Reviews

Evil Eye by Etaf Rum

eelaw10's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

noellesmagicallibrary's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I loved A Women Is No Man so much that I was a little worried Evil Eye wouldn’t be as great. It’s amazing. 

Etaf Rumi is a magnificent writer— one of my favorites. This book deals with depression and divorce. The story is heavy but it’s hopeful. I love how she writes her female characters and the presence of Palestinian culture. 

kimba13's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

robyn1998's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

I liked this a lot! I listened to it as an audiobook and thought the narrators did a really great job. It was a very detailed exploration of how childhood trauma and inequalities can shape your life as an adult. The parts with Yara going back to her childhood self and realising she wasn't "bad" or "wrong" really made me feel for her. I think it's something a lot of us can relate to. 
If I had a criticism, it would be that the plot moved a bit sluggishly at times and the arguments with Fadi could have been a bit shorter. The fights being played out minute by minute didn't seem to add much to the book after a while.

weebz's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.0

niavanni's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad 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? Yes

4.25

inkpaws's review against another edition

challenging

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

The writing style of this book was a chore to read. It's incredibly stilted and not in a way that is purposeful or a stylistic choice. It's unfortunate that Rum tried to cram almost every negative stereotype of our culture into these characters. 

kellyfables's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

pageturnerpursuits's review against another edition

2.0

2.5 stars

Really did like all the mention of food across the book, the immigrant perspective and complex issues discussed but so many sections of the book were repetitive and a lot of characters were very one dimensional

sophia_alex's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5