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rwxtd's review against another edition
3.75
"Hey Rebecca, you haven't read or reviewed anything in like two months, what's going on" listen. I cannot explain it to you. I spent four years studying neuroscience and I still know next to nothing about how brains work, especially my own, so we're just all gonna have to be ok with the fact that this is just how things go.
Anyway, shoutout to this book for uh being required reading and forcing me out of my reading slump against my will, I guess. I liked it well enough. There's enough going on that it kept me decently invested, I wasn't ever really bored and I never had a bad time at any point during the reading process. The beginning was a little harder to get through, but that was probably more a fault of the reading slump than the book itself, because it starts off pretty fast and action packed basically immediately. It definitely got easier and faster in the second half, at least for me- again, whether this was a result of the reading slump or my actual investment in the story is hard to say, but I think probably it was a mix of both. I did care more about what was happening in the second half. I will also say, if loose ends bother you in stories, this is probably not the book for you. There were quite a few unanswered questions. I thought it did a good enough job of justifying why it didn't need to explain things or why it left them a mystery that it didn't bother me- but there were also points where it was definitely obvious that the author was basically saying "this thing doesn't need an answer, don't worry about it". So if that's irritating to you, you probably won't like this book.
One thing I didn't love: I felt the writing style was a little clunky at times. It was pretty obvious about the points it was making, and not necessarily in a way that felt intentional. It was very tell-not-show, I think, or at the very least it was both show AND tell, and I don't think both were required.
That being said, I did find Phoenix to be a really interesting character. Even if I don't necessarily agree with her, everything she says and does makes sense- all her actions are justified based on how she and the people around her are treated. I also liked the framing device the story used- sort of a story within a story, and the way it ended I thought was also really interesting. I'm not going to spoil it, but I did think it brought up some really interesting ideas about translation, time, truth, and all that.
All in all- pretty good, didn't love the writing style but I did find it interesting and I liked it well enough. Might recommend it in certain circumstances, but not to everyone. I feel like this probably won't end up being particularly memorable for me.
Also- and I wouldn't count this as a criticism of the book, it's mostly just personal preference and something I wanted to comment on because I find it interesting- there were a weird number of romantic/sexual relationships for a book that is super not about either of those things? Like some of it makes sense to a certain extent- Phoenix is frequently reacting to the fact that Big Eye is taking away people she loves, so giving her love interests makes sense. There are other relationships she has that elicit similar reactions, and the romance aspect isn't strictly *necessary*, but it does make sense. That being said- the romance stuff definitely falls in the "tell not show" category. Both relationships develop off screen, and we only see the characters interacting after we have already been informed that they are in love. Additionally, two of the characters besides Phoenix are mentioned or implied to have had sex off screen at various points, and I'm not entirely sure what the purpose is in either case. Why did you mention this to me? Why does it matter? What does it add to the plot or characters? I genuinely can't think of a reason why. And none of these relationships are the point of the book- they provide motivation for Phoenix, but the actual romance element of things is so minimal and so not the point. Literally the only reason I mention this is because it happens all. the. time. It's such a bizarre blind spot for most people- romantic and sexual relationships always get put in the weirdest places, for no reason, and no one bats an eye because everyone's so used to it. Again, not even really a criticism, I just think it's strange.
Anyway, shoutout to this book for uh being required reading and forcing me out of my reading slump against my will, I guess. I liked it well enough. There's enough going on that it kept me decently invested, I wasn't ever really bored and I never had a bad time at any point during the reading process. The beginning was a little harder to get through, but that was probably more a fault of the reading slump than the book itself, because it starts off pretty fast and action packed basically immediately. It definitely got easier and faster in the second half, at least for me- again, whether this was a result of the reading slump or my actual investment in the story is hard to say, but I think probably it was a mix of both. I did care more about what was happening in the second half. I will also say, if loose ends bother you in stories, this is probably not the book for you. There were quite a few unanswered questions. I thought it did a good enough job of justifying why it didn't need to explain things or why it left them a mystery that it didn't bother me- but there were also points where it was definitely obvious that the author was basically saying "this thing doesn't need an answer, don't worry about it". So if that's irritating to you, you probably won't like this book.
One thing I didn't love: I felt the writing style was a little clunky at times. It was pretty obvious about the points it was making, and not necessarily in a way that felt intentional. It was very tell-not-show, I think, or at the very least it was both show AND tell, and I don't think both were required.
That being said, I did find Phoenix to be a really interesting character. Even if I don't necessarily agree with her, everything she says and does makes sense- all her actions are justified based on how she and the people around her are treated. I also liked the framing device the story used- sort of a story within a story, and the way it ended I thought was also really interesting. I'm not going to spoil it, but I did think it brought up some really interesting ideas about translation, time, truth, and all that.
All in all- pretty good, didn't love the writing style but I did find it interesting and I liked it well enough. Might recommend it in certain circumstances, but not to everyone. I feel like this probably won't end up being particularly memorable for me.
Also- and I wouldn't count this as a criticism of the book, it's mostly just personal preference and something I wanted to comment on because I find it interesting- there were a weird number of romantic/sexual relationships for a book that is super not about either of those things? Like some of it makes sense to a certain extent- Phoenix is frequently reacting to the fact that Big Eye is taking away people she loves, so giving her love interests makes sense. There are other relationships she has that elicit similar reactions, and the romance aspect isn't strictly *necessary*, but it does make sense. That being said- the romance stuff definitely falls in the "tell not show" category. Both relationships develop off screen, and we only see the characters interacting after we have already been informed that they are in love. Additionally, two of the characters besides Phoenix are mentioned or implied to have had sex off screen at various points, and I'm not entirely sure what the purpose is in either case. Why did you mention this to me? Why does it matter? What does it add to the plot or characters? I genuinely can't think of a reason why. And none of these relationships are the point of the book- they provide motivation for Phoenix, but the actual romance element of things is so minimal and so not the point. Literally the only reason I mention this is because it happens all. the. time. It's such a bizarre blind spot for most people- romantic and sexual relationships always get put in the weirdest places, for no reason, and no one bats an eye because everyone's so used to it. Again, not even really a criticism, I just think it's strange.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, and Death
Moderate: Torture, Suicide, Sexual violence, and Body horror
Minor: Death of parent, Genocide, and Cancer
It's not particularly graphic-it doesn't go into much detail- but it does mention/briefly describe a lot of really awful things happening to people so lots of content warnings herequarkie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
When I picked it up, I didn't realize this book was a prequel. I think I probably would have liked it better if I had read the main novel first.
What I liked: I really liked the characters. I think they were all interesting, with unique points of view, backstories, and motivations. They were all multi-dimensional, and their actions matched with their characterizations. They all had their strengths as well as their flaws, and they kept the story interesting while being believable. The world itself is fascinating - it's (what I earnestly hope is) a pretty pessimistic view of the (again, hopefully) far future, when global warming has drastically changed the world order. I would have liked to be able to learn more, but maybe this is something that is more of a focus of the main novel.
What was good but could have been better: I really liked the author's writing style. For me, it was very rhythmic, and matched the tone of the story well. Unfortunately the rhythm didn't quite match up with the rhythm that I read with, and I found myself having to go back and reread large passages, which disrupted the flow a bit.
What I didn't like: I think there were a number of plot holes. They were extremely minor, meaning that they had no actual impact on the plot, but they were distracting, causing me to go back and re-read sections. For example, a character would be handling a closed box, and then the author would go on the describe the sound the box made as it closed, leaving me confused on the state of the box. So nothing major, but enough to be annoying. Everything was also pretty fast-paced, meaning that there were also a number of plot points that I thought could have been explored further, but maybe that is something that is left for the main novel.
My take-aways: Overall, this book was an interesting examination of a way that modern-day slavery could occur. There were many allusions to dangerous trips across the Atlantic, well-meaning bystanders doing nothing to stop the atrocities that occur around them, and the role that corporations and governments have in upholding unjust systems that benefit them.
Overall, I thought it was a good book and I enjoyed it, but there was nothing that made it particularly stand-out for me.
What I liked: I really liked the characters. I think they were all interesting, with unique points of view, backstories, and motivations. They were all multi-dimensional, and their actions matched with their characterizations. They all had their strengths as well as their flaws, and they kept the story interesting while being believable. The world itself is fascinating - it's (what I earnestly hope is) a pretty pessimistic view of the (again, hopefully) far future, when global warming has drastically changed the world order. I would have liked to be able to learn more, but maybe this is something that is more of a focus of the main novel.
What was good but could have been better: I really liked the author's writing style. For me, it was very rhythmic, and matched the tone of the story well. Unfortunately the rhythm didn't quite match up with the rhythm that I read with, and I found myself having to go back and reread large passages, which disrupted the flow a bit.
What I didn't like: I think there were a number of plot holes. They were extremely minor, meaning that they had no actual impact on the plot, but they were distracting, causing me to go back and re-read sections. For example, a character would be handling a closed box, and then the author would go on the describe the sound the box made as it closed, leaving me confused on the state of the box. So nothing major, but enough to be annoying. Everything was also pretty fast-paced, meaning that there were also a number of plot points that I thought could have been explored further, but maybe that is something that is left for the main novel.
My take-aways: Overall, this book was an interesting examination of a way that modern-day slavery could occur. There were many allusions to dangerous trips across the Atlantic, well-meaning bystanders doing nothing to stop the atrocities that occur around them, and the role that corporations and governments have in upholding unjust systems that benefit them.
Overall, I thought it was a good book and I enjoyed it, but there was nothing that made it particularly stand-out for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, Child abuse, Police brutality, War, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Torture, Body horror, Slavery, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, and Murder
Moderate: Kidnapping, Racism, Abandonment, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Medical content, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual content
Minor: Sexism, Xenophobia, Excrement, Misogyny, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Trafficking
macknificent's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Child abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and War
Minor: Sexual content
bluejayreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I have read several of Nnedi Okorafor’s books at this point and enjoyed almost all of them. I encountered Who Fears Death a while ago, but didn’t think it sounded all that interesting. Then I discovered this one, a prequel to Who Fears Death, and thought it did sound interesting. (My love of the Maximum Ride books in middle school means I’m still a sucker for characters grown in labs to have superhuman powers.)
It’s easy for me to fall into the temptation to compare all books like this to the Maximum Ride series – especially in this case, where our lab-grown super-powered protagonist has wings, escapes from said lab, and has people from that lab constantly chasing her. But comparing The Book of Phoenix and Maximum Ride does The Book of Phoenix a disservice. The Maximum Ride series are cool books, full of action and adventure and epic characters with wings and a little bit of romance – a perfect formula for a YA bestseller. The Book of Phoenix is darker, angrier, an africanfuturism apocalyptic sci-fi with an all-POC main cast full of love and loss, pain and death, technology and superhuman abilities and the desire to cleanse the world of people who would treat their fellow humans like objects, by fire if necessary. If you loved Maximum Ride in middle school and became a leftist when you grew up, this is the book you wish Maximum Ride could be.
Phoenix herself is amazing. She reads voraciously and loves taking in new information, but it never crosses her mind that she is a prisoner and being regularly tortured is not a fact of life but a fact of her imprisonment until Saeed dies. She tells the story in first person, narrating it to a listener (which made it an especially great read as an audiobook), and it’s a story of her personal journey. Across the Atlantic ocean twice, from sheltered and mostly-innocent to finding a home and people who accept her, to death and loss and her transformation into an agent of blazing change. As she discovers more she grows more angry and burns hotter and the book never tries to dismiss or soften her rage. The story seems to say that if Phoenix wants to cleanse the world with fire, she is right to do so.
I don’t want to say much about the plot, because Phoenix doesn’t know any of the big picture at the beginning and the plot evolves as she learns more. It’s big and twisty and feels like pulling back the layers of an onion you know is rotting inside and with each later you discover more and more rot that you expected. As the reader, I’m wise to the tropes and it didn’t do anything too far outside my expectations, but what it did do was unique enough and Phoenix was such a compelling narrator that it felt like looking at the tropes with new eyes.
These next thoughts contain spoilers.
I hadn’t originally planned to read Who Fears Death, but I think I might now. I know that book follows a completely different set of characters and is set after the events of this book, but I liked this one so much that I want to read Who Fears Death anyway.
- The other book by Nnedi I read this year, Remote Control, also featured a glowing alien seed in a box that may or may not have granted magic powers to the protagonist and ended up planted beneath a shea tree. The two books are otherwise very different so it’s weird that they were so similar in this one plot point.
- The sex scene made me a little uncomfortable. Phoenix may have the body and mind of a 40-year-old, but she’s only been alive for three years at that point. Plus she enjoys what’s happening but explicitly does not know if it was sex or not. I’m not sure where that falls in terms of informed consent but it definitely fell in my personal “I’m not entirely comfortable with this” zone.
I hadn’t originally planned to read Who Fears Death, but I think I might now. I know that book follows a completely different set of characters and is set after the events of this book, but I liked this one so much that I want to read Who Fears Death anyway.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Body horror, Torture, and Death
Moderate: Suicide, Child abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer and Sexual content
aconfundityofcrows's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Racism, Murder, Medical trauma, Medical content, Hate crime, Gun violence, Grief, Gore, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Death, Confinement, Body shaming, Body horror, Blood, and Misogyny
Moderate: Excrement, Child death, Child abuse, Slavery, Torture, Islamophobia, Death of parent, and Mental illness
Minor: Animal cruelty, Cancer, Infertility, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, and Kidnapping
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