Ahoy there me mateys! This be one of me reads in me May BookBum Club Challenge where the theme be “around the world: a book by an author who is from another country.” This author be from South Africa. I was reminded of this book’s existence from me recent look at me NetGalley Rejections – Part Two. I had requested it back in the day and was denied. So what better time to read it then for this challenge?

The blurb starts with “Zinzi has a sloth on her back.” A women who is bonded with a sloth? Ummm yes! So this is a fantasy book with a gritty atmosphere, awesome protagonist, and lyrical writing. It also won the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Novel back in 2011.

The magic in this world is weird and awesome. So basically, if ye commit a crime then ye be bonded with an animal familiar. If yer animal dies then ye get dragged to the Underworld i.e. hell. So of course the people who have these animals are at the bottom of the social ladder and be pariahs. Because obviously if ye have an animal it is proof that ye be bad. But a positive to yer animal is that ye be granted a magical power. There is no rhyme or reason to what animal or power a person gets. Zinzi has a sloth and the ability to find lost things – keys, wallets, people. It is her ability to find people that causes her so much grief in this story.

Zinzi doesn’t normally do missing person cases because of the complications involved. But her debt to her ex-drug dealers is skyrocketing, she hates being a part of the 419 scams they give her, and this might be her ticket out of debt and into more freedom. I have to admit that I adored both Zinzi and her Sloth companion. Yes Zinzi made mistakes. But I couldn’t help but root for her anyway.

Zinzi has to find the missing person while dodging murder charges, finding clues, and trying to survive in the slum. For me the unique world-building and characterizations are what made the novel. The plot was okay but had some holes, some unanswered questions, some predictable plot twists, and a less-than satisfactory ending. But I adored Zinzi and the world the author created. I believe this be a stand-alone but I wouldn’t mind more stories set in this world. And I do believe I love the author’s writing style enough to give another novel of hers a try.

Much thanks to the BookBum Club for giving me the incentive to read this delightful “around the world” novel.