booksarebrainfood's reviews
277 reviews

Oryx and Crake terrified and intrigued me in equal measure. The language and visuals were crude but candid and gave a nice biological and realistic twist on the apocalypse. Need to read the other two now before the HBO show.

(Starring based on characters, plot, writing, creativity and enjoyment, lost a star for the detestable protagonist.)

Not a fan, not sure what the point was and now I'm mentally scarred, had the chance to say something very profound about disability but it failed , hate it

sad, can see why its an American classic, well written

Amazing! The story of estrangement of two lovers and two bodies of people.
Learnt so much about Nigeria and the US's links, challenges Euro-centric novel form.
Writing is elegant, informative and witty.
Love Adichie!

(full review on www.booksarebrainfood.org)

Characters 1pt - Characters were compelling, background characters a bit 2 dimensional but still endearing, feel like archaic peoples but matches the tone of the book and in my opinion made them more interesting. Liked the subversion of the daughter/birth giver /mother trope to show the depth of the main character without reducing her to any of these alone.

Writing 1pt - Enjoyable, digestible, maybe a bit too conversational at times which didn't really match the high fantasy but it made it more accessible to me and helped me get through. Enjoyed the development of swear words and other terminology based on our own world and Jemisin's own invention.

Plot 1/2- Didn't find the plot very inspiring, couldn't really see where it was going, 1st novel in a series so I understand emphasis on world building and character establishing but standing alone as I read it I wasn't sure about this.

Enjoyable 1/2pt - Really struggled to get through, not sure if this is my own issue but I've seen the same from others. Maybe needed more intrigue or enjoyment, I enjoyed the Fulcrum part with Damaya because it gave the world more structure. Maybe needed more emphasis on structure before everything fell apart?

World Building / Engaging 1pt - This was very well done and the series' greatest asset for sure. Perfect blend of the familiar and unfamiliar. Well developed systems of power, imaginative and intriguing, liked the stone eater element and the folklore etc, would be interesting to research how far its based on any mythology. The Guardians were sinister and the orogenes were really intriguing. The novel also engages really well on issues such as climate change and hostile environments, displacement, systematic breaking of family structures, fear and abuse of power, caste systems, race, education, feminism, slavery and dehumanising those with differences. Comment on fear of feminine sexuality perhaps with issues of FGM? Could properly study this novel.

Overall 4 stars: Any issues I had with this were to do with its place as an exposition novel not a standalone one, and my own concentration issues at the moment. I don't feel compelled to read on immediately but maybe in the future, but any lovers of fantasy, sci fi or YA would really enjoy it. Really intricate world building and also engaging with our own world.

This novel is extremely accomplished and gives a really in depth look at the trans generational effects of slavery and oppression in a way that was never seeking too much to shock or upset the reader. The story of the characters was heartbreaking and beautiful , the writing simple and detailed, and following the characters through the years gave us a really close connection to their lineage. I’m not sure how realistic it is which I think could be confusing since the book is seeking to lay out the truth and expose a timeline of oppression , maybe the serendipitous parts say something about the strength of family bonds and the impact of fate? The way that the ancestors guide those that follow them is really beautiful, and the last chapter really made me weep a little bit.