Scan barcode
jalexpulliamkepler's review against another edition
dark
medium-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
2.75
2.75/5: incredible worldbuilding and complex characters but lacking the craft to bring it all together
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Miscarriage, Torture, Vomit, Medical content, Cannibalism, and Alcohol
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Sexual content, Torture, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Genocide, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Vomit, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and War
grets_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
Minor: Animal death, Miscarriage, Slavery, Torture, and Grief
onthesamepage's review against another edition
I appreciated the scope of the world and the fact that all characters are Black. The prologue does a pretty good job in setting up a bit of intrigue. Unfortunately, I found my interest steadily waning afterwards.
There's a lot of worldbuilding and a lot of information at the beginning, so the start is incredibly slow. I didn't find much to latch onto in the characters, either. At the point where I stopped, which is 14% into a pretty big book, I still had no clear idea of where these characters were going and what they wanted to achieve.
I do think there's potential for an interesting story, I just don't think I'm the right reader for this book.
There's a lot of worldbuilding and a lot of information at the beginning, so the start is incredibly slow. I didn't find much to latch onto in the characters, either. At the point where I stopped, which is 14% into a pretty big book, I still had no clear idea of where these characters were going and what they wanted to achieve.
I do think there's potential for an interesting story, I just don't think I'm the right reader for this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Torture, and Classism
lcgordon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-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? Yes
4.0
The worldbuilding is incredible....which means the first third of the book is an absolute slog. It really picks up in interesting ways if you can make it through that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, and War
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Genocide, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
zombiezami's review against another edition
A third of the way in, and it still just wasn't grabbing me. The plot feels very uninspired.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Infidelity, Vomit, and Death of parent
Minor: Rape
Colorismtilly_m_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Blood
Minor: Miscarriage and Torture
laurareads87's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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
4.0
I have had Son of the Storm on my TBR for quite some time; having recently read Okungbowa's short story in The Year's Best African Speculative Fiction (2021) [sidenote: pick up this anthology - it's fantastic] I was very much looking forward to it.
There is so much that I appreciated about this book, and I'm glad that it is going to be a series because I look forward to reading more set in this universe. The world-building is incredible -- complex histories, social and political dynamics, and spiritual and cultural worldviews are really well developed. I found Okungbowa's use of multiple POVs effective -- each one added to the overall story, and this structure allowed for rich character development as the reader learns more about each character in part based on how they view others. If I had a complaint, I would say that the first 15-20% or so felt a little bit slow in terms of plot -- it picked up from there, though, and held my interest throughout. I look forward to picking up the next book in the series.
<i>Content warnings:</i> violence, gore, xenophobia, blood, torture, death, murder, animal cruelty, animal death, fire injury/death
There is so much that I appreciated about this book, and I'm glad that it is going to be a series because I look forward to reading more set in this universe. The world-building is incredible -- complex histories, social and political dynamics, and spiritual and cultural worldviews are really well developed. I found Okungbowa's use of multiple POVs effective -- each one added to the overall story, and this structure allowed for rich character development as the reader learns more about each character in part based on how they view others. If I had a complaint, I would say that the first 15-20% or so felt a little bit slow in terms of plot -- it picked up from there, though, and held my interest throughout. I look forward to picking up the next book in the series.
<i>Content warnings:</i> violence, gore, xenophobia, blood, torture, death, murder, animal cruelty, animal death, fire injury/death
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
jashanac's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
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
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The author touched on themes of imperialism, colorism, hope, faith in humanity, truth, freedom, and friendship/loyalty... SO MUCH!
The character development was *chef's kiss* for me personally. I cannot wait for future installments to see what happens with these characters... the dynamic between Danso and Lilong is so great!
The character development was *chef's kiss* for me personally. I cannot wait for future installments to see what happens with these characters... the dynamic between Danso and Lilong is so great!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Xenophobia, and Murder
Moderate: Colonisation
There is also a sort of abortion-adjacent/miscarriage-adjacent situation... there's magic involved and it's not an outright abortion or miscarriage but I could see it being an issue for some who have experienced either of those things.azrah786's review against another edition
3.75
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I was provided with an ARC by Orbit Books UK in exchange for an honest review**
CW: racism/colourism, ageism, violence, torture, blood, body horror, immolation, death, genocide, murder, pregnancy, miscarriage/abortion
Son of the Storm commences a fresh high fantasy tale set in an exquisitely complex pre-colonial West African inspired world that will hook you in from the first page.
The continent of Oon is under the jurisdiction of the Bassai Empire where ethnicity and caste determine your status and where all must adhere to the Bassai Ideal. We predominantly follow 3 main characters – Danso, a mixed-race scholar with a love for stories; Esheme, a fixer’s daughter with an ambition to be seen as more than her parentage and Lilong, an outsider wielding legendary and forbidden magic – as they navigate their place in the empire.
Okungbowa’s narration vividly brings the people and place of this world to life - from the array of cultures and complex caste systems that shape society, to the layered settlements within capital of the mainland - it all immerses you right in. Though as a fantasy map lover along with the broader map of the continent I do wish that we had a map of Bassa itself and its concentric Wards.
The storyline is rich with politics, touching heavily on the themes of oppression and privilege but there is also some focus on immigration and the environment which I thought was quite notable. Alongside this are the whispers of forbidden knowledge which have you curious to chase all the stories just as much as Danso.
Each of the primary protagonists is of a differing background and their individual perspectives further enhance the story. Though I’ll admit I didn’t find any of the characters that likeable (except maybe Lilong). They were all frustrating in their own way however, I couldn’t help but be fascinated by their journeys and development through the book. I also thought it was an interesting choice to have interspersed chapters from some of the side characters too. I was worried that this would become confusing but it again helped add to the history/background of the story as well as understanding the leading characters and their motivations more.
My favourite element of the story though was the Ibor and its magic which I found equally badass and terrifying. From the lore and history behind it, to the way it is wielded and its consequences, I couldn’t get enough of it!! Definitely one of my favourite fantasy magic systems to date and I can’t wait to learn more about it in the rest of the series!
What I had some issues with was the pacing. It is for the most part quite slow going, which at the very beginning when the key details and world-building were being laid down was perfect. However, as the story progressed particularly the middle chunk of the book I expected a little bit more from the action scenes. I mean at one point some of the characters were being pursued and are travelling through the Breathing Forest, a forest that was literally heaving around them, and while the descriptions of the place opens your imagination to the danger of the terrain the stakes didn’t come across as high enough for the characters to me. I was also quite thrown with the pacing in the last few chapters because in comparison to the rest of the book everything happened so fast?
All that aside though I am very much looking forward to seeing how the story continues!
Final Rating – 3.75/5 Stars
**I was provided with an ARC by Orbit Books UK in exchange for an honest review**
CW: racism/colourism, ageism, violence, torture, blood, body horror, immolation, death, genocide, murder, pregnancy, miscarriage/abortion
Son of the Storm commences a fresh high fantasy tale set in an exquisitely complex pre-colonial West African inspired world that will hook you in from the first page.
The continent of Oon is under the jurisdiction of the Bassai Empire where ethnicity and caste determine your status and where all must adhere to the Bassai Ideal. We predominantly follow 3 main characters – Danso, a mixed-race scholar with a love for stories; Esheme, a fixer’s daughter with an ambition to be seen as more than her parentage and Lilong, an outsider wielding legendary and forbidden magic – as they navigate their place in the empire.
Okungbowa’s narration vividly brings the people and place of this world to life - from the array of cultures and complex caste systems that shape society, to the layered settlements within capital of the mainland - it all immerses you right in. Though as a fantasy map lover along with the broader map of the continent I do wish that we had a map of Bassa itself and its concentric Wards.
The storyline is rich with politics, touching heavily on the themes of oppression and privilege but there is also some focus on immigration and the environment which I thought was quite notable. Alongside this are the whispers of forbidden knowledge which have you curious to chase all the stories just as much as Danso.
Each of the primary protagonists is of a differing background and their individual perspectives further enhance the story. Though I’ll admit I didn’t find any of the characters that likeable (except maybe Lilong). They were all frustrating in their own way however, I couldn’t help but be fascinated by their journeys and development through the book. I also thought it was an interesting choice to have interspersed chapters from some of the side characters too. I was worried that this would become confusing but it again helped add to the history/background of the story as well as understanding the leading characters and their motivations more.
My favourite element of the story though was the Ibor and its magic which I found equally badass and terrifying. From the lore and history behind it, to the way it is wielded and its consequences, I couldn’t get enough of it!! Definitely one of my favourite fantasy magic systems to date and I can’t wait to learn more about it in the rest of the series!
What I had some issues with was the pacing. It is for the most part quite slow going, which at the very beginning when the key details and world-building were being laid down was perfect. However, as the story progressed particularly the middle chunk of the book I expected a little bit more from the action scenes. I mean at one point some of the characters were being pursued and are travelling through the Breathing Forest, a forest that was literally heaving around them, and while the descriptions of the place opens your imagination to the danger of the terrain the stakes didn’t come across as high enough for the characters to me. I was also quite thrown with the pacing in the last few chapters because in comparison to the rest of the book everything happened so fast?
All that aside though I am very much looking forward to seeing how the story continues!
Final Rating – 3.75/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Miscarriage, Racism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Genocide and Abortion