#somadina

[wahalaprincess]

[imgunnagetyou]

review for Somadina by Akwaeke Emezi

song: I Am Not Nothing by Beth Crowley https://open.qobuz.com/track/115789155

spoilers ahead

Emezi is a great writer, but PET will always be my favourite.

I absolutely love the sibling relationship in this book. I've read a fair amount of them where one of the siblings is torn away and the other wants to find them, or etc, but all those books doesn't ever give me the impression that they give a shit that much. In this book Somadina absolutely gives multiple shits about it, and I'm glad to see that. On the other hand, the character Uwafulamiro kind of felt unnecessary to the story. The more I think about it the more I realise just how little he does in the entire book. He just kind of exists, and talks sometimes. He really just does absolutely fuckin nothing. Quite literally, and I mean this in every sense of the word, if he was removed from the book, nothing would change.

There was a big fuss about the childrens' magic and the god 'claiming' them, but I think nothing was really done with this, just to give them more magic than the average person. Granted, maybe this is going to be a series or duology and it will be more exploring/explained but right now, there was nothing

While I understand Somadina is young and stupid, there was a specific thing that didn't make sense that she kept doing. the first dream/vision she has of the hunter, she thinks "that can't be real" and she tells no one of it, which is understandable. Then she has another dream of the hunter, still doesn't tell anybody. I think if you have that type of dream twice it's probably time to tell someone. Then Jayaike disappears, and Somadina beats herself up for not telling anybody about the dream. Then, later on in the book, she has yet another dreamvision of the hunter where he says straight up he's going to kill the person that was helping them at the time.

What does Somadina do? She doesn't fuckin tell a soul. What does the hunter do? He done kills them. Like what the fuck lol non spoiler: she refuses to tell people something for no reason and bad things happen because of it.

I hate the ambiguous ending, in the way of the parents. it leaves room for every reader to think "oh she forgives them" or "oh she doesn't forgive them" and I kind of fucking hate that lol. Her parents are absolutely unforgiveable, sorry not sorry fuck you. Especially the mother, who day one (beginning of book I mean) it is CLEAR that she has a favourite, and doesn't care as much about the twins as her first child. And then, after all the abuse she gives them, when Jayaike goes missing, she says she doesn't even want him to be found. That is UNFORGIVEABLE!!!! I don't care what her apologies are. And the father, while not quite taking her side, but still prefers to be with her "because she's having a hard time" as if it isn't the TWINS having a hard time and she keeps making it about her is crazy. I think there was some bullshit about "she's still human" or whatever, but literally throwing your children away, oh whatever I've said it multiple times already. To hell with her. Forgiveness is not mandatory.

The villains motivations are actually dogshit. Even he doesn't know why he does the things he does.

In conclusion, it's pretty good but not great. Could be more.

[aroaessidhe]

2025 reads / storygraph

Somadina

younger-YA fantasy

West African inspired fantasy world, set in a village cut off from the rest of the world after a magical Split, where everyone gains a magical power when they come of age

when a girl and her twin brother develop powers, hers is seen as dangerous - and when her twin is kidnapped, she has to go on an otherworldly journey to try and save him

[caribeandthebooks]

Caribe's YA Fantasy & Science Fiction TBR - Part 4

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