I actually really struggled to rate this book and decide how I felt about it overall. Much of the writing is beautiful, especially the descriptive elements which are almost poetic. The story itself is moving and shocking in all the best ways. However, I often felt that some descriptive sections were much longer than they needed to be and the poetic/ descriptive sections weren’t well balanced by the action in the story. Bigger, more violent or climactic actions were described fleetingly while descriptions of how a person pictured or imagined a certain food or animal or interaction might take up four times that. This isn’t to say the book was bad- it was great- but the imbalance really stuck out to me. The characters were fascinating and I wanted to know more about all of them and found myself wishing certain characters had a POV. While I’m not always a fan of ghost stories, the ghostly elements in this story were good- though not as moving as Morrison’s “Beloved”, they were still effective and beautifully written. Overall would recommend to people looking for ghost stories that are unique if they enjoy stories that go a little purple and can tolerate reading about violence.

A centuries spanning story out-of-Africa and back again story. The characters are interesting but their lives, actions, and situations are more so. I listened to audiobook which had a lovely sound but I would’ve likely had an easier time following characters if I’d read the traditional book. It’s a book I really recommend for anyone who hasn’t yet read a family saga story or an out of Africa story.

When I first started this book, I thought I would end up giving it five stars. The first two chapters were amazing and the earliest parts of the book were honestly the best. They gave quick, effective examples that would help anyone better their writing skills. However, The middle and later parts of the book were not as effective. Pinker continually complains about the “curse of knowledge” and how knowing too much about a particular subject can cause you to use jargon or certain words that average readers won’t understand. However, he then makes mistakes that essentially boil down to the same thing. Since I have a degree in line with tax I understand much of what he’s talking about when he discusses things like descriptive English versus prescriptive English, Language trees, and various parties and acts. However, for someone with just a high school education and no background and linguistics, I highly doubt they would understand such terms clearly. Additionally, while the early examples were good for anyone, the rest of the book was essentially geared towards science writers alone or those that write lengthy research papers. Chapters one, two, and six were so good and helpful in any context that I would recommend them to any reader looking for information on how to better their writing. However, I wouldn’t recommend buying the entire book or reading the entire book if you aren’t someone that writes scientific articles or similar articles.

3.5 stars. Many people told me that this book was utterly amazing, extremely deep, and highbrow. After reading it I wouldn’t say that I agree with any of that, although I did enjoy it immensely. The book was very entertaining and filled with interesting characters and a few mysteries that really keep you going. I loved all the different mythological characters that were included and many of the tricks or cons mentioned were funny and interesting. However, I was very disappointed in all of the female characters. Nearly every single woman in this book came off as a bit flat or something of a stereotype-the innocent small-town girl who loves taking care of animals, the long-time good-hearted wife who cares about her husband despite having cheated on him, and the seductress that seems to live off of men enjoying her body etc. The women in the story primarily functioned in reaction to or because of their feelings for men and they seemed a bit two dimensional. (However I went back and forth between book and audiobook and I wonder if the voice acting further cemented my opinions of the flat female characters- I’m not really sure). And yes- I understand the very obvious metaphors and issues at play between immigration and globalization. I do like those commentaries, but even if the women in the book are symbols within that metaphor, they come off far weaker than their male counterparts. (Though I will add that I do honestly enjoy those metaphors). What I also found odd was that some of the magic or fabulist parts of the novel were more believable then some of the dialogue said at points. I didn’t question the magic happening but I didn’t question if someone would really say a particular sentence etc. This doesn’t mean that I think the novel is bad- just that it isn’t perfect. Also, while it made me very curious and I had fun reading it, it didn’t elicit sorrow or extreme joy or other feelings that some novels do if they strike close to home. That shouldn’t be too odd as this is a fabulist work and is therefore not always relatable. I have also heard some criticism that the portrayal of certain black characters in this novel aren’t particularly accurate and lack depth which may be due to the writer being white. As I am not black, I can’t make a very serious assessment on the matter, although there definitely wasn’t a lot of explanation of race issues in the text. If you are looking for a very serious, cerebral, or atmospheric magical realism book that I would probably look elsewhere. However, if you were looking for fabulism that mentions a variety of different logical characters while throwing a mystery in and various puzzles, then I would definitely recommend it. (For me, the mythological mysteries were obvious so it may depend on your level of knowledge but that didn’t make the story less entertaining for me). All in all, the book is really overhyped and while it isn’t terrible, I’m hoping I’ll like other books by Gaiman more.

I’m honestly struggling to see why so many people have this book three or less stars. First, I should mention that you will get a lot more out of this book if you’ve read Kafka’s the Metamorphosis. Second, be prepared for a main character that isn’t very like able. In the beginning he seems like an average guy who makes poor choices but over the course of the novel he becomes selfish. That does not mean this is a bad book! In fact- I loved the book. The author doesn’t hold back with writing in pidgin, referencing tribal groups/ foods, and other things that some writers might shy away from including. The book had multiple concepts that wove together in a way I adored. If you like magical realism, race issues, and gender issues you will like this book. If you’re easily put off by unlikable characters then you may not. For me it’s five stars.

Whaaaaaat??? Why do you do this to me, Garth Nix? This book is getting 3 stars from me but that’s a sort of compromise. Really, the first 40% - 50% of this book is 4.5-5 stars but the latter half is maybe 1.5-2 stars. The first half was good and built up romance slowly and introduced issues and atmosphere at a slow pace too. Unfortunately, the end of the story felt rushed and the romance became so fast-paced and serious I found it suddenly unbelievable. Garth Nix creates such a vibrant world but his pacing here was really off. Still, I love the method he makes and I don’t regret reading it. It added a few bits of lore I find fascinating.