mjmahoney
7/27/2013
I highly recommend this book. Overall the story is complex and compelling. Plus, the narrative is enriched by the personality of the main character and narrator who I enjoyed knowing and traveling with through the novel.
The major things I liked about this book:
The main character. Yeine has a distinct and compelling voice. Although she is thrust into a situation where she knows very little about how things work, she is still smart (sassy even) and uses her intelligence to her advantage. She isn't perfect, she isn't always right, and sometimes she gets hurt. She is a fully realized individual and her lively, often wry, narration easily draws the reader through what is at points a very densely plotted story.
The mythology. Author Jemison creates a system of gods and demigods plus a mythology (creation myth and all) that has familiar aspects, but is unique. The enslavement of the gods to the ruling family adds an interesting element that has implications throughout the novel. The interactions of the gods and demi-gods with each other and with the humans adds a complicating layer to the political and personal threads of the story.
The mystery. Yeine undertakes her journey to solve the mystery of who killed her mother. However, as she is drawn deeper into the decadent ruling society, she finds further mysteries that connect to her mother and her own personal history. So, while she has her own agenda, Yeine's path is affected and sometimes diverted by larger outside forces. She must stay alive long enough in what she views as a no-win situation to find answers to multiple long-standing secrets.