bahareads's Reviews (1.09k)

I haven't read a book about Hawaii that I haven't enjoyed YET.

Books about family expectations and dynasties are my niche. Learning about Hawaiian history, whether through fiction or non-fiction, always hurts. My heart hurts for a people who can't control their land or government. I always reflect back on Hawaii and Puerto Rico to remind myself that the US is not a benevolent saviour but a colonising empire. The POVs that allowed readers to see the takeover of Hawaii from the point of the people, and the desire to keep Hawaiian culture alive made this book so so special.

The complicated mother-daughter relationship in the Naupka dynasty should be attractive to many readers. The backstory relationship between Hulali and Laka, when shown, is so so sad. Love is there but duty is more prevalent than love. Duty to help Hawaii and further the family line is so ingrained in Hulali from her matriarch that that's all she knows. All of the characters are real and complex. None of them shines out as "good" and "bad." They are all complicated. I understand Hi'i need to be accepted by her mother and grandmother. The drive to be accepted by her indigenous society though she appears like a colonizer is woven through the narrative.

The multiple POVs allow readers to see from all the women's points of view. I wished the backstory with Hulali and Laka was towards the beginning, as well as Hi'i's birth story. It would have helped my frustration between the characters and their actions, which were seemly stupid at times.

I enjoyed how Hakes shows that being Hawaiian does not necessarily mean you look fully Hawaiian. Seeing how miscegenation and blood quantum comes into play with the colonialization of Hawaii was fascinating. I'd never heard of the blood quantum laws in Hawaii before, so that was something new for me. The blood quantum conversation in the book made me want to study it more.

Hakes had a whole bibliography at the end which was incredible!! I love historical fiction with other sources/resources for you to read. There are numerous things in this novel that can be triggering like war, miscarriage, child abandonment, partner abuse, cancer, death of a spouse, incarceration etc so be wary.

Edgedancer was short and sweet. I enjoyed diving more into Lift's story and I can't wait to see her again as the saga unfolds.

<i> “Beginning with breath,” Ma had said. “Listen for it, capture it, fight to control it; direct Breath, and the heart and mind will follow.” </i>

I cried. 

Multiple people recommended this book to me at the start of my being on bookstagram (I think @herewereadforfun was the main one who put me on.) I finally decided that now is the time to pick it up. It was mind-blowing. Francis-Sharma bends a beautiful multi-timeline and narrative that is so incredible. It is slow, yet so tense. The ending was something. 

The narrative spans around 30 years from the 1796 to 1830s. We start in Trinidad and Tobago and end in Montana. Rosa nee Rendon and her son Victor are the main characters, through readers get other POVs, in the story. Race and colourism are expertly played into the story as each character's awareness, or lack thereof, pulls the narrative along. 

I LOVED seeing a free Black family in the Caribbean that owned land. Readers see the struggles of being a land and business owner during the 790s-1810s. I have never read anything about Trinidad switching hands from Spanish to British so that was by far the most interesting thing about this book. Under Spanish rule, it seems like the Rendon family lives a relatively comfortable life with less tension than under British rule. It made me wonder about the flexibility of life under the Spanish legal and social system versus the British. I also thought about the fluidity of family life back then, as Rosa's mama is originally from Martinique and Rosa's papa is originally African (?), making the family multi-cultural and multi-lingual. 

I enjoyed seeing indigenous representation through the Apsáalooke tribe. I wondered how a Black Caribbean woman ended up amongst natives. I thought about the slave trade and native participation. It was interesting to see the story unfold as we see Rosa blend in with the Crow Nation and how she originally came to them. The historical research alone makes me give HIGH praise to Francis-Sharma, I aspire. 

None of the characters are perfect, and I believe that is what makes this book extra special. Everyone is so real. Rosa, Victor, and the other POVs are flawed in their own way. 

Sweethand was such a cute book. It was an enjoyable read. Cherisse comes off as a superwoman, she juggles her own bakery, stays outside enjoying herself, and does multiple other things. Kieran was a sweetheart, who was feisty and provided amazing sexual chemistry with Cherisse. The duel POV provides a great insight into both characters' internal monologue. It helps round the narrative for readers. It was nice seeing the music/soca scene on Trinidad through Kieran. It was a really cute story with a predictable ending.

I cried. 
I wondered and agonized. 
I cried again.

My first time exploring Kei Miller has been a mindblowing experience. I've found that a lot of fantastic Caribbean authors have a way of melding POVs together for readers to unfold the whole story. New details and aspects of the plot can be found in each POV culminating in to the final sad scene. Miller is able to weave together an unforgettable narrative. I do not think my review can do justice to it. 

 The undercurrents and in-your-face themes of classism, colourism, and racism (to name a few 'ism')  are woven throughout the narrative. Each character shows a facet of life in Augustown or the surrounding area. All of the characters provide a commentary on the social and political life of Jamaica. Learning about the roots of Rastafarianism and Bedward the flying prophet was very interesting. The back-and-forth time shifts provide another layer as we see old women turn into children and back into old women again. Augustown has had a lasting impact on my reading year.

Oh I have mixed feelings about this one. I came to love Brandon, he's my little sweetie. Tess, on the other hand, really did not do it for me for most of the book. I found the reasons for Tess' strong dislike of Brandon to be weak as hell. I enjoy an enemies-to-lovers plot, but these two were not enemies because Brandon NEVER or disliked Tess. I did love the tension between the two of them. Romantic tension is one of my favourite plot points in a romance book. I felt very meh the most of the interactions between the two of them though. I wish the characters were a little more aged because I kept forgetting they were in high school.

I enjoyed ALL the side characters. Uncle Russel did infuriate me throughout the book, but that's typical of a Caribbean man. I love love loved Hazel. I enjoyed how the cousins supported each other. I loved that Hazel got her own side plot that was threaded in throughout the main one. David was meh, I wish there was no forgiveness or that he turned out to be a good guy. Sometimes people need no redemption.

The passage of time was funny to me. I thought it moved weird way. It seemed like we were stuck in one month then three months had passed. I enjoyed the Trinidadian culture. I loved that we got to go all over the island. I wish it had been "built" a little better for my mind to conceptualize where different locations were without trying to look them up on an actual map. I loved seeing how carnival costumes are built and the concepts behind them. It was nice seeing what goes on behind the scenes in bands.

The sequel did not hit like the first book. The chaotic nature of the family and plot was too much, which overshadowed the humour and the driving narrative of the plot. WHYYYY couldn't Meddy just tell Nathan what was transpiring? He is already implicit in a MURDER, I don't think he's going to be surprised by much else. The ending was rushed and surreal. I do not think all that hijinks would have occurred only to have that type of ending. I could see this being a great tv show still but as a book - meh.

Wildcard was a wild fucking ending. I loved it! The way everything wrapped up was amazing. Marie Lu did that shit. I appreciated the moral tension within Emika as she made her choices and decisions. The audiobook was very well done. There is a difference between this book and Warcross. I think there is less tech and gameplay in this book that might throw some people off. It's definitely more focused on Hideo and Zero and taking either one of them down.

I cried and cried. What an ending. I see why people adore this series; if I had read this as a youth this would be peak literature for me too. The peak of the plot in this book was well planned out. It was a little hard to follow (and I've seen the movies) but with slow reading, it helped. What a world to be put into.