yoloxokotl_xolos 's review for:

Navola by Paolo Bacigalupi

3.75

slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I had high hopes for this story based on the comps and jacket copy but it was a bit of a disappointment.  For something billed as fantasy, there was very little actual fantasy or magic in the story.  That disappointment aside, it was a fairly enjoyable read.  If I'd gone into this blind I probably would have enjoyed it even more. It read more like a political/family drama set in an imagined past with a naive and immature teen boy as the narrator. His sheltered upbringing influences what we see of the world and they wayit unfolds and I think the story suffers a bit for that. I would have liked to know a little more about what was going on in spaces Davico is not privy too. I found his sister Celia to be a much more complling character and would have liked more about her and her past outside of the bubble Davico was born into.