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A review by yrioona
The Devourers by Indra Das
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-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
A lush, vivid, gory, and sexy take on the "undead/shapeshifter" genre(s), dense with historical texture and a profound sense of place. I found this a bit uneven -- sometimes characters make choices or reel off dialogue in service to the plot but not grounded in their personalities/motivations, and sometimes Das's language (which is gorgeously descriptive) trips over itself with overwrought phrasing and flashy word choices -- but when it works it really works! The nested, nonlinear, narrative structure (and the interplay between this structure and all the um, devouring) is beautifully done. There is something a bit first-book-y about this but it's still something really special.
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Colonisation