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A review by bricin
The Hyena and the Hawk by Adrian Tchaikovsky
3.0
3 stars for world building. I absolutely love that characters can Step into their animal totems. There is no real discussion about the mechanics of this which is refreshing; sometimes magic is just magic. The parallels between colonizers (e.g. Pilgrims and Native Americans) are intriguing, there is enough language to relate the River People to history along the Nile as well. All wonderful.
There are also some wonderful characters. Loud Thunder is complex and well written as are many others. But in the end... it just doesn't quite hold up. Why are the Plague People that way? We get hints about this but in the end, no, we don't know and are left hanging.
I saw one reader ask if this is a similar world alongside Shadows of the Apt. *That* would be intriguing and would make some sense.
There are also some wonderful characters. Loud Thunder is complex and well written as are many others. But in the end... it just doesn't quite hold up. Why are the Plague People that way? We get hints about this but in the end, no, we don't know and are left hanging.
I saw one reader ask if this is a similar world alongside Shadows of the Apt. *That* would be intriguing and would make some sense.