A review by creolelitbelle
War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi

Did not finish book. Stopped at 72%.

72% of the audiobook I listened to, and unfortunately this own voices novel is not working for me. I had great hopes for this book, but the further I got into it, the more I simply feel I am not the right audience for it. Granted, I know little to nothing of the Nigerian Civil War that happened in the 1960s, but that didn't stop me from being intrigued. Part felt exciting and new and fast-paced. Part II worked for a while... Then, the story seemed to drag on. The characters are solid, but I feel a disconnect with even Iify and Onyi, the two protagonists. Their motivations are not clearly laid out (in my opinion) until the beginning of part III. The premise being rooted in such an important historical event of West African history yet using a post-nuclear disaster dystoipian is a fantastic idea, yet I grew lost. Pieces of the story felt told backwards, and the time jumps did not feel fluid. Anyone who knows a bit about the related history may feel more riveted to the story and its characters, though.

This all said, I'm still curious enough about the author to try his fantasy book, Beasts Made of Night.