Reviews

heavy read. the classics merged with modern history, the illiad and castro. never read something like it.
graphic, uneasy, beautiful. A story where nothing good happens to the main character. No redemption to be had, except in death, in a return to the domain of zeus and athena.

sbb42's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

paulap's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

In this book we follow Raul, a young Cuban that likes to read, cross dress and call themselves Cassandra. They live in a broken household with a violent father and a society that does not accept queer people and is in the middle of a revolution. We follow two timelines roughly, one as they grow up and the other one when they are in Angola fighting a war and being sexually abused by their captain. It is very violen and very immersive, it touches in a fair amount of topics, the most prominent being gender and sexuality, but there are also touches about racism, politics, capitalism, etc. I really enjoyed it, I found it particularly atmospheric, but not overly descriptive, it is not very flowery.

massieblock's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A brilliant and perfect novel. This was the most unique and memorable use of mythological retelling and literary references I’ve ever read.

leahschiffman's review against another edition

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4.0

loved, so surreal and beautifully translated. i do wish i knew more about greek mythology since if provided a lot of context to cassandra/rauli

kelseyroach's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

3.5

ebeaul19's review against another edition

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5.0

It’s been almost a year since I’ve read this and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. Slaughterhouse Five meets Greek mythology plus trans Cuban character, sign me up. This book is so somber and compelling, it just sucks you in. This is Marcial Gala’s world and we’re all just living in it

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