I’ve not read much South American horror, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the story, but something about the writing compelled me to finish this one (all 500+ pages). For me, it’s best described as “slice of life horror.” I’d be reading about Gaspar (as a teen) being upset with his dad, and then suddenly something disturbing happens, and then Gaspar’s hanging out with his friends again. It’s atmospheric, slightly off, then extremely off as you get towards the end. The structure is also interesting, with different sections narrated by different characters. If you’ve read it, please let me know what you think!

I read this on my Kindle, supplemented by the audiobook (which was great). The author has a clear point of view, which I appreciated, but sometimes the execution fell a bit flat for me. The chapters are narrated by different characters, some in present time, and some in flashback. The most divisive part of this book, imo, is the fig tree narrator. While I really Iiked the idea and learned a lot about trees, these chapters especially sometimes came across as pedantic (“oh these humans..”). I didn’t like that Dephne’s death was not explained until later in the book, which felt emotionally manipulative to me. The book’s greatest strength is that it brings awareness and humanity to the island of Cyprus, and the Cypriots and Turkish people there. Despite my criticisms, I’m glad I read it.

I’ve never read Robert Jackson Bennett’s works before, but this book made me a fan! What I liked: detective murder mystery dressed up as fantasy, nature-based “magic” system, set in a fantasy world without a lot of new tech but sci-fi in its ideas about systems and change, two mcs who complement each other’s styles, some disability representation that feels genuine to the story and not just added in for its own sake, a shadowy Empire that I’m sure we’ll read more about in future books, mysterious leviathons, and a beautiful (jacketless) cover, which I have just learned are called case laminate books.

4.5 stars!