sunflower_fantasy's reviews
58 reviews

 I really enjoyed this book! The characters were written well, I was captivated by the story and worldbuilding. It was seductive, powerful, and mystical. Yes, at times it became easy to guess how the mystery would be resolved, but I wanted to see how the author would tell this story! I could definitely read another instalment of Fatma’s adventures! Waiting for another

A touching book about a young girl who must choose between her own needs and desires and that of her family’s. 

In the 1960s, 15-year-old Ana arrives in New York as part of her arranged marriage with Juan. She moves with the intention of providing her family back home with a better life, but must adjust to the fast-paced, intimidating world of NYC. With a language barrier and her natural cooking skills, Ana must navigate the city on her own terms if she’s to find her place within it. 

This was a heartfelt read, with agitating characters and a vivid imagery of the city. It frequently refers to the political backdrop of the Dominican Republic & the aftermath of the Malcolm X assassination, humanising these events through the perspective of a young immigrant woman. 

DNF at page 98. 

I really wanted to enjoy this and the first few chapters definitely intrigued me, but overall this really wasn’t for me. 

It wasn’t written in a way that was enjoyable for me and this could’ve been due to the translation. I didn’t enjoy the visceral sexual imagery, which felt violent and random. I also feel like it dealt with so many topics with not much time. The non-linear storytelling (which I usually enjoy) made it so difficult for me to attach to any characters.

When I started this book, I absolutely loved it. Maybe that’s why I was so disappointed when by the midway point it lost a lot of its charm and suspense for me. 

I love how the beginning section is narrated and that we learn more about the world, lore, and its history through the eyes and experience of young Tarisai. I also enjoyed how culture is depicted. In many ways it’s a story of culture and difference, of harmony and disharmony, and how culture intersects with politics and ideology. I think this was beautifully woven throughout the story. 

The second half, for me, felt too fast. The suspense diminished and passages felt like they were missing. The worldbuilding slowed down in this section, but there was little time for characters to experience and think through what they’re encountering. The magic system revolves around intimacy… beautiful. LOVE. But I don’t think enough time was devoted to exploring their intimate relationships, which really lets this down. 

Pros: culture, worldbuilding, young narrator, well-researched

Wow.

I’m calling it… this’ll be my book of the year. A gloriously terrifying and indulgent epic fantasy with exceptional world-building and captivating characters. Literary perfection. I can’t wait to see how this story unfolds.

Rounded up from 4.5. 

A stunning fantasy with a heart-wrenching plot, unforgivable complex characters, and exciting worlds. 

In Midnight Robber, Hopkinson’s world-building dances within the colours and vibrancies of Caribbean carnivals/mas. An amalgamation of Caribbean cultures, it beautifully captures the spirit and soul of the islands through its imagination of a galaxy of planets beyond our own.

Told through the perspective of young and determined Tan-Tan who is forced to leave her home with her corrupt, self-absorbed father, the novel explores themes such as familial love, loss and trauma, power and control, and punishment and retribution.

Hopkinson plays with narration, weaving together perspectives drawn from Tan-Tan’s reality, but also storytelling, myth, and folklore. She often leaves us to decipher what’s true, and what’s fabulation. Once again, leaning into the rhetoric skill of Caribbean storytelling. 

She is a master of character. Painfully, her characters can’t be slotted into a binary of good or bad. They are people that have evil actions, or are bad/good at one time, but not others. 

There are elements to the story that I would have liked developed even further, such as AI, the douens’ background and whether there’s other creatures, and how some human infrastructure was developed so quickly. But at the same time, Tan-Tan is ignorant to a lot of these questions, and thus so are we, the readers. 
I make peace with knowing only what I need to know, and following Tan-Tan’s coming-of-age story in these worlds. 

I would definitely read again

I devoured this. 

A brilliant second instalment to the trilogy. It focuses more on political and geographical movements in preparation for the third and final book.

I would’ve liked a bit more depth and nuance with Xiala’s character development, but I’m excited for the final book which promises to tease this out more.