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megnut's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Animal death, Child abuse, Violence, Misogyny, Slavery, and Trafficking
tifftastic87's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
After Peace Bombs were released in response to nuclear war, people have found themselves Changed. Ejii is the daughter of a man who contrilledof the city of Kwàmfà for the first nine years of her life. Under his rule women were restricted and uneducated, including training for the Changed. Ejii is Changed, she can hear shadows, but her minimal training means she has difficulty understanding them. Until they tell her one day that she needs to follow the leader of the city, Jaa, to stop another war.
Ejii is quick to anger and often struggles with making rational responses to external conflict. However, I feel that a lot of her actions are justified and it is her culture and society telling her she is being irrational. This is, from most of the Okorafor books I have read, a pretty common character trope. There is a lot of conversation of misogyny and, similarly to Who Fears Death, Ejii leans on the boys in her life for strength despite being the stronger character. It felt like it was on the younger edge of the YA spectrum with how the characters reacted to situations and interacted with each other. The narration also went heavy on giving information to the reader and explaining instead of letting the reader discover it through the story. I will probably read the next one, but it isn’t my favorite by Okorafor.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Animal death, Gun violence, Violence, and Blood
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