A review by starrysteph
Blackheart Man by Nalo Hopkinson

adventurous dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Blackheart Man is a really rich, folkloric story that had slightly uneven pacing, but a charmingly disastrous main character and a plot that will keep you guessing.

Veycosi will do anything to prove himself worthy - both to the musical historian leadership who will hopefully grant him acceptance to the Colloquium and to his two lovers who will hopefully wed him soon. But his narrow vision and earnest ego get him in trouble again and again.

This time, Veycosi finds his magical island (Chynchin) on the brink of war, pickens (children) start to disappear, and once-frozen soldiers might be coming back to life. He’s somehow got to protect his community and learn some hard truths about himself before everything is destroyed.

You’ll groan at Veycosi time and time again, but I have to say I found him both compelling and impishly likable. He is in dire need of a big arc, and he GETS one. He learns how to be part of a community, how to be a parent, and how to be a romantic partner. 

The pacing of this novel was a bit tough. First you’re dropped right in, and I had a challenging time finding the flow of the story since things moved slowly and we were given only the tiniest bits of information and world building. The chapters were incredibly long and the narrators sometimes jumped a bit jarringly before settling into Veycosi’s narration. And then after the climax, everything was so much of a whirlwind that I again wished we had time for more lore; I wanted to savor the events of the finale more.

But this is an incredibly detailed world, with specific and thoughtful language, interesting drops of magic, and even some new creatures. Also lots of queer rep (specifically nonbinary characters with neopronouns and polyamorous triads). Plus one delightfully grumpy camel (love you, Goat!).

If you don’t mind some confusion and a slower-paced narrative, I’d give this one a chance.

CW: death (parent/child), colonization, war, drug use, injury, gun violence, racism, slavery, body horror, fire, gore, animal death, vomit, dysphoria, xenophobia, sexual content

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(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)