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A review by analenegrace
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Rivers Solomon's writing style is so captivating, making their books sometimes impossible to put down. I really enjoyed the shorter works I'd read by them, and this full-length novel is absolutely fantastic as well. It had fantastic twists and turns that I didn't expect, keeping me on the edge of my seat.
Gender and race are both huge factors in this book, and I appreciated Solomon's attention to detail and use of these aspects of one's identity to explore this futuristic world. The world of Matilda is written well, with such attention to historical detail that it makes the impact of the plantation America on this ship evident. Solomon does not pull any punches with both racism and misogyny, and I was only left wondering how Matilda got to this place, but it was honestly a very interesting choice to leave that unknown to the characters and the readers.
Aster was sometimes hard to read from, honestly my only criticism. I understand she was somewhere on the autistic spectrum and being written that way, but it was still frustrating at times with how she would communicate and act with others. Her relationship with Theo was really well-written, with all of the barriers and factors that prevent them from honestly ever being on clear footing with each other.
The ending worked so well, with Aster'sreturn to Earth and while I wanted more, of course, it felt so grounded in its ending that I understood why they chose to end it where they did.
Solomon is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. Their writing is just so profoundly compelling and beautiful.
Gender and race are both huge factors in this book, and I appreciated Solomon's attention to detail and use of these aspects of one's identity to explore this futuristic world. The world of Matilda is written well, with such attention to historical detail that it makes the impact of the plantation America on this ship evident. Solomon does not pull any punches with both racism and misogyny, and I was only left wondering how Matilda got to this place, but it was honestly a very interesting choice to leave that unknown to the characters and the readers.
Aster was sometimes hard to read from, honestly my only criticism. I understand she was somewhere on the autistic spectrum and being written that way, but it was still frustrating at times with how she would communicate and act with others. Her relationship with Theo was really well-written, with all of the barriers and factors that prevent them from honestly ever being on clear footing with each other.
The ending worked so well, with Aster's
Solomon is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. Their writing is just so profoundly compelling and beautiful.