Take a photo of a barcode or cover
laliesbookshelf's Reviews (137)
"When he returned to Los Ojos several years later, he was practically a living skeleton. Toward the very end, the sores all over his face and mouth attracted flies. His mother would sit next to him and shoo them away with a rag. Some of the townspeople said that it was his own fault for being gay, for bending over for all of Tijuana."
At the beginning of this book, I didn't think I was going to like it. I couldn't really relate to anything with the main character/narrator Julia. She seemed like a very negative person who said everything that was on her mind. Towards the middle is when I finally started to like her and understood why she was the way she was. She lost a sister and she was always reminded of how much she wasn't like her. Her mom suffocated her and had a dad who was there but wasn't at the same time.
I didn't really care for her mom mainly because she seemed to much but when Julia went to Mexico to see her family I really felt for her mom. It reminds me of a lot of people I know who don't have good relationships with their parents. You have to really mature a bit and see your parents as people who were once like you. I think this is a book that everyone should read. It deals with depression, suicide, family traditions, and trying to come into yourself. This book is definitely a conversation starter when it comes to immigration, family trama, and mental health.
At the beginning of this book, I didn't think I was going to like it. I couldn't really relate to anything with the main character/narrator Julia. She seemed like a very negative person who said everything that was on her mind. Towards the middle is when I finally started to like her and understood why she was the way she was. She lost a sister and she was always reminded of how much she wasn't like her. Her mom suffocated her and had a dad who was there but wasn't at the same time.
I didn't really care for her mom mainly because she seemed to much but when Julia went to Mexico to see her family I really felt for her mom. It reminds me of a lot of people I know who don't have good relationships with their parents. You have to really mature a bit and see your parents as people who were once like you. I think this is a book that everyone should read. It deals with depression, suicide, family traditions, and trying to come into yourself. This book is definitely a conversation starter when it comes to immigration, family trama, and mental health.
Words can't even explain how good this book was and how important it is today for the culture. I love how all the characters in this book are black and take place in Africa. You see a side of black people not depicted in the mainstream media. The fact that this book is fantasy with magic and is being made into a movie makes it's even greater.
For this review, I want to do a character breakdown and explain the things I love and hate about some of the characters:
Zélie (Main Character)
• I love her! she harbors a lot of pain from the death of her mother that she saw first hand. To other characters, she can come off hard and very cut-throat but deep down she's very wounded. She's tired of her people being oppressed and she wants to do something about it. But she lacks the confidence to really see what she is capable of. Everyone around her sees the fight and potential in her but it takes seeing death to truly bring it out of her.
Tzain (Zélie's brother)
• Tzain is like a typical older brother. He watches out for Zélie and tries to pick up the pieces when things are not going according to plan. Even though we never fully understand how Tzain feels about everything we know he wants the best for his sister and will go to the end of the world for her.
Amari (Princess)
• Amari is a rebel. She sees how people are being mistreated and she goes against her father to do what's right even though it goes against the king's idea of what is best for Orïsha. Amari is a fighter more mentally than anything else and the pain that she sees her best friend goes through fuels all the fight in her.
Inan (Prince)
• The amount of times I've rolled my eyes at Inan is crazy. Inan is blinded by his father's messed up evil way of thinking. He fights so hard to earn his father's approval but you can clearly see his father is more focused on himself. When you think Inan is finally seeing the truth he just has to say something ridicules that remind you Inan is just lost and might never be found. When I think about Inan I just can't stop shaking my head in how angry this character made me.
I think everyone should pick up this book especially if you're into fantasy books. I think you should just pick it up because it's by a black author in general. I can't wait to read the second book and see if any of the questions I was left from this book get answered because I have MANY!! I'm also so happy this amazing book is being made into a movie! We definitely need more movies like this and Black Panther was only the start to show the world what we as black people can do!
For this review, I want to do a character breakdown and explain the things I love and hate about some of the characters:
Zélie (Main Character)
• I love her! she harbors a lot of pain from the death of her mother that she saw first hand. To other characters, she can come off hard and very cut-throat but deep down she's very wounded. She's tired of her people being oppressed and she wants to do something about it. But she lacks the confidence to really see what she is capable of. Everyone around her sees the fight and potential in her but it takes seeing death to truly bring it out of her.
Tzain (Zélie's brother)
• Tzain is like a typical older brother. He watches out for Zélie and tries to pick up the pieces when things are not going according to plan. Even though we never fully understand how Tzain feels about everything we know he wants the best for his sister and will go to the end of the world for her.
Amari (Princess)
• Amari is a rebel. She sees how people are being mistreated and she goes against her father to do what's right even though it goes against the king's idea of what is best for Orïsha. Amari is a fighter more mentally than anything else and the pain that she sees her best friend goes through fuels all the fight in her.
Inan (Prince)
• The amount of times I've rolled my eyes at Inan is crazy. Inan is blinded by his father's messed up evil way of thinking. He fights so hard to earn his father's approval but you can clearly see his father is more focused on himself. When you think Inan is finally seeing the truth he just has to say something ridicules that remind you Inan is just lost and might never be found. When I think about Inan I just can't stop shaking my head in how angry this character made me.
I think everyone should pick up this book especially if you're into fantasy books. I think you should just pick it up because it's by a black author in general. I can't wait to read the second book and see if any of the questions I was left from this book get answered because I have MANY!! I'm also so happy this amazing book is being made into a movie! We definitely need more movies like this and Black Panther was only the start to show the world what we as black people can do!