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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
4 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews
Summary
A jinni bound in iron and a sophisticated golem, able to pass as human and living in the human world in New York City have a long, but somewhat troubled friendship. It's complicated by another, unbound jinni and another, cruder golem who come into their lives and those of their acquaintances.
Review
I didn’t read the first volume in this series, The Golem and the Jinni. Happily, that wasn’t a barrier. Wecker does an excellent job of providing the backstory smoothly, woven into the newer narrative. That narrative seemingly takes up where the earlier book left off, following the two principals, Chava (the golem) and Ahmad (the jinni) as they try to settle into a human-like existence despite their essential non-humanity.
The prose is smooth, the characters engaging and interesting; there’s a rich set of decently-developed supporting characters. Only the setting lacked much interest for me; I don’t much care for New York and I don’t find the early 1900s more interesting than any other time. Wecker has clearly done her research well, though, and she fits it all together in a way that makes the setting just that – setting and scenery, not really an obtrusive presence in the story (except for some awkward attempts to fit in real world historical events). I read the book through with interest, never loth to pick it up and go further, though equally never really reluctant to put it down at the end of a chapter.
While there’s no question the book is well written, I found myself oddly ambivalent about it as a whole. I don’t plan, for example, to pick up the earlier volume. Why is that? I’m not really sure, frankly. Something about it all left me a bit cold; while the characters are well developed, I found I didn’t empathize with them as much as I’d have liked. And the basic premise – golem meets jinni in the last century – didn’t really grab me. Some of the character conflicts could have used more foundation. While the protagonists are supernatural, they act as humans in most ways, and some of their essentially-human conflicts felt a bit rushed. The two main extraneous characters – the new jinni and new golem – don’t get as much time as they should have, and are largely scenery and plot points rather than true characters.
In short – this was a pleasant read, and I’d be happy to read other stories by the author, but don’t feel compelled to read more of this one.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Summary
A jinni bound in iron and a sophisticated golem, able to pass as human and living in the human world in New York City have a long, but somewhat troubled friendship. It's complicated by another, unbound jinni and another, cruder golem who come into their lives and those of their acquaintances.
Review
I didn’t read the first volume in this series, The Golem and the Jinni. Happily, that wasn’t a barrier. Wecker does an excellent job of providing the backstory smoothly, woven into the newer narrative. That narrative seemingly takes up where the earlier book left off, following the two principals, Chava (the golem) and Ahmad (the jinni) as they try to settle into a human-like existence despite their essential non-humanity.
The prose is smooth, the characters engaging and interesting; there’s a rich set of decently-developed supporting characters. Only the setting lacked much interest for me; I don’t much care for New York and I don’t find the early 1900s more interesting than any other time. Wecker has clearly done her research well, though, and she fits it all together in a way that makes the setting just that – setting and scenery, not really an obtrusive presence in the story (except for some awkward attempts to fit in real world historical events). I read the book through with interest, never loth to pick it up and go further, though equally never really reluctant to put it down at the end of a chapter.
While there’s no question the book is well written, I found myself oddly ambivalent about it as a whole. I don’t plan, for example, to pick up the earlier volume. Why is that? I’m not really sure, frankly. Something about it all left me a bit cold; while the characters are well developed, I found I didn’t empathize with them as much as I’d have liked. And the basic premise – golem meets jinni in the last century – didn’t really grab me. Some of the character conflicts could have used more foundation. While the protagonists are supernatural, they act as humans in most ways, and some of their essentially-human conflicts felt a bit rushed. The two main extraneous characters – the new jinni and new golem – don’t get as much time as they should have, and are largely scenery and plot points rather than true characters.
In short – this was a pleasant read, and I’d be happy to read other stories by the author, but don’t feel compelled to read more of this one.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really 4.5 stars. Another nice read from Wecker about her Golem and the Jinni characters. I really enjoyed that book, and this did not disappoint. All the old characters are back in a good tale about their lives moving forward. Read others for plot synopsis, just take my word for it...if you liked the first, you'll like this one!
Excellent follow up to the first book; these characters are so real to me, growing and transforming in beautiful and different ways. I hope there is a 3rd book!
4.5
This is definitely a sequel, so I recommend reading them in order. Great historical fiction with a fantastical element.
This is definitely a sequel, so I recommend reading them in order. Great historical fiction with a fantastical element.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I hate to question if a book is necessary...but was this book really necessary? It is as lovely as the first, but also...an awful lot like the first. This seems to retread the same emotional, magical and "mood" ground.
A wonderful follow up to the Golem and the Jinni. This goes far deeper into the so called souls of the beings and the practices of who and what they represent. Their loves, their desires, their obligations, their troubles. Helene Wecker is awesome!!