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A review by inkylink
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
3.0
3/5 stars
The element of convenience was incredibly frustrating, but overall, not bad. The worldbuilding was fresh and beautiful, and the pace sped along that taking a break felt impossible when one could instead keep going, going, going.
So much about the work was beautiful, but so much about it also made me go, "Um. What. Why," that I had to keep stepping back. Frequently the characters read younger than they actually were, the exclamation points often throwing me out of the story as I went "why is this here." The ending also felt quite undeserved, and in many ways it once again fell to the realm of something like convenience, but actually seemed more like there should have been more steps and complications in each step of the process, but like... there wasn't. It was straightforward and convenient.
That being said, I still rated it above average. It didn't take much time to read; it was quick and fun for people who aren't as into sci-fi (yours truly), and the intertwinement of identity relating to the self and one's past and family was beautifully done. In the end, I cared a lot about Benti (and Okwu lol). I was--and still am--invested in her story and how her identity will continue to be shaped in the ramifications of her choices here, and what she will do to reckon with this while still staying true to where she came from, which we've seen is incredibly important to her.
The element of convenience was incredibly frustrating, but overall, not bad. The worldbuilding was fresh and beautiful, and the pace sped along that taking a break felt impossible when one could instead keep going, going, going.
So much about the work was beautiful, but so much about it also made me go, "Um. What. Why," that I had to keep stepping back. Frequently the characters read younger than they actually were, the exclamation points often throwing me out of the story as I went "why is this here." The ending also felt quite undeserved, and in many ways it once again fell to the realm of something like convenience, but actually seemed more like there should have been more steps and complications in each step of the process, but like... there wasn't. It was straightforward and convenient.
That being said, I still rated it above average. It didn't take much time to read; it was quick and fun for people who aren't as into sci-fi (yours truly), and the intertwinement of identity relating to the self and one's past and family was beautifully done. In the end, I cared a lot about Benti (and Okwu lol). I was--and still am--invested in her story and how her identity will continue to be shaped in the ramifications of her choices here, and what she will do to reckon with this while still staying true to where she came from, which we've seen is incredibly important to her.