This is hard to review because while I love the message and meaning behind the story, the execution wasn't as well written as I would have liked. A whole lot of this book dragged for me and I felt like I had to really push myself to finish chapters.
That being said, this book is TRAGIC. It's the story of a war torn country and the tragic effects of child warriors. How that sadness and pain and devastation will stalk them forever. How you've permanently, irrevocably scarred a child to the point where they cannot find their own way to a life that even resembles normal, happy, or even simply content. It WILL break your heart.
Good points:
-I liked the futuristic sci-fi tech. I really like seeing people's creativity on how the future can be reshaped with technology.
-I liked the suspense. I saw this book as a version of events in Black Panther if Wakanda were to horde all their knowledge and resources and let the rest of the planet screw itself over, only to then realize they now have to fight these rebels to keep Wakanda safe. And then, I was so wrong. I believed the lie, I bought into a certain someone's falseness and was definitely floored by the later betrayal. Also, there were a lot of surprises dropped that I did not expect, so keeping me on my toes was a definite plus.
-I loved the note from the author at the end. I'll admit, I knew nothing about the Nigerian civil war prior to reading this book. I honestly think that note should have gone in front of the book, not at the end. It makes the story so much more meaningful and powerful, and not everyone will read an author's note placed at the end of a book.
Bad points:
-I like futuristic sci-fi tech, but this book had it all used only for the purposes of harming each other, which breaks my heart. Yes, sounds accurate, but heartbreaking all the same.
-Bad pacing that felt lagging and made me want to skip ahead to the good stuff.
-You keep hurting these girls that you make me love and how dare.
Overall, way more good than bad! I just think the writing could have been edited a bit better and the pacing fixed.
That being said, this book is TRAGIC. It's the story of a war torn country and the tragic effects of child warriors. How that sadness and pain and devastation will stalk them forever. How you've permanently, irrevocably scarred a child to the point where they cannot find their own way to a life that even resembles normal, happy, or even simply content. It WILL break your heart.
Good points:
-I liked the futuristic sci-fi tech. I really like seeing people's creativity on how the future can be reshaped with technology.
-I liked the suspense. I saw this book as a version of events in Black Panther if Wakanda were to horde all their knowledge and resources and let the rest of the planet screw itself over, only to then realize they now have to fight these rebels to keep Wakanda safe. And then, I was so wrong. I believed the lie, I bought into a certain someone's falseness and was definitely floored by the later betrayal. Also, there were a lot of surprises dropped that I did not expect, so keeping me on my toes was a definite plus.
-I loved the note from the author at the end. I'll admit, I knew nothing about the Nigerian civil war prior to reading this book. I honestly think that note should have gone in front of the book, not at the end. It makes the story so much more meaningful and powerful, and not everyone will read an author's note placed at the end of a book.
Bad points:
-I like futuristic sci-fi tech, but this book had it all used only for the purposes of harming each other, which breaks my heart. Yes, sounds accurate, but heartbreaking all the same.
-Bad pacing that felt lagging and made me want to skip ahead to the good stuff.
-You keep hurting these girls that you make me love and how dare.
Overall, way more good than bad! I just think the writing could have been edited a bit better and the pacing fixed.