Reviews with content warning for Violence - Shadow Speaker

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Shadow Speaker by Nnedi Okorafor

5 reviews

megnut's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

tifftastic87's review

Go to review page

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

kimapede's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

Content Warnings

2treads's review

Go to review page

adventurous hopeful 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? No

3.0

I have always enjoyed the way Okorafor tells a story through the eyes of the young. Even when the themes she lays out are heavy, experiencing them through children and young teens heightens the readers emotions and interactions with the plot and story.

Shadow Speaker is no different, a world filled with science, magic, old rituals and behaviours with a main character who struggles with a tyrannical father, hateful half-siblings, and her own abilities. Ejii goes on her walk-avoit and becomes instrumental in making the adukts who are bent on war see that they can always choose another way.

I do wish there was more world-building as it could only have increased the immersiveness of the story, but with Ejii and Dikéogu at the centre, I still enjoyed reading this book.

I enjoyed the elements that I was able to identify from having read the short story.from which this springs and being familiar with Okorafor's style. I cannot wait to continue this journey with Dikéogu.

Content Warnings

wornpagesandendlesscoffey's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious tense 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

Shadow Speaker was an amazing SciFi Futuristic story that follows a complex and wonderful female main character as she begins to understand the gifts she was born with, how to use them, and what they mean for her future, and the future of the world she lives in. Ejimafor (Eji) is the central character of the book and she will absolutely throw you some curveballs! When you read it, you'll know exactly what I am talking about! From her early life, her tragic backstory, the strained relationship she has with her family, her village, and her gifts, to when she makes a decision to follow the Shadows, this book is full of action and adventure as well as phenomenal characters and relationships. Dikeogu lends his brand of snarky friendship just when it is needed and keeps the story from becoming too desolate. Jaa is about as complex as they come and you will love and hate her in equal measure. This story reminds me of WoT in that several worlds are meshing together via rips in reality/the universe, but with that SciFi edge and explanation. The magic in this world isn't mystical- it's scientific, a mutation. There is also Muslim themes and a sprinkling of faith throughout the text- as well as how Eji reconciles her faith and who she has even told she must be versus who she needs to become. Overall, I really loved this book and look forward to reading more from this author!!

Content Warnings

More...