Reviews

After the Rain by Nnedi Okorafor

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thatsoneforthebooks's review against another edition

This was a GRAPHIC novel and I don't think I was quite expecting that. It was incredibly illustrated and definitely catches your attention. The gore kind of shocked me, and so this is a hard one to rate!

tangiblereads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.0

After the Rain was an enjoyable graphic novel with lots of color and patterns. At times, too busy so I struggled to make sense of it. Story itself was good, but I didn’t really get the ending and was left wanton. I’m sure it is steeped in African traditions and folklore, but besides Chioma’s making peace and accepting herself, I was lost. However, the creep factor was on point. I don’t want to be on a isolated road or encounter lizards ever again. Overall, a good story, but I wanted more.

hereistheend's review

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3.0

I lacked all the context, I think.

skalman_den_store's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

2.0

celina25's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

reads_vicariously's review against another edition

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5.0

Wow, what a great story! It’s like a tale of Nigerian spiritualism from Chinua Achebe run through a filter of Clive Barker with a dash of Evil Dead thrown in. I can’t say too much without spoilers, but this was such a creepy and engrossing read for me. It’s rife with imagination and moments of straight up horror.

I loved the emphasis on Nigerian spirits and folklore. I also appreciated its attempt to explore Chioma’s double consciousness through a lens of magical identity. And the art is so cool in a fantastical sort of way. It does inventive and amazing work with the pages and panels like I’ve never seen before in a comic, every border bleeding into another and overlaid with smaller images to reflect the conflict and Chioma’s emotional state. It’s hard to explain, you just need to see it for yourself!

My only complaint is that the ending left me without a clear understanding of what all had taken place. That and the copy on netgalley is pretty fuzzy and hard to read at times. I truly wish I had a physical full-color copy of this beauty.