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A review by snaillydia
Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley
5.0
Okay, hear me out.
There's a lot about this book that isn't perfect. Especially when it comes to the fantasy aspect of this novel. Descriptions of the different races/species that occupy this world are strange, and the world itself doesn't seem to be very much fleshed out. In the end I still have questions. I still don't know how everything works. We get tons of cliches. And there might be plot holes there that I can't see.
However.
Is that really the point?
Did Maria Dahvana Headley set out to write a complicated Sanderson-esque fantasy? I don't think so.
I think this book is supposed to be whimsical, more magical-realism than anything else, full of symbolism and emotion. And it was perfect at that.
All you need to know going in is that it's about a girl with a mysterious lung illness who one day sees a ship sailing among the clouds. That's all you should know going in. Trust me.
The two POV characters of this book are characters that I fell for. One of them has much more to do than the other, but I found that both of their sides of the story were equally interesting to read. It helped that I found the writing style of this book to be amazing. A little pretentious for some, but for me it was the icing on the cake that is this novel.
This book makes me cry. Like a baby. I even cried during the first 80 pages, where I wasn't yet that attached to the characters. I'm telling you, the writing really did it for me.
I recommend picking this up, just have in mind that you might not like it. It's not for everyone.
There's a lot about this book that isn't perfect. Especially when it comes to the fantasy aspect of this novel. Descriptions of the different races/species that occupy this world are strange, and the world itself doesn't seem to be very much fleshed out. In the end I still have questions. I still don't know how everything works. We get tons of cliches. And there might be plot holes there that I can't see.
However.
Is that really the point?
Did Maria Dahvana Headley set out to write a complicated Sanderson-esque fantasy? I don't think so.
I think this book is supposed to be whimsical, more magical-realism than anything else, full of symbolism and emotion. And it was perfect at that.
All you need to know going in is that it's about a girl with a mysterious lung illness who one day sees a ship sailing among the clouds. That's all you should know going in. Trust me.
The two POV characters of this book are characters that I fell for. One of them has much more to do than the other, but I found that both of their sides of the story were equally interesting to read. It helped that I found the writing style of this book to be amazing. A little pretentious for some, but for me it was the icing on the cake that is this novel.
This book makes me cry. Like a baby. I even cried during the first 80 pages, where I wasn't yet that attached to the characters. I'm telling you, the writing really did it for me.
I recommend picking this up, just have in mind that you might not like it. It's not for everyone.