sunflower_fantasy's reviews
58 reviews

Now I love the zombie genre, but this was my first time reading zombie fiction beyond dabbling in TWD. The zombie market has become a little oversaturated and it can be a challenge to see original stories in pop-culture. But THIS… brilliant.

Loved:
• exploration of race & passing
• badass protagonist
• different portrayal of zombies
• exploring survivalism & humanity in the antebellum south

Not so much:
• what I originally didn’t like,

her mother’s whiteness

ended up being a plot twist that I loved. 

I’m hoping the sequel fleshes out more of the characters we met too

This book felt okay to me. I don’t think I was the target audience. It’s good gothic elements and I liked the main character, but at times it just felt “ok”

Liked
• the fashion 
• gothic setting 
• exploration of British arrival in Mexico 

Didn’t like 
• slow pace 
• wanted more horror elements
• little confusing

MSTSK is a chilling read that I couldn’t put down! It haunted me.

Things I loved:

• Tackles colourism & desirability, 

• Troubling and tense. 
• Great character development 
• Suspenseful 
• Dark feminist satire 

The Monsters We Defy was a surprising read. Initially, I was intrigued by the synopsis but I didn’t expect for it to be so damn good!

The plot development was smooth and Penelope balances mystery, historical fabulation, and spiritualism so well. She set the scene impeccably and I felt like I was traversing 1920s Washington D.C., especially with all the references to real history. The magic system was embedded in African-American folklore and hoodoo. Penelope creates a wonderful cast of characters. Clara was written so well. She was flawed, troubled, and determined. Zelda was also another favourite.


There are a couple of things that I didn’t like as much:
• Zelda felt underwritten towards the end, which was sad. Her character was so dynamic, funny & skilled. In the climax we don’t see much of this and her final storyline being that

this got her a man and she lived happily ever after

fell flat.
• There were some conveniences in the final showdown which smoothed things over a little too easily.


That being said, there’s so much more that I adored! I’ll definitely read more of her work. 

💛 More things I loved 💛
• exploration of colourism & class divides in the Black community 
• real world histories woven into narrative
• dynamic loveable characters & their backstories 
• explores legacies of slavery on class divides 
• fashion & culture 

A gorgeous second instalment to the Faebound trilogy.

Cursebound begins where we last saw Yeeran & Lettle -

Yeeran heading back to Waning to warn her former lover (I really wish there was more of a love triangle!), and Lettle attempting to uncover the mysteries of the Fae world. The novel follows them as they seek to undo the curse entrapping all the fae underground, meanwhile navigating multiple assassination attempts and a brewing war-to-end-all-wars.

Once again, I loved the worldbuilding and writing style, and the plot/characters kept me hooked. However, I have some of the same comments that I had with the previous, that it was predictable, a little too fast-paced and didn’t expand certain storylines that I would’ve liked. But despite this, I still loved this book!

The introduction of new characters and points of view was welcomed. There were times where I was pleasantly surprised by the plot too. I can’t wait for the final instalment. I wonder what it’ll be called?

Earthbound?

Disappointed by this read as I was really excited to get stuck into it.  Could have DNF, but powered through and skimmed it. 

I don’t think this was a book about Shigidi. If anything, it told the story of Nneoma. The characters could’ve been fleshed out more and I was excited for the heist, but it  wasn’t actually the main focus of the plot.

I thought the heist would delve more into the reality of stolen African artefacts, but it didn’t. The writing style, hopping across a timeline was also laborious and wasn’t for me. 

There’s some elements I enjoyed though.  

I wanted to really love this, but I didn’t. I can see how it could be a 5 star for some people. I think I went into it with expectations and maybe I shouldn’t have. 

Rounded up from 4.5 because it’s just so good!

The world-building is exquisite and the characters are charming, gorgeous and devastatingly flawed. At times the pacing was off and some character arcs like Pila, Komi & Nerad weren’t fleshed out enough for me. However, this didn’t detract from its enthralling plot and  its world. I’m eager to see how it unfolds in the next two books.

Loves:
• world-building, lore, & the mystery
• cool plot with war, political intrigue & myth
• eroticism, lust & desire 
• stunning scenes, settings, & fashion

Not so much:
• some characters lacked depth
•

I hate to say it, but Pila was boring. The Obeah could’ve been written better with more animalistic qualities other than smelling things. She felt too agreeable for a cat-like creature.

• a couple of plot holes, some things just seemed to work out smoothly for the protagonists.

Finally, is this marketed as Afro/Arab because I would’ve enjoyed more cultural references?

I don’t always need literary perfection for me to list something as a 5 star…. I need to feel. I need to be excited, witness a world emerge, experience something new, and be in a state of anticipation. This book did that. 

A cute finale. Although there was less worldbuilding and exciting action that I enjoyed from the first book, this is still a great series especially for a younger reader. Xio’s character is a standout for this book. 

I said I’d read more dystopian fiction. Bonus if it’s in a post-apocalyptic world. I was excited by Trail of Lightning because of its exploration of American indigeneity as a post-apocalyptic condition and even more so as it was written by my favourite author of the year so far, Rebecca Roanhorse. 

Pros 

Cons