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A review by theabundantword
The Goddess Twins by Yodassa Williams
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
I impulse-bought this book because I liked the cover and I didn't do any of the checks I should have done. Let's just say it's been a lesson for me!
This was actually a good premise which, with some research and robust editing, could have been a great way to highlight some issues between (Black) men and women.
Unfortunately, I believe this book was published far too early. There was a typo on the back cover for a start, which can perhaps be forgivable, but in this case it was the first red flag.
Apart from the fact that the different narrative voices were both the same voice and the character motivations were ambiguous, with a nearly pointless moment of insta-love that added very little to the story, a bunch of telling, a wotless, flat antagonist (which really should have been the Fates because they were the ones who messed up and bounced), and a general lack of depth, there were major issues with setting and dialogue.
I'm a Londoner. One of Jamaican descent at that. Why am I mentioning this? Well, the MCs spend most of the story in London, UK, after flying from Ohio for the first time. There, they meet their Jamaican and Black-British family.
The patois was all incorrectly spelled and then the character who spoke it dropped it after a few pages (wagwan or whagwan would be understood, wagoan, not so much). It was a mystery why the Jamaican grandad didn't speak it (but probably a mercy). The other issue was that the London dialect/s typically used by Black British Londoners (MLE, or RP, or a mixture of both usually) were not present here. And for the record, there is not one British accent (there are over 40 dialects), and I'm pretty sure that there is no London accent that anyone would accuse of being 'melodious'.
The little information about London didn't seem to be correct either. The 'skinny houses (I'm guessing town houses) in central West London just didn't fit the description of what one would expect. Jamaicans living in central West London with black gnomes in the picket-fenced garden playing reggaeton instead of reggae... This would be uncommon, even for a goddess.
Also, we say curry chicken, not curried chicken.
There was actually no reason for the story to even be set in the UK... It could have stayed in the States without impacting the story at all (besides to make it more accurate and seem less like Black British people and Jamaicans aren't worth being correctly represented).
The ending seemed odd to me as well. It was incels vs goddess and none of the issues were resolved. Even the one that was arguably 'resolved' didn't actually face or deal with the issue at all. It was just conveniently moved out of the way.
There seemed to be room left for a second book but I feel that this one would need to be rewritten, finished, and remarketed first and despite everything I've said, I'd give it a second chance it this work were done.
This was actually a good premise which, with some research and robust editing, could have been a great way to highlight some issues between (Black) men and women.
Unfortunately, I believe this book was published far too early. There was a typo on the back cover for a start, which can perhaps be forgivable, but in this case it was the first red flag.
Apart from the fact that the different narrative voices were both the same voice and the character motivations were ambiguous, with a nearly pointless moment of insta-love that added very little to the story, a bunch of telling, a wotless, flat antagonist (which really should have been the Fates because they were the ones who messed up and bounced), and a general lack of depth, there were major issues with setting and dialogue.
I'm a Londoner. One of Jamaican descent at that. Why am I mentioning this? Well, the MCs spend most of the story in London, UK, after flying from Ohio for the first time. There, they meet their Jamaican and Black-British family.
The patois was all incorrectly spelled and then the character who spoke it dropped it after a few pages (wagwan or whagwan would be understood, wagoan, not so much). It was a mystery why the Jamaican grandad didn't speak it (but probably a mercy). The other issue was that the London dialect/s typically used by Black British Londoners (MLE, or RP, or a mixture of both usually) were not present here. And for the record, there is not one British accent (there are over 40 dialects), and I'm pretty sure that there is no London accent that anyone would accuse of being 'melodious'.
The little information about London didn't seem to be correct either. The 'skinny houses (I'm guessing town houses) in central West London just didn't fit the description of what one would expect. Jamaicans living in central West London with black gnomes in the picket-fenced garden playing reggaeton instead of reggae... This would be uncommon, even for a goddess.
Also, we say curry chicken, not curried chicken.
There was actually no reason for the story to even be set in the UK... It could have stayed in the States without impacting the story at all (besides to make it more accurate and seem less like Black British people and Jamaicans aren't worth being correctly represented).
The ending seemed odd to me as well. It was incels vs goddess and none of the issues were resolved. Even the one that was arguably 'resolved' didn't actually face or deal with the issue at all. It was just conveniently moved out of the way.
There seemed to be room left for a second book but I feel that this one would need to be rewritten, finished, and remarketed first and despite everything I've said, I'd give it a second chance it this work were done.