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alexiskg 's review for:
Shadows on the Moon
by Zoë Marriott
This is one of the few books I've read this year that will get a place on my Definitely Re-read shelf. I might amend the rating to a 4.5, but only because, as rich as Suzume/Rin/Yue's emotional and cultural worlds were, I would have loved even more to have more insight into the details and history of shadow working. Although I did appreciate not having to endure any "training montages" that are so easy to get carried away with, which lack is tied into the fact that it was Yue's personal arc that was most important, and that her special powers were just one of many devices that got her there.
Mm. Tough call.
Other twists-on-tropes/themes I appreciated:
- Otieno, obviously. First for his easy smile and way with birds and belief in Yue's innate strength/goodness (which, for all it might have toed too close to the line of insta-love, I'll buy the shadow power magic connection—that's the world they're in, after all, one of built-in coincidences and sudden affections), and them moreso for the fine balance Marriott found between respectful description and realistic reaction from people of a foreign culture to his African-styled culture.
- The way Suzume's self-harm was established, developed, and discussed, both by her internally, and externally, with people who loved her. What could easily have turned into an "issues" thread was presented in such a way that, even while both Suzume and the reader understand implicitly that her hurting herself isn't a good thing, I still found myself really *getting* what about Suzume's ultimately unhealthy behavior was helping her to be healthy, in a single, narrow, unsustainable way. Her traumatic background, paired with her home life and the culture it is all situated in, were so well-developed by Marriott that every step in Suzume's emotional journey was realistic and painful, and while I wished she could just STOP and GET BETTER, she had to get there on her own, and to do so, had to own the path that got her there. WIthout spoiling anything, this underscoring of the importance of taking ownership of your own past, however hard, was what really clinched Otieno's character for me.
There's a lot to this story, a richness to both the world and the characters, and while it isn't perfect, I know I will be coming back again and again in years to come. And I look forward to it.
Mm. Tough call.
Other twists-on-tropes/themes I appreciated:
- Otieno, obviously. First for his easy smile and way with birds and belief in Yue's innate strength/goodness (which, for all it might have toed too close to the line of insta-love, I'll buy the shadow power magic connection—that's the world they're in, after all, one of built-in coincidences and sudden affections), and them moreso for the fine balance Marriott found between respectful description and realistic reaction from people of a foreign culture to his African-styled culture.
- The way Suzume's self-harm was established, developed, and discussed, both by her internally, and externally, with people who loved her. What could easily have turned into an "issues" thread was presented in such a way that, even while both Suzume and the reader understand implicitly that her hurting herself isn't a good thing, I still found myself really *getting* what about Suzume's ultimately unhealthy behavior was helping her to be healthy, in a single, narrow, unsustainable way. Her traumatic background, paired with her home life and the culture it is all situated in, were so well-developed by Marriott that every step in Suzume's emotional journey was realistic and painful, and while I wished she could just STOP and GET BETTER, she had to get there on her own, and to do so, had to own the path that got her there. WIthout spoiling anything, this underscoring of the importance of taking ownership of your own past, however hard, was what really clinched Otieno's character for me.
There's a lot to this story, a richness to both the world and the characters, and while it isn't perfect, I know I will be coming back again and again in years to come. And I look forward to it.