A review by emilyfedewa
Peaces by Helen Oyeyemi

2.75

this book is just deeply okay. I really wish I'd liked it more. I mean, mongooses (mongeese?) and magic trains and queer love - what's not to like? but I really felt like this book had absolutely no direction, and not in a purposeful way. the subject matter is supposed to be ambiguous, but I feel like we should have been able to follow the story at least a little bit.
I'm gonna rant abt some spoiler-ish stuff really quick:

the climax?? what the actual hell was that?? it just came out of nowhere I feel like. everything moved so fast for like ten pages and then it was over, compared to the slogging pace of the rest of the book. and wow I just really do not like ava at all. I don't understand who she was supposed to be. a mysterious benevolent magical figure? a wicked sorceress who has the power to unsee people out of existence but doesn't really know it yet? on that note, I feel like I didn't know any of the characters at ALL. even though we got plenty of backstory for all of them, I don't feel like any of it mattered all that much. like it mattered to the plot, but not to the characters' relationships to each other if that makes sense.

idk I guess bottom line is this book felt so disjointed, and not in the way it was supposed to feel disjointed and quirky and whimsical. I can't really put my finger on how I feel in an eloquent way right now I just know that I honestly didn't like it all that much.