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A review by kat__z8
The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This book is, in every way, unbearably quirky and different.
There are first, second, and third person POVs, which were really jarring, and made it really difficult to get through. Even as I managed to trudge through my initial confusion, the sudden switch often took me out of the story.
This book was... something. The beginning was definitely the toughest part to get into, as it switches from the main storyline of Jun and Keema, told through third person, to the second person POV, and then random passersby whose thoughts were written, italicized, in first person. It became tedious in the end, and I kept wondering if the heart-pounding adventures and love story promised would all make it worth it in the end. After all, it begins with an intriguing premise: Jun and Keema are to escort a dying goddess across the land and basically save the world.
The writing is beautiful, and poetic and powerful in its own way, but it means nothing to me when not balanced with an engaging plot or interesting character dynamic. The book feels too ambitious, and as a result it fell flat on the aspects that mattered to me, i.e. storyline, pacing, and characterization.
So, what did I get for getting through such a difficult reading journey? Nothing. Not even a sense of accomplishment for having finished such a... unique book, to put it kindly. It felt like a waste of my time. Beyond the dizzying switches between POVs, this book offers nothing that other more conventional epic fantasy books could not provide, with less exaggerations in an attempt to stand out.
There are first, second, and third person POVs, which were really jarring, and made it really difficult to get through. Even as I managed to trudge through my initial confusion, the sudden switch often took me out of the story.
This book was... something. The beginning was definitely the toughest part to get into, as it switches from the main storyline of Jun and Keema, told through third person, to the second person POV, and then random passersby whose thoughts were written, italicized, in first person. It became tedious in the end, and I kept wondering if the heart-pounding adventures and love story promised would all make it worth it in the end. After all, it begins with an intriguing premise: Jun and Keema are to escort a dying goddess across the land and basically save the world.
The writing is beautiful, and poetic and powerful in its own way, but it means nothing to me when not balanced with an engaging plot or interesting character dynamic. The book feels too ambitious, and as a result it fell flat on the aspects that mattered to me, i.e. storyline, pacing, and characterization.
So, what did I get for getting through such a difficult reading journey? Nothing. Not even a sense of accomplishment for having finished such a... unique book, to put it kindly. It felt like a waste of my time. Beyond the dizzying switches between POVs, this book offers nothing that other more conventional epic fantasy books could not provide, with less exaggerations in an attempt to stand out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Violence, Blood, and Cannibalism