i likes that this book showed the slave trades during the time when africa was being “colonized” (taken over!) by white europeans and how both changed the lives of africans.

the author doesn’t shy away from the actual horrors -beatings, rape, even just the trauma being ripped away from your home and dragged way to be sold- and even being owned by a nicer person doesn’t mean that it feels good be owned.

i did find the entire book a bit confusing since the writing style felt almost too young to be YA but then the brutal moments happen and make it very clear that it’s NOT a YA or middle grade book at all.

but for an adult book everything was too underdeveloped in my option. the characters where good but didn’t have any real depths and could have used more personality to make the reader actually connect and really feel with them.

and then there were the moments where the white people and the slave traders behaved as it they were from a different time. since it’s clear that a few people clearly knew that slave trade was disposable and shouldn’t be done and that taking land and people for no other reason then wanting too is also not okay.
and while i am sure that there were always people smart enough around to know those things... but i am also pretty sure that it wouldn’t have happened the way it was described in this book. especially during the time this book takes place in.


so all in all?
it’s a good book but it could have been better.