DNF @ 50%

you probably know someone like this: that person who wants to hug everything they're remotely interested in. they're into painting and writing and running and volunteering and embroidering and dancing and have a youtube channel about music and a newsletter about personal development and an instagram about cooking. in the end, this person tries to do too much and what they actually accomplish is this: nothing.

this is what this book felt like to me.

it tries to do many valiant things at once. it tries to be a cool urban fantasy where everything is the same but mythological creators are real and go to school with you. it tries to be a metaphor for the struggles of Black women and how they often feel voiceless. it tries to be a contemporary coming-of-age about finding your roots.

each one of these plot lines would be so, so awesome on their own. but what you have is a bad patchwork of a book that never really takes off. it truly felt like the author had two books: one about BLM and another about urban fantasy, and just tried to smash them together. so many scenes are beautifully written and pose amazing commentary on our world, yet they are disconnected. the pacing doesn't help. i listened to 50% of the audiobook and feel like only three things happened.

i wanted to love this so much, but i just don't care enough to finish.

own voices reviews: #1 #2 #3