Reviews

Blue-Skinned Gods by SJ Sindu

noellesmagicallibrary's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.0

I'm sad slept on this one, it was great! I had an ARC for Blue-Skinned Gods so I should have read and reviewed this by November 2021.... and here we are in April 2024. Oops. 
But I'm actually glad that I waited to read it because this was easier for me to digest as an audiobook and my ARC is an ebook. There  are many many words and names that I would have great difficulty pronouncing. I know that I would spend too much time trying to sound out these unfamiliar words and it would take me out of the moment and probably would have prevented me from enjoying this one so much. It's been almost 3 years since I read the synopsis, but at some point I assume I had an idea of what this was about. By the time I picked it up though, that memory was out the window. Color me surprised when the story eventually takes us to NYC and references as a family famous for an uncommon medical condition

it's the Fugate family and methemoglobinemia.

I really couldn't tell in the beginning if this book was veering more towards magical realism. It was written in a way that kept me guessing for a while, and I liked that. 

This book is heavy. There's a lot of love and self-discovery but it comes along with abuse. 

I found it sad that Kalki leaves his Ayya only to be used by Lakshman in a similar way.

kaeliwolf's review

4.0

I enjoyed the originality of this story as well as the excellent description that made it all the more enjoyable to read. The names were all ones I haven't seen before, which probably means my inner-head pronunciation was off but that always makes the story more interesting. The chapter art is beautiful and the chapters are short and manageable, which I always enjoy.

purnuhja's review

challenging emotional reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.0

I think this book had a stronger first half than second half. It’s a challenging and interesting story that explores identity, faith, and the consequences of idolizing humans. I enjoyed the perspective it had to share but I felt like it sometimes lacked nuance or a proper resolution. Kalki was exploited at home in India as well as in the US by his new community, but the former was more of a societal commentary so it ignored the actions of his brother. I found that and the pacing (too rushed at the end) to be really disappointing. Otherwise, I liked the message of the book and thought it approached it in a unique way, it was just prioritized too much over the actual story itself. 

southasianbooks's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Suicide

deckleeditproof's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective 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

3.75

I was kinda expecting him to leave the ashram sooner. The end kinda happened all at once

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

mangorya's review against another edition

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

5.0

claygirley's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

ipanzica's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

4.0

nooyatoo's review against another edition

3.75

i really, really, enjoyed the first three parts of this book like I could not put it down. i think the story it was starting to build was incredibly intriguing, but the end was kinda weak. 

(not rly spoilers but also spoilery if u dont know anything abt the book:)

especially making you question faith & belief & also painting the different facets of hinduism from one angle how its queer and gnc history has been erased or rewritten over time v societally how its been harmul esp w the caste system. but then it started to fall apart a bit by the end. it just felt like i was missing a fee more chapters at the end of the book, and i was expecting more storyline on Kalkis journey after breaking away and was excited to learn about his new education that leads into professorship, what happened w Roopa, and his own joirney into exploring queerness and gender identity considering how much it was peppered in at the beginning of the book. overall though, incredibly well written and captivating. i abs devoured this book and would again

aan2328's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75