Thank you to the publishers for providing a free copy of this book!
I enjoyed this book, it’s like a futuristic version of Black Panther inspired by the Nigerian civil war. Reading the author’s note at the end made me feel truly touched by his intentions, and I think that a lot of the metaphors (about how the children basically become machines used to kill, much like how child soldiers were forced to fight in real life) worked out well, and of course the struggle with loved ones being on the opposite side of a conflict. If you are not familiar with the war, I didn’t find it too confusing however, as mentioned above, the author includes a historical note at the end which gives background on the conflict. It shows how the creation of territories with no regards to the people who actually live there and their own groups can cause lasting damages for generations and centuries, I had no trouble believing that this would be the case still in this futuristic setting. The book is incredibly action packed and I enjoyed Onyii and Ify and their sisterly bond, and showing how complex some of these relationships can be when you love someone who either is or should be on the other side of the conflict.
I also thought that the tech was very imaginative. However, my main issue with this book is that there’s a lack of description. I can understand the war metaphors but considering that it is futuristic there is very little description of the technology, where people are physically located and the characters’ appearances beyond the machine elements of the war girls. Ultimately, while this book was fascinating and had a lot of potential for setting and atmosphere, it fell short. I am still planning on reading the sequel, and hopefully that is something that will improve!
I enjoyed this book, it’s like a futuristic version of Black Panther inspired by the Nigerian civil war. Reading the author’s note at the end made me feel truly touched by his intentions, and I think that a lot of the metaphors (about how the children basically become machines used to kill, much like how child soldiers were forced to fight in real life) worked out well, and of course the struggle with loved ones being on the opposite side of a conflict. If you are not familiar with the war, I didn’t find it too confusing however, as mentioned above, the author includes a historical note at the end which gives background on the conflict. It shows how the creation of territories with no regards to the people who actually live there and their own groups can cause lasting damages for generations and centuries, I had no trouble believing that this would be the case still in this futuristic setting. The book is incredibly action packed and I enjoyed Onyii and Ify and their sisterly bond, and showing how complex some of these relationships can be when you love someone who either is or should be on the other side of the conflict.
I also thought that the tech was very imaginative. However, my main issue with this book is that there’s a lack of description. I can understand the war metaphors but considering that it is futuristic there is very little description of the technology, where people are physically located and the characters’ appearances beyond the machine elements of the war girls. Ultimately, while this book was fascinating and had a lot of potential for setting and atmosphere, it fell short. I am still planning on reading the sequel, and hopefully that is something that will improve!