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A review by leslielopezholder
Hula by Jasmin Iolani Hakes
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I wanted to like this book so much more than I actually did but I had to fight to get through it. The content of the book was actually interesting and informative. I especially loved and respected that the author did not tell us more specifics about hula to keep it as a closed practice.
However, there were some structural changes I felt the book needed to get it closer its potential. One of them is that I would've enjoyed this more if it was in the perspective of one the characters. Even if the perspective shifted in each section, but the third person omniscient didn't work for me here. I also enjoyed the second half much more, which makes me think that the book was in need of much more dialogue between the characters to engage and connect with them more. While the history of Hawaii is incredibly important, there might have been a better way to build that into the story rather than just outright telling it.
Also, small point but as someone who was not familiar with many of the terms used, it would have been incredibly helpful to have a glossary that I could refer to.
However, there were some structural changes I felt the book needed to get it closer its potential. One of them is that I would've enjoyed this more if it was in the perspective of one the characters. Even if the perspective shifted in each section, but the third person omniscient didn't work for me here. I also enjoyed the second half much more, which makes me think that the book was in need of much more dialogue between the characters to engage and connect with them more. While the history of Hawaii is incredibly important, there might have been a better way to build that into the story rather than just outright telling it.
Also, small point but as someone who was not familiar with many of the terms used, it would have been incredibly helpful to have a glossary that I could refer to.