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A review by dharmaavocado
The Root by Na'amen Gobert Tilahun
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
A frustratingly uneven book. Erik's sections are full of exposition and telling where big things happen with no buildup and no consequences. Erik himself is underdeveloped with a collection of traits that never coheres into a consistent characterization, and despite Tilahun's insistence Erik is a leader I saw very little evidence for that.
Lil's sections are much more interesting and so obviously better written than I'm tempted to put on a tinfoil hat and claim they were written by a different author. Zebub is wonderfully surreal and weird enough that I was able to look past the uneven worldbuilding. Lil is more developed than Erik, and her plot has real, escalating stakes. If this book just focused on her I would be giving it at least one more star.
The book as a whole suffers from uneven pacing and having way, way too many point of views, the majority of which offer no new insight or information and seem to exist to just add to the page count. Tilahun needed a much stronger editor to tighten up the plot and cut extraneous content.
Also Tilahun's descriptions can be outright bananas. "He smiled like the devil getting a handjob." WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN
Lil's sections are much more interesting and so obviously better written than I'm tempted to put on a tinfoil hat and claim they were written by a different author. Zebub is wonderfully surreal and weird enough that I was able to look past the uneven worldbuilding. Lil is more developed than Erik, and her plot has real, escalating stakes. If this book just focused on her I would be giving it at least one more star.
The book as a whole suffers from uneven pacing and having way, way too many point of views, the majority of which offer no new insight or information and seem to exist to just add to the page count. Tilahun needed a much stronger editor to tighten up the plot and cut extraneous content.
Also Tilahun's descriptions can be outright bananas. "He smiled like the devil getting a handjob." WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN