Book is shorter than I expected. A quick and engaging read.

Great illustrations, important story. Uplifting and sad

A very compelling story. The details around Pyro and Paracetco were some of the least believable aspects of the story to me, but they were introduced early enough and made for enough interesting plot lines that I didn't mind. The story raised very engrossing questions for me around survival and how communities operate and how to build a better world. Each chapter opens with a verse from the Book of the Living, a religious text that the protagonist is creating. I'm not big on poem or song interludes like Tolkien does, but the excerpts felt relevant and meaningful in their own right. I read this book individually and as part of a book club, and it sparked some very good conversations.

I was intrigued by the summary because I don't read much fiction from the perspective of older women of the church, and it seemed like it would be fascinating. They show up occassionally to narrate, but the focus is on a young woman who is on the outskirts of the church. I think there were a lot of good ideas in here on the topics of dealing with trauma and the role of religion in people's lives, but it ultimately felt like the church was more of a backdrop, and the story felt a little scattered. It's a drama and a quick read.

Itempas is disgraced after the events of the 1st book, but as a central god, he can't be killed as would anyone else who treated Nahadoth and Siehe as he did. Jemisin uses this conundrum to explore what rehabilitation, restitution, and growth look like. Oree is a determined, irreverant protagonist who I really enjoyed. I'm realizing that this series is less about any one character than it is about the history of this world.

Read as an adult and I loved how Hamilton incorporated folklore into this story and her pantheon. The plot was unpredictable, and I enjoyed following the characters without being able to guess what would happen to them. There was a lot of history covered in this book, and I learned some things. I live in the same region as this book was set and am into plants, so I knew the plants that they foraged for were actually edible, which I thought was cool.

I've read most of Okorafor's other novels, so it was interesting to finally read her debut. This book really reflects her love of nature, and I recognized some elements of this book that had been remixed in her later work. My library categorized this as young adult, but I would say it's very middle grade, especially towards the end. I really enjoyed the plant-based technology in the Kingdom of Ooni and the variety of creatures that can be found in the Forbidden Greeny Jungle. I wished Okorafor had given a pseudo-science explanation for the plant computers and plant satellites because I was so enthralled with the idea of living tech. Zahrah is a very timid character, and I enjoyed reading about her growth, and her friendship with Dari.