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shadow_cat94's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This author does a good job at balancing a creative coming-of-age story with analyzing religious fanatacism, indoctrination of children, and fractured families under a strict religious upbringing.
Praise to Blue-Skinned Gods for its captivating imagery, and Sindu's ability to capture Kalki's voice as he ages from a child to a naïve young man exploring outside India.
The story occassionally flips forward in time very briefly and it feels uncalled for, but easy to ignore. The very last sentence of this story is why I dropped it by half a star. It does not fit with the tone of the scene nor the mindset of the character at that time. I agree with other reviewers, I feel like I need 50 more pages, because I need an explanation on why that sentence was put there.
Overall, this is a great read with some hard topics and deep questions buried within the pages.
Praise to Blue-Skinned Gods for its captivating imagery, and Sindu's ability to capture Kalki's voice as he ages from a child to a naïve young man exploring outside India.
The story occassionally flips forward in time very briefly and it feels uncalled for, but easy to ignore. The very last sentence of this story is why I dropped it by half a star. It does not fit with the tone of the scene nor the mindset of the character at that time. I agree with other reviewers, I feel like I need 50 more pages, because I need an explanation on why that sentence was put there.
Overall, this is a great read with some hard topics and deep questions buried within the pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Self harm, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Classism
Minor: Slavery, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Cultural appropriation
There are 2 attempted murders or murders of passion in this story. The victim does not end up dead though.tetedump's review against another edition
dark
sad
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Car accident, and Gaslighting
allergy reactionelyssarenae's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Once the metaphorical curtain was lifted, the story felt a bit rushed and out of place compared to the first half-or-so or the book. I understand that is also how Kalki likely felt and was experiencing his life, but it was enough to take me out of the story in some instances, and it ended very abruptly.
Otherwise, an intriguing premise and good writing! I give the first three sections a 4/5⭐️ and the last section a 1.5/5⭐️ for a 3.5/5⭐️ overall.
Otherwise, an intriguing premise and good writing! I give the first three sections a 4/5⭐️ and the last section a 1.5/5⭐️ for a 3.5/5⭐️ overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Physical abuse, and Suicide
Minor: Self harm
caseythereader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Thanks to Libro FM for the free copy of this book.
- BLUE SKINNED GODS takes its time unraveling it's story, but my goodness, is it worth it. This book is beautiful, enraging, heartbreaking, joyful, and so much more.
- Even when I thought I knew exactly where Kalki's story was going, there's a major plot twist I did not see coming.
- The audiobook, narrated by Varun Sathi, is an immersive experience. I felt like I was right there in Kalki's head, trying to work everything out with him.
- BLUE SKINNED GODS takes its time unraveling it's story, but my goodness, is it worth it. This book is beautiful, enraging, heartbreaking, joyful, and so much more.
- Even when I thought I knew exactly where Kalki's story was going, there's a major plot twist I did not see coming.
- The audiobook, narrated by Varun Sathi, is an immersive experience. I felt like I was right there in Kalki's head, trying to work everything out with him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content
jayisreading's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.0
What drew me to this book was the premise, which is that the protagonist, Kalki, was raised in a way that he was believed to be a god due to his blue skin. Over time, though, various events lead to him questioning the validity of his god status. Perhaps not surprisingly, this also results in significant consequences, which Sintu divides into four sections.
Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. There were a lot of interesting ideas and themes, especially this conflict of truths and lies, as well as desires and obligations, as well as touching on issues of the caste system, tourism, queerness, among others. It didn’t feel as cohesive as it could have been, though, and I think what affected this was the pacing of the book. I found the first section dreadfully boring, but things started picking up in the second and third sections, diving deep into an interesting, almost psychoanalytic exploration of deception and manipulation in Kalki’s life. I was hopeful for the fourth and last section, as a result, only to be disappointed by the way things were hastily wrapped up. It felt as though too much was happening and, as a result, the book was barely holding it together by the end. I honestly finished the book with more questions than anything.
There was a lot of potential in this novel and I really enjoyed the ideas and writing, but the execution made it difficult for me to actually enjoy this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Suicide, and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, and Car accident
Minor: Cancer, Self harm, and Kidnapping
spinesinaline's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thanks to Legend Press for an e-ARC! Find my full review at spinesinaline.wordpress.com
This was very, very good and I loved how the story just so slightly shifted and revealed where we were headed as we got further in. Even the subtle aspects of the book, like what each section title ultimately represents, are so important to the story and our ultimate understanding of it and I loved these little nods that we discover throughout! So many of my thoughts are related to the latter half of the book so I’ll refrain from sharing too much to avoid spoilers but if anyone’s read it and wants to chat, let me know!
I was definitely not prepared for the twist, though of course we have hints of ‘what the heck is going on’, but the power of this writing comes not only from the author’s surprise in this twist but the implications of what these new discoveries will mean for Kalki’s sense of the world. Ultimately the book moves from a curious and fantastical story of a child god, to exploring more worldly concepts with Kalki as our eyes and ears.
The book is told almost primarily chronologically but there are a few moments within chapters where we’re suddenly in the present day with Kalki as he reflects back on his story. While I do like having this additional context of his current knowledge and hints of where he ends up, the present day moments were so infrequently mixed in, and usually within a flashback chapter, that it felt an odd change of the flow of the story.
The ending is where I have more issues, which of course I’ll keep vague to avoid spoilers. I was prepared to leave the book with many unanswered questions, which felt very realistic in how people’s lives progress, but the ending then hints that there are even more hideous secrets being kept. Except that after all these hints, we just get more of the same so the scene felt rather pointless, and then the book ended very abruptly.
This is still a book I’ll be thinking about long after I’ve put it down but I wish it could’ve embraced being open-ended more. I also really appreciated that the author ends with a land acknowledgment and includes many recommendations on Indigenous authors to check out.
This was very, very good and I loved how the story just so slightly shifted and revealed where we were headed as we got further in. Even the subtle aspects of the book, like what each section title ultimately represents, are so important to the story and our ultimate understanding of it and I loved these little nods that we discover throughout! So many of my thoughts are related to the latter half of the book so I’ll refrain from sharing too much to avoid spoilers but if anyone’s read it and wants to chat, let me know!
I was definitely not prepared for the twist, though of course we have hints of ‘what the heck is going on’, but the power of this writing comes not only from the author’s surprise in this twist but the implications of what these new discoveries will mean for Kalki’s sense of the world. Ultimately the book moves from a curious and fantastical story of a child god, to exploring more worldly concepts with Kalki as our eyes and ears.
The book is told almost primarily chronologically but there are a few moments within chapters where we’re suddenly in the present day with Kalki as he reflects back on his story. While I do like having this additional context of his current knowledge and hints of where he ends up, the present day moments were so infrequently mixed in, and usually within a flashback chapter, that it felt an odd change of the flow of the story.
The ending is where I have more issues, which of course I’ll keep vague to avoid spoilers. I was prepared to leave the book with many unanswered questions, which felt very realistic in how people’s lives progress, but the ending then hints that there are even more hideous secrets being kept. Except that after all these hints, we just get more of the same so the scene felt rather pointless, and then the book ended very abruptly.
This is still a book I’ll be thinking about long after I’ve put it down but I wish it could’ve embraced being open-ended more. I also really appreciated that the author ends with a land acknowledgment and includes many recommendations on Indigenous authors to check out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Vomit, Car accident, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
jessieweaver's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an advanced review copy of this book.
It took awhile for me to get into this story of Kalki, age 10 when we enter the novel, whom we see grow into young adulthood. But once I was sucked in, I was turning (digital!) pages quickly, eager to hear the rest of his story.
Kalki knows a few things. 1. His skin is blue. 2. He is the tenth incarnation of the god Vishnu. At age 10, he is set up to perform three miracles, proving his godhood. And yet, everything doesn't seem right, especially when his family situation changes and new faces enter the ashram where he lives.
A coming-of-age novel with a fascinating set-up, I liked growing alongside Kalki as he discovers what's really going on with his family. I'm rating it about a 3-star because I felt like it took awhile to get into the story and I found the ending to feel a little bit rushed and not entirely satisfying.
(Trigger warnings abound, but these are all tread on lightly. I am a major highly sensitive person - HSP - and I didn't think anything was gratuitous or too much for me.)
It took awhile for me to get into this story of Kalki, age 10 when we enter the novel, whom we see grow into young adulthood. But once I was sucked in, I was turning (digital!) pages quickly, eager to hear the rest of his story.
Kalki knows a few things. 1. His skin is blue. 2. He is the tenth incarnation of the god Vishnu. At age 10, he is set up to perform three miracles, proving his godhood. And yet, everything doesn't seem right, especially when his family situation changes and new faces enter the ashram where he lives.
A coming-of-age novel with a fascinating set-up, I liked growing alongside Kalki as he discovers what's really going on with his family. I'm rating it about a 3-star because I felt like it took awhile to get into the story and I found the ending to feel a little bit rushed and not entirely satisfying.
(Trigger warnings abound, but these are all tread on lightly. I am a major highly sensitive person - HSP - and I didn't think anything was gratuitous or too much for me.)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, Sexual content, Vomit, Grief, and Car accident