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robotcorsair 's review for:
The Spear Cuts Through Water
by Simon Jimenez
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Honestly, it did drag at some points, but overall I really enjoyed it. The writing is very meandering and poetic, I wouldn't call it purple exactly but it is a lot if you like more straightforward prose. I really really liked what the author does with the first, second and third person POV in the narrative, it was very interesting and cool and I personally haven't seen anything exactly like this before.
Parts of the book reminded me of One Hundred Years of Solitude, which I love, but more full-on fantasy epic than magical realism, although it does give that vibe. It's a bit more fairytale like, or rather folk-tale like, in a way. The world building was very unique and interesting, too, based on filipino folklore which is not something I'm very familiar with. The characters were well-built (though I wished we delved more into their interiority and their thoughts), and the ending was satisfying and I love that it's a standalone. Full conclusion in one book babey!!
Now the things I didn't like so much, yeah, it got a bit draggy at some points, especially the "final battle". The action was fine but at some points I was like. Let's get on with the story, please T_T. Also, there are long, vivid descriptions of gore and body horror that felt a bit. Much. Not in the sense that it squicked me, but more so that it got boring after a while, like, sure, yeah, piss and shit and flesh okay, now what. A bit too much like the author was trying too hard to write something shocking or gross. Idk. I just wish we spent more time with the characters instead of this.
Also the whole plot is just a lot of bad stuff happening and I felt there were not enough moments that let me breathe during the narrative. There were some, but they were few and far between and always tainted because you knew there was some shit coming, so at some point the emotional impact of things going wrong got lessened, ngl.
I'd say it's still definitely worth reading at least for what it does well and for the writing, but I understand it might not be everyone's cup of tea.
Parts of the book reminded me of One Hundred Years of Solitude, which I love, but more full-on fantasy epic than magical realism, although it does give that vibe. It's a bit more fairytale like, or rather folk-tale like, in a way. The world building was very unique and interesting, too, based on filipino folklore which is not something I'm very familiar with. The characters were well-built (though I wished we delved more into their interiority and their thoughts), and the ending was satisfying and I love that it's a standalone. Full conclusion in one book babey!!
Now the things I didn't like so much, yeah, it got a bit draggy at some points, especially the "final battle". The action was fine but at some points I was like. Let's get on with the story, please T_T. Also, there are long, vivid descriptions of gore and body horror that felt a bit. Much. Not in the sense that it squicked me, but more so that it got boring after a while, like, sure, yeah, piss and shit and flesh okay, now what. A bit too much like the author was trying too hard to write something shocking or gross. Idk. I just wish we spent more time with the characters instead of this.
Also the whole plot is just a lot of bad stuff happening and I felt there were not enough moments that let me breathe during the narrative. There were some, but they were few and far between and always tainted because you knew there was some shit coming, so at some point the emotional impact of things going wrong got lessened, ngl.
I'd say it's still definitely worth reading at least for what it does well and for the writing, but I understand it might not be everyone's cup of tea.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence