Ahoy there me mateys! With an awesome cover and cool premise, I thought for sure that I would love this one. Instead it was very uneven.
The story is a dystopian sci-fi drawn from the Nigerian and Biafra civil war of the 1960s. It takes place in 2172 after the planet has been decimated from climate change. The lucky ones have made it to space but the rest are back on Earth, struggling to survive. At first the two main characters, Onyii and Ify live in a hidden camp of girls in Biafra. Ify’s family was originally Nigerian but Biafra has adopted her and considers her family. However Ify is taken by the Nigerians in an attack and the sisters are split on either side of the divide.
Onyii was a former child soldier of Biafra who gets involved in the war over losing Ify and quickly rises through the military ranks in her quest for revenge. She be a fierce fighter. Ify loves education and learning new technology. She grows to love and support Nigeria even though she misses Onyii. The book switches back and forth between the two perspectives. Both girls are basically prodigies of a kind but I didn’t mind that so much.
I loved that this book was #ownvoices. I loved learning about the Nigerian civil war. I actually stopped reading early on so I could research background on the real war before finishing the book. Nasty and heart-breaking. It is a disgrace really how Nigerian territory was set up and how much other foreign nations interfered. I loved how the sister’s relationship changed over the course of the novel and how both are used as weapons in their own fashions. I thought the commentary and metaphors around the use of child soldiers was well done. I loved that women had such respect, strength, and high roles in the world.
There were several major problems with this book. The mechs, bionic implants, and other technology in the world really didn’t make much sense. It sounded cool but there were never good explanations for how the giant robots or neural networks really functioned. It felt more like magic. Also the book could have used a lot more description overall.
The plot was extremely problematic. The book was split into parts and jumped around quite a bit in time and place. While part one was excellent, the story wasn’t very straightforward after that. The pacing was slow and I found so many parts to be either confusing or somewhat boring. I know ye were supposed to root for Biafra but it was very hard to do so because the people were so brutal to both the Nigerians and their own citizens in their zeal to win the war. I do understand that the brutality comes from the historical sources.
I thought that the book could have been shorter and needed some serious pruning. At times there was too much focus on action scenes which lead to a disconnect to the main characters for huge swathes of the book. Many characters die and other characters don’t get enough backstory or drop out of the book altogether. There is good writing in this but it didn’t always work. And the ending was both kinda abrupt and unsatisfactory.
Honestly I feel like book would have been better with a lot more editing and if it was a standalone. I don’t know if I would read the sequel but the author has talent and I would be interested in more of his future work. Arrrr!
Side note: Sci-Fi Month is hosted by Matey Lisa of Dear Geek Place and Matey Imyril of One More. Check out their blog links for more info and join the fun!
Goodreads has this to say about the novel:
Two sisters are torn apart by war and must fight their way back to each other in a futuristic, Black Panther–inspired Nigeria.
The year is 2172. Climate change and nuclear disasters have rendered much of earth unlivable. Only the lucky ones have escaped to space colonies in the sky.
In a war-torn Nigeria, battles are fought using flying, deadly mechs and soldiers are outfitted with bionic limbs and artificial organs meant to protect them from the harsh, radiation-heavy climate. Across the nation, as the years-long civil war wages on, survival becomes the only way of life.
Two sisters, Onyii and Ify, dream of more. Their lives have been marked by violence and political unrest. Still, they dream of peace, of hope, of a future together.
And they’re willing to fight an entire war to get there.
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Ah what a shame! This book sounds really interesting. I might still give it a go if I happen upon it in my library or something because I do love books about Nigeria and, as Maddalena said above, if nothing else it’s good that this book is drawing attention to a period of history that’s so overlooked outside of Nigeria. Great review!
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Thanks matey! Aye, I think this be a perfect library book because there are interesting ideas present and some excellent writing. I would read more by the author for sure.
x The Captain
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I get so fed up when I read reviews like yours – where an adequate but flawed book would have benefitted from proper editing to turn them into something remarkable. It’s one of the areas where the trads have cut back and there are a steady stream of books that suffer for it. It sounds like it was an ambitious novel with great promise – hopefully the next book will be better. In the meantime, many thanks for an excellent review, Cap:)
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Thanks for reading me review. I am so sad about the lack of editing. I is a disservice to new writers who are honing their craft. Even the best writer needs a good outside eye to look at their work.
x The Captain
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Oh absolutely! As many eyes as possible, to be honest…
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It’s sad that this book did not fulfill its initial promises, but on the other hand a story that compels us to learn more about real-world issues deserves to be praised for this very experience.
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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I always love learning new things. Especially about history outside of the US.
x The Captain
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I have heard a lot of mixed reviews on this one, sadly yours is not the first. It’s a shame because I really think the premise is interesting! Hopefully her next one will be better.
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It’s looking good so far!
x The Captain
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I’m sorry to hear this book didn’t live up to its potential. I think that a lack of quality editing is sadly a common theme these days. Hopefully it won’t last.
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I know book editors just don’t have enough time for in-depth edits but the bones of this one were so good. It could have gone from an enjoyable but just okay book to a stunning one.
x The Captain
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I agree with you… I liked so many things about this, but at the same time…
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Better editing would have done this a world of good. I will try something else by the author though. The skill is there even if not directed well this time around.
x The Captain
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Sorry to hear about these issues. I’ve been debating whether to read this or not. I am excited to read his novella Riot Baby, though!
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I had to look up riot baby. That does sound fun. But I think I will wait until I see reviews from other bloggers like ye before I pick it up. I think war girls for me ended up being worth it because some of the imagery was just so interesting. There be two characters in particular that I did love even though neither got much page time. If ye do choose to read it I hope it floats yer boat.
x The Captain
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This book sounds interesting. I don’t know much about the Nigerian civil war either and I’m intrigued. Sorry it didn’t turn out to be better though. If nothing else, at least you learned something by reading it. 😊
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There were good things in this book and I always enjoy when fiction leads me to do more research of the real facts that inspired it. No regrets about this at all.
x The Captain
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