Africa

An Egypt Affair

By Will Patching

(3.5 / 5)

I’ve previously read The Hack trilogy by Will Patching and enjoyed it, so I was excited to read his newest book. An Egypt Affair definitely has a different feel to it, but I think that’s at least somewhat expected since it’s a book adaptation of a screenplay. The book is written in the third person and alternates views between several of the main characters. I could quickly pick up that some of the characters’ opinions of each other were not so great. I think that’s why I ended up not feeling strongly attached to most of the characters, which in turn made me not feel as engrossed in the book as I could’ve been. The story definitely had an intricate plot, though I could sense the direction most things were going long before they were officially revealed. All that said, it was still a good read with an interesting setting and complicated relationships. I’m interested in watching the movie to see how it compares and contrasts to the book adaptation.

I received a free review copy of this book directly from the author. My review is voluntary and completely my own.

All That It Ever Meant

By Blessing Musariri

(5 / 5)

All That It Ever Meant is a complex story that really made me think and almost had a philosophical feel to it. Honestly, when asked to describe the book I was reading, I had to respond that I wasn’t really sure, since it obviously had a deeper meaning that would take reading the whole book to completely understand. At the surface, it was a story about a father and his children on a trip to his homeland, Zimbabwe, several months after the mother died. It is obvious this is a family in mourning and trying to heal after a terrible tragedy.

Mati, the middle child in age (14), is the narrator, but it’s almost as if she’s a fly on the wall, describing what is happening to everyone else while being very passive about herself. Interweaved through the story of the family’s trip in Zimbabwe, Mati seems to struggle with telling the story of her mother, past, and something that happened, bringing up bits and pieces out of order but avoiding the true core of what she’s trying to say. Throughout she is joined by Meticais, someone who can only be seen/heard by her but seems to be a guide helping her process all of this, encouraging her to tell her story.

I’ll admit that at the beginning of the book I felt like I was a bit lost in the swirling mind of a teen, jumping from one thought to the next. But the book kept me reading and thinking as the pieces of this puzzle slowly came together. There were multiple times where I had to stop to process paragraphs that felt especially enlightening, not just for this story but for life in general. Over the course of the story, I had a lot of my own theories about what the core of the story really was – there were lots of hints along the way, but it was hard to put together all the pieces in a way that made sense. In the end, the outcome wasn’t at all what I expected, but it was like finding the missing piece to a puzzle that made it all come together.

This was truly a book you weren’t meant to fully understand until the end, but when you get there, you see it for the masterpiece that it is.

I received a free copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program, but all opinions are my own.

March 8, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Hardcover Young Adult 0

How You Grow Wings

By Rimma Onoseta

(4 / 5)

TW: Multiple instances of abuse

How You Grow Wings follows 2 sisters, Cheta (17) and Zam (16), who have grown up in an abusive household. Throughout the story both sisters are learning how to live life outside of their parents’ home, but in very different ways: Zam is taken in by her rich aunt and uncle, while Cheta is poor and trying to live on her own. The story mostly takes place in Nigeria, and the book immerses you in the languages, culture and obstacles in that country. The book really dives into and explores a lot of difficult topics, such as abuse, sexism, classism, and colonial influences on culture.

A central theme in this book was exploring relationships between people, often relationships that were strained or difficult. It was interesting to watch as multiple characters grew and gained a better understanding of those around them. Zam especially showed a lot of growth over the course of the book.

I’m rating this book 3.5 stars since it didn’t hold my interest as much as I hoped it would, but I think it was just a matter of personal preference – I tend to enjoy faster-paced books with more action. The writing is good so it earns being rounded up to 4 stars.

I received a free copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program. All opinions are my own.

February 17, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Hardcover Young Adult 0