The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste

The Shadow King

Maaza Mengiste

425 pages • first pub 2019 (editions)

fiction historical literary challenging dark emotional slow-paced
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Description

Ethiopia. 1935. With the threat of Mussolini's army looming, recently orphaned Hirut struggles to adapt to her new life as a maid. Her new employer, Kidane, an officer in Emperor Haile Selassie's army, rushes to mobilize his strongest men before ...

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Community Reviews Summary of 2,112 reviews

Moods

dark 68%
challenging 66%
emotional 60%
tense 44%
sad 43%
reflective 35%
informative 32%
adventurous 18%
inspiring 14%
hopeful 4%
mysterious 2%

Pace

slow 65%
medium 31%
fast 2%

Plot- or character-driven?

A mix: 65% | Character: 25% | Plot: 9%

Strong character development?

Yes: 67% | It's complicated: 23% | No: 8%

Loveable characters?

It's complicated: 57% | No: 30% | Yes: 11%

Diverse cast of characters?

Yes: 89% | It's complicated: 5% | No: 4%

Flaws of characters a main focus?

Yes: 54% | It's complicated: 26% | No: 17% | N/A: 2%

Average rating

3.62

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Content Warnings

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