walked on water and raised the dead. His followers ate his body, drank his blood, and named Eshu the devil--a powerful, mysterious cult."
"...Every time we read, we keep the Wanderer from jumping off a bridge. The Wanderer is an alien from the spaces between things and needs us, like light needs an object to shine on or darkness wins. The Wanderer has broken into fragments and scattered, maybe into Ariel the actress. There's nobody believing in the whole Wanderer. The Chronicles is the spell to put the Wanderer back together. Believing can make a body whole."
"What you think you know that ain't so can make you a slave was a great line for her Eshu poem."
"Sekou said everybody is queer. But powerful wizards cast mega-cloaking spells so we no longer know who we are. We think we're who the wizards say we are. Consensus Delusion."
Cinnamon Jones was easy to relate to, and I liked her gumption. But at the same time I was confused by two things: 1) to me, she didn't read like a 15-year-old and 2) she didn't ask for help from her aunt and grandparents who obviously had special "gifts" of their own. Though, Confusion #2 is something typical of young adult books -- no one goes to the adult who could actually assist with the problem at hand. Confusion #1 however, was exacerbated by all the teen angsty bits of the story. It seemed so out of character for Cinnamon to pine over Klaus and Marie, who came across more like frenemies than actual friends. And I never really felt like Cinnamon's body issues were properly addressed. People either told her to eat more or eat less, and her mom's treatment of her, woo boy.
Recommended to those looking for a more complex "young adult" blend of religious beliefs and magic and the paranormal -- in addition to deeper topics like gender, sexuality, and race. Also, if you don't mind being told 90% of the story, that'll help your level of enjoyment.
3 stars
(Will Do Magic for Small Change may have suffered a bit by the fact that I had finished Brown Girl in the Ring the day before.)
Bookmarked quotes:
"To kill a people without spilling blood, steal their stories, then feed them self-serving lies. Blood is nothing without story."
"A wise woman, tall and fierce, with lightning eyes and hurricane hands, once told me, The most a person can do for another is believe in 'em 'til they come true. Storytellers do this."
"Somso fingered a crossroads talisman at her neck. She sacrificed to the stringy haired orisha who walked on water and raised the dead. His followers ate his body, drank his blood, and named Eshu the devil--a powerful, mysterious cult."
"...Every time we read, we keep the Wanderer from jumping off a bridge. The Wanderer is an alien from the spaces between things and needs us, like light needs an object to shine on or darkness wins. The Wanderer has broken into fragments and scattered, maybe into Ariel the actress. There's nobody believing in the whole Wanderer. The Chronicles is the spell to put the Wanderer back together. Believing can make a body whole."
"What you think you know that ain't so can make you a slave was a great line for her Eshu poem."
"Sekou said everybody is queer. But powerful wizards cast mega-cloaking spells so we no longer know who we are. We think we're who the wizards say we are. Consensus Delusion."
ielerol's review
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
I'm not sure how to rate this book. I didn't dislike it, but one problem is I really didn't like the audiobook narrator. But also for the past few years I've really struggled to read in print any book that doesn't immediately grab me, and this was not a very grabby story for me. I was able to keep listening more steadily, but also had to struggle a bit to separate my feelings about the story from my feelings about the narration style.
Another problem is that Cinnamon spends a lot of time surrounded by very unpleasant people, not least her mother. Her mother is depicted with care and depth, it's clear she's had a difficult life and a lot of her unpleasantness comes from her own suffering, but man, it's just a rough ride to have to listen to her be so cruel to her teenage daughter.
Still, I found the chronicles of the wanderer very interesting, the themes of the story (about the importance of memory and storytelling and identity) are always favorites of mine, and I like Cinnamon herself. Things get a bit better for her once she's able to make some theater friends. And I was pleased to get some glimpses of Aiden and Redwood, who I still really love from Redwood and Wildfire.
Another problem is that Cinnamon spends a lot of time surrounded by very unpleasant people, not least her mother. Her mother is depicted with care and depth, it's clear she's had a difficult life and a lot of her unpleasantness comes from her own suffering, but man, it's just a rough ride to have to listen to her be so cruel to her teenage daughter.
Still, I found the chronicles of the wanderer very interesting, the themes of the story (about the importance of memory and storytelling and identity) are always favorites of mine, and I like Cinnamon herself. Things get a bit better for her once she's able to make some theater friends. And I was pleased to get some glimpses of Aiden and Redwood, who I still really love from Redwood and Wildfire.
blacksentai's review
challenging
mysterious
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? Yes
4.75
hello_itsbee's review
3.0
I had 50 pages left before I gave up. FIFTY pages, and there still has yet to be some big climax/reveal/real melding of the two storylines. but I might go back. the first half of this book was a SOLID 5. then it fell one star. then two. for the same stinking reason: it's far too lengthy and wordy and needed a serious editing/hacking job. it dwindles and goes off onto far too many tangents. it's a great concept but its execution wasn't the best. it could've been compressed to 300-350 pgs and been a more bearable read.
jackelz's review against another edition
“Your stories fill my empty spaces.”
I’m not really sure how to classify this one. Historical fantasy. Science fiction. Hints of magic and mystery. With themes of race, gender, sexuality, and family.
Since I haven’t seen this one on Booksta, scroll for the synopsis. I went in blind and had no idea what was happening!
This book was LONG and SLOW.
The concept of learning West African religion and history through ‘The Chronicles’ was really cool, and I liked that the chapters for it appeared gradually. I liked the main character, Cinnamon, but wasn’t completely invested in her story. I wanted to love this book, but overall I was bored. I honestly think that it was because I had difficulty differentiating between the two timelines. I’d still recommend it for the themes and rep.
Rep: plus-size Black bi MC in a polyamorous relationship, nonbinary MC, gay SC, other BIPOC & queer SCs
ireadinbed's review against another edition
Going to come back to this because I really love the wanderer chps but I need a break!
patrick_habecker's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.0
essjay's review against another edition
I did not enjoy the style this was written in, and knew I wasn't going to enjoy myself.
vulturetime's review
2.5
It was fine, my experience of reading it was not the most ideal. I don't think I clicked very well with Hairston's prose and additionally, this was a book I marked as "to read" simply because of the title--hadn't read the description or anything. Normally, I still like books fine when I don't know what they're about, but from the title, I assumed this would be a lot more like urban fantasy and it just wasn't.
I liked the Wanderer's segments the most and I thought there were some really cool concepts. While Cinnamon's story had stuff I'd be interested in, the execution just wasn't it for me. Cinnamon's voice as a character, to me, felt a bit over the place--sometimes she read a lot younger than she actually was and it was a bit confusing. She also gets into a relationship with her two friends and I wasn't really sold on why they became friends and their affection for each other.
As a very minor note, the book also gets at least one thing wrong. In the back, it says "Allahu akbar" is Farsi for "God is great" when it's not. Allahu akbar is Arabic. Along that note, a Persian character is mentioned with having the name Saeed. There are plenty of Persian people with that name (and with other Arabic names, due to history etc. etc.) but I kind of side-eyed it when I first read that because saying Allahu akbar is Farsi when it's Arabic doesn't build a good precedent for not confusing Arabic and Farsi.
Other more minor complaints of the book: the f-slur is used a LOT. Also, Cinnamon's brother, Sekou, was in a relationship with a relatively older man when he was a teenager and yes that happens in real life, but it was still uncomfortable to read about, as well as the whole waiting for Sekou to turn eighteen. Like trust me, adults should not been finding teens attractive.
I liked the Wanderer's segments the most and I thought there were some really cool concepts. While Cinnamon's story had stuff I'd be interested in, the execution just wasn't it for me. Cinnamon's voice as a character, to me, felt a bit over the place--sometimes she read a lot younger than she actually was and it was a bit confusing. She also gets into a relationship with her two friends and I wasn't really sold on why they became friends and their affection for each other.
As a very minor note, the book also gets at least one thing wrong. In the back, it says "Allahu akbar" is Farsi for "God is great" when it's not. Allahu akbar is Arabic. Along that note, a Persian character is mentioned with having the name Saeed. There are plenty of Persian people with that name (and with other Arabic names, due to history etc. etc.) but I kind of side-eyed it when I first read that because saying Allahu akbar is Farsi when it's Arabic doesn't build a good precedent for not confusing Arabic and Farsi.
Other more minor complaints of the book: the f-slur is used a LOT. Also, Cinnamon's brother, Sekou, was in a relationship with a relatively older man when he was a teenager and yes that happens in real life, but it was still uncomfortable to read about, as well as the whole waiting for Sekou to turn eighteen. Like trust me, adults should not been finding teens attractive.